Sunday Round Up – #5

Top Stories

Chile has banned shark finning in its waters. Another in a string of wins around the Pacific.

An agreement to ban all bottom trawling in Belizean waters has been completed; this comes after a lengthy campaign by Oceana.

EU authorities have seized fish worth more than €4m in Las Palmas, Canary Islands (Spain).  The Environmental Justice Foundation claimed the fish had been caught by illegal pirate fishing off West Africa using child labour. The catches were found on three vessels flagged to South Korea, Panama and China.  Does this mark a new phase in the battle against IUU fishing for the EU?

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Other Stories

Whole Foods has now replaced red-rated swordfish and tuna with sustainable options.  It will phase out other red-listed species over the next couple years.

The IUCN has identified 40 fish species that could go extinct in the next few years in the Mediterranean.

A new study reveals that birds digest plastics faster than originally thought, meaning they are more contaminated and play a greater role in putting the nasty stuff into the food chain.

Another study shows that rising ocean temperatures are stressing out fish.

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Worth Reading/Watching

Foreign Policy Magazine discusses how the Doha Round could greatly help conserve our ocean resources.

The Diplomat explores what history can and cannot help us understand about the geopolitical implications of an ice-free Arctic.

Dave Newman at NRDC gives a great response to Ray Hilborn’s recent piece in the NYT.

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Good Stuff

Beautiful photos of the birds at Midway Atoll.  They were hurt badly by the recent tsunami, and plastics are likely a part of the local diet.

The NYT has a nice 5 min interview with Ted Danson and his new book.