Conservation Archive

The Trouble With Artificial Reefs

Artificial reefs, created by deliberately sunk ships and other structures, may not be all that they’re cracked up to be, according to two American academics. One, Prof William Lindberg, who specialises in fisheries science at the University of Florida, has said that artificial reefs may actually hinder rather than improve levels of marine life in the [...]
Read More
Why Corals Die From Stress In Warmer Oceans

Australian scientists have thrown new light on the mechanism behind the mass death of corals worldwide as the Earth’s climate warms. Without doubt, one of the most devastating events affecting coral reefs around the planet is coral bleaching. This is triggered by rising water temperatures – when the corals and their symbiotic algae become heat-stressed, the [...]
Read More
Battle of May Island sub victims surveyed

Two WW1 British submarines have been surveyed off eastern Scotland in order to ensure that they can be left undamaged if a proposed wind-farm is constructed in the area. The survey was carried out on the K-class vessels K4 and K17, which lie in some 50m of water and 100m apart, about 20 miles off Fife [...]
Read More
HEPCA lays into rogue operators in Egypt

An Egyptian environmental group has launched a remarkable attack on diving and fishing operators in the country, claiming that many are indulging in practices that are damaging the marine environment. In a statement headed “The Gloves Are Coming Off!”, the Hurghada Environmental Protection & Conservation Association (HEPCA) has said that it is being forced to “launch [...]
Read More
Marine Conservation Zones Proposed In The South East

Beachy Head and the Goodwin Sands amongst others are being proposed as conservation zones designed to protect our coastline and the seas inhabitants in those areas. Some 30 recommendations are being proposed by the Balanced Seas group who specialise in Marine Conservation Zones. Marine Conservation Zones can be used to stop or reduce fishing and dredging [...]
Read More
New scheme to protect coral reefs

A new project has been introduced to safeguard marine life in the Maldives, particularly the dwindling coral reefs. The new scheme has been initiated by local environmental consultancy Seamarc, in collaboration with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and travel company Kuoni. Speaking at the launch of the project at the Nalahiya hotel in [...]
Read More
Sharks & Marlin Off The Hook At Makro

Bite-Back’s campaign to make Britain’s retailers ‘shark-free’ celebrated a massive victory this week following news that nationwide wholesale giant, Makro, plans to de-list blue shark from its 30 stores. Significantly, Makro is thought to be the last multiple retailer of shark in the country. From this week, Makro will not renew its contract for frozen [...]
Read More
Project to safeguard coral reefs

A new project has been introduced to protect Bahrain’s dwindling coral reefs and fish habitats. Bahrain, an island country located in the Persian Gulf, is set to start restoration work along its western coast soon. The new scheme to safeguard marine life has been initiated by the Bahrain Environment Society (BES) and funded by HSBC. As part of [...]
Read More
Shark-Finning – The End Game?

Put a lid on finning in one place, and the shark-hunters just turn up elsewhere. It’s not supply that must be turned off, says Richard Peirce, it’s demand – and for the first time, he reckons there are grounds for optimism British divers are aware of the threat to the world’s shark populations through overfishing. This [...]
Read More
Bite-Back at Cancer Fiji Raffle

Bite-Back have just announced that following Fiji’s sponsorship of the Bite-Back at Cancer Ball, Tourism Fiji have generously donated an incredible holiday for two (including flights, accommodation and diving) as a raffle prize. Raffle tickets are available to all at www.bitebackatcancer.org/fiji with each ticket costing a mere £10 – the catch is that there are only [...]
Read More