Metal Shark Boats’ Post

Some amazing news from Oceana in Mexico regarding the creation of the largest marine protected area in the Gulf of Mexico.

Happy Shark and Ray Awareness Day! While seeing a shark dorsal fin might send swimmers to shore, sharks are usually more scared of us than we are of them! These incredible predators are often misunderstood. Sharks are crucial to their habitats, playing a key role in maintaining balance in aquatic ecosystems. The global populations of oceanic sharks and rays have decreased by 71% over the past 50 years, primarily due to overfishing. Shedd Aquarium and our partners, like The Shark Trust, are speaking up for their survival — and you can, too! Sign the Big Shark Pledge to add your voice to the ocean of advocates vowing to protect high-seas sharks and rays — https://lnkd.in/g2ww5VXv.

This is a significant step towards protecting a unique ocean treasure.

SWAN is a member of the Irish Sea Network (ISN), a group of 13 conservation bodies across all the Irish Sea nations. Today the ISN launched a report calling for planners in all 6 nations of the sea to work together to ensure nature is protected. 🌊 Management of the Irish Sea is complex, with each nation managing the sea in its own way. But marine wildlife doesn’t see the lines we draw on maps and the wonderful habitats and species that live in the Irish Sea are connected. Because of this connectivity, management of the marine environment in one nation may impact wildlife beyond its borders in another. We therefore need marine plans to be aligned, and decision makers to consider the cumulative impacts of all activities on the Irish Sea as a whole. Read the report here: https://lnkd.in/ewAuX2cc #IrishSeaNetwork #30x30 #marine #connected #OneIrishSea

St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a country in the eastern part of the Caribbean, has over 500 marine species, including 450 species of finfish, 12 species of whales and dolphins, 4 species of turtles, and many more, which makes this country one of the hotspots of marine wildlife. However, the beauty and uniqueness of this wildlife are endangered due to major changes in the world that risk the natural habitats of its wildlife. In response, the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Environment Fund (SVGEF) was established to combat environmental challenges and promote the preservation of the islands' ecosystems and natural value. The SVGEF is an initiative dedicated to leveraging local talent and resources through grants, campaigns, stakeholder collaboration, and projects to foster long-term environmental well-being. As an example, in 2017, the SVGEF's Sea Turtles Conservation Project, in collaboration with the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, led to the nation becoming the first in the eastern Caribbean to enact a total ban on killing sea turtles, marking a significant success story. Besides that, the SVGEF also succeeded in manifesting their marine conservation projects, such as the whale and dolphin conservation support in Bequia and the wildlife tourism support in Barrouallie. After all, the SVGEF has seen this as an opportunity to evolve the islands and the peoples, whilst preserving the unique history, culture, and environmental heritage of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Learn more about the Protection of Marine Environment on aisforum.org. AIS Forum #FosteringCollaborationEnablingInnovation __ #AISForum #UNDP #SDGs #OurOceanOurFuture #GetToKnow #StVincentandtheGrenadines #SVGEF #MarineConservation

Tom Opre - The Last keeper In Scotland, where picturesque landscapes mask a different reality, the historic port of Greenock on the River Clyde stands as a relic of industrial prowess. The central belt of Scotland, now home to 70% of Scots, evolved from a hub of factories and mills to a political powerhouse, overshadowing the traditional Highland way of life. Today, a fierce battle over land use rages, juxtaposing preservationists, politicians, and activists against rural communities and landowners. Central to this conflict are the sporting estates, vital for the rural economy through recreational hunting, now caught in the crossfire of policy decisions. This battle, reminiscent of class warfare and the struggle for control over land and legacy, highlights the contrasts within Scotland's borders, reflecting deep-seated class divisions and a fight for control, ultimately underscores the complex, contrasting realities of Scotland. The future of biodiversity, habitat conservation, and age-old traditions hinges on this pivotal clash, echoing a powerful call for decisive action across the glens.

The North Pacific Right Whale is perhaps the rarest, most endangered large whale species in the world. Only about thirty surviving individuals make up the eastern population, which lives in waters around Alaska. In her note, “Among the Rarest: Saving the Eastern North Pacific Right Whale,” Elza Bouhassira examines the crisis facing these whales. Bouhassira analyzes a recent petition to expand North Pacific Right Whale critical habitat in the context of the species’ history and existing legal regimes, putting forth six recommendations on how to protect the Eastern North Pacific Right Whale going forward. Read it here: https://buff.ly/3J6ffU9 #NorthPacificRightWhales #whales #conservation #endangeredspecies #alaska

As Washington treaty tribes mark the 50th anniversary next week of the Boldt Decision, challenges to a sustainable salmon population remain. Habitat restoration is challenged by time and other forces, even while Treaty Tribes of Washington invest millions of dollars each year in restoration and — working in cooperation with state and federal fish and wildlife agencies, conservation and habitat enhancement groups and public utilities — annually release about 32 million chinook, coho, chum, sockeye and steelhead from hatcheries. How to keep salmon recovery and habitat restoration moving forward will be part of a discussion Feb. 6 and 7. Richard Arlin Walker reports: https://ow.ly/UXS050Qxzce

So good to see the expansion of the program nationally.

Discover how a lot of patience and perseverance resulted in the acquisition and gazettal of over 1,600 hectares of land as national park, protecting endangered regional ecosystems and areas of national significance. https://lnkd.in/g8csqkmc