Positive ocean news: November '24 edition

27 Nov 2024

5 minute read

From newly discovered species to milestones in oyster and coral restoration projects, we've rounded up some wins for our seas from this month.

Thousands take to streets to demand action on clean water

Thousands of people marched through the streets of London to demand an end to the poisoning of the UK’s seas, rivers and lakes.

The March for Clean Water brought a sea of blue to London, as attendees marched from Albert Embankment to Parliament Square. Organised by River Action UK, more than 130 organisations, including the Marine Conservation Society, took part in the demonstration to demand that the UK Government takes urgent action on water quality.

Credit: Amy Rice

The rally was organised as a result of the toxic cocktail of chemicals and sewage that regularly enter UK waterways, including Marine Protected Areas and bathing waters, putting people, wildlife and planet at risk.

The thousands of attendees came together to act as a voice for the UK’s rivers, seas and lakes, calling for immediate action to protect our vital marine habitats and those that call it home.

New species of sea slug discovered in the deep sea

A remarkable new sea slug has been discovered swimming in the ocean’s ‘midnight zone’.

Nicknamed the 'mystery mollusc', the Bathydevius caudactylus was first observed by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in 2000, 2,614 metres underwater, but the team struggled to identify it. After reviewing more than 150 sightings of the creature over the past 20 years, they confirmed the animal was a type of nudibranch, commonly known as sea slugs.

With a large gelatinous hood and tail fringed with numerous finger-like projections, the Bathydevius caudactylus has colourful internal organs and is bioluminescent. It’s the first nudibranch species known to live in the deep water column.

Bruce Robison, Senior Scientist at MBARI, said: “Deep-sea animals capture the imagination. These are our neighbours that share our blue planet. Each new discovery is an opportunity to raise awareness about the deep sea and inspire the public to protect the amazing animals and environments found deep beneath the surface.”

Read more on the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute website

Milestones reached in oyster restoration projects

Project partners, the Marine Conservation Society, The Glenmorangie Company and Heriot-Watt University, worked together with volunteers to reintroduce the species to the Firth for the first time in over 100 years.

Meanwhile, Restoration Forth, a project led by WWF Scotland and supported by Marine Conservation Society, Professor Bill Sanderson and his team at Heriot-Watt University, has successfully reintroduced 30,000 native oysters to the Firth of Forth. With an impressive 85% survival rate, the work of Restoration Forth partners is providing hope for the future of this species.

Both projects aim to revitalise native oysters, a key species which improve water quality, boost biodiversity, provide nursery habitats for young fish and absorb carbon.

Azores establishes largest marine preserve in the North Atlantic

The Azores’s marine ecosystems are among the most diverse in the North Atlantic, with the islands surrounded by dolphins, whales, deep-sea corals, sharks, rays and fish, and unique hydrothermal vent ecosystems.

The announcement means that 15% of Azorean waters are now fully protected and 15% are highly protected, with fishing and other extractive activities restricted or banned in designated areas. This contributes to the global goal of protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030.

Read more on the Good News Network website

300 yellow tang fish released in milestone coral reef restoration event

Credit: Adam Melrose/unsplash

Over 300 juvenile yellow tang, an iconic Hawaiian marine species, were released into Oahu’s waters in a historic milestone for coral restoration.

This was the first documented release of fish in Hawai’i aimed specifically at ecosystem restoration, with most releases done to boost fish stocks for consumption.

The project, led by the Oceanic Institute of Hawai’i Pacific University with partners, Georgia Aquarium and The Walt Disney Company’s Aulani Resort, aims to restore Hawaiian coral reefs, which are worth an estimated $33 billion and play an important role in ocean ecosystems.

Yellow tang play a key role in supporting coral health by grazing on algae, preventing it from overwhelming the coral and promoting coral growth. It’s hoped that the project will act as a model for future restoration projects in Hawai’i.

World’s largest seagrass nursery opened

The world’s largest purpose-built seagrass restoration nursery has opened in Queensland, boosting efforts to restore this vital habitat on the Great Barrier Reef.

Home to the largest seagrass ecosystem in the world, the Great Barrier Reef’s meadows play an important role in supporting local diversity, providing nurseries and food for endangered species such as turtles and dugongs (often called ‘sea cows’). They also store around 400 million tonnes of carbon, helping to mitigate climate change.

Credit: Laura McConnell

The newly opened nursery will help to scale up seagrass restoration, with seeds from it used to re-seed damaged meadows, and provide an opportunity for local communities and schools to visit and learn more about the importance of seagrass.

New species of hermit crab discovered

Credit: Courtesy Queensland Museum

Scientists at Queensland Museum have discovered a new species of hermit crab which has evolved a unique way to produce sound underwater.

Nicknamed ‘Strawberry Claws’ due to its distinctive bright red claws, the Strigopagurus fragarchela uses stridulation, in which it rubs specific body parts together to make sound – the same way cicadas do. This is used as a form of defence when the animal is being attacked.

Although little is yet known about the species, scientists say that it is important to the local biodiversity around southeastern Queensland.

Scientists will now be turning their attention to the conservation status of the Strigopagurus fragarchela and what can be done to ensure its survival, with further studies needed to improve understanding of this intriguing creature.

Project launched to understand impacts of climate change on krill

To understand how this species is responding to climate change, and how to help protect them, KrillGuard aims to identify important genes within the krill’s DNA, including the gene sequences associated with their response to temperature.

The team will then compare recently collected krill to historic specimens from the Natural History Museum’s archives to observe how these genes have changed over the past century.

Dr Matt Clark, research leader at the Natural History Museum, said: “As cold-water specialists, krill are vulnerable to the effects of the warming Southern Ocean. We hope that by improving our understanding of their genetics, we can find out more about their populations and support decisions to conserve this vital species.”

Read more on the Natural History Museum website

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