News and views from the world of marine heritage and conservation
Marine group goes to court
Deep threat to sharks
Who owns galleon loot ?
ENVIRONMENT
Protect Our Seas
News and views from the world of marine heritage and conservation
Landings of gulper sharks in the Andaman Sea
PHOTO : FRANCIS EBEENA
Marine group goes to court
The Blue Marine Foundation , a charity dedicated to restoring the ocean to health , has launched legal proceedings over the government ’ s decision to set fishing opportunities for more than half UK stocks , at levels exceeding scientific advice . The charity argues that the government ’ s unsustainable management of fish stocks is an irresponsible use of national assets and against the interests of the majority of fishermen .
Deep threat to sharks
A new study published in the journal Science has found that one in seven deep-water shark and ray species are threatened with extinction according to criteria set down by the International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN ) Red List of Threatened Species . A team of experts from around the world have warned that the biggest threat to this group of deep-water megafauna is overfishing , specifically as bycatch of fisheries targeting commercially important species . “ Deepwater sharks and rays are retained for their meat and liver oil ”, said Dr Brittany Finucci , a fisheries scientist based at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research ( NIWA ) in New Zealand . “ These are not new fisheries . However , the global expansion and diversification of deep-water shark and ray use and trade is a relatively new phenomenon .”
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Who owns galleon loot ?
Indigenous communities in Bolivia have objected to Colombia ’ s plans to recover the remains of an 18th-century galleon believed to be carrying gold , silver and emeralds worth billions , calling on Spain and UNESCO to step in and halt the project .
The wreck was discovered three years ago with the help of an international team of experts using autonomous underwater vehicles ; its exact location is a state secret . The ship sank somewhere in the wide area off Colombia ’ s Baru peninsula , south of Cartagena , in the Caribbean Sea . Colombia hopes to begin recovering artefacts from the wreck , but the Caranga , Chicha and Killaka peoples in Bolivia propose that the galleon and its contents should be considered “ common and shared patrimony ”. A substantial part of the treasure onboard the San José is believed to have been mined by the forced labour of indigenous people in Bolivia , so Colombia ’ s plans to lift the remains without consulting their descendants would violate international law , the communities said in a letter to UNESCO .