Bertarelli Programme News Today

A new study, by an international team of scientists, has found the presence of seabirds on islands near to tropical reefs helps corals to ‘bounce back’ much quicker from bleaching events. Bleaching can cause mass die off of corals when seas are too h

Credit: Claire Collins Thousands of sharks have been illegally caught in a Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Indian Ocean, new research shows. The MPA was created in 2010 around the Chagos Archipelago, also known as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), banning all fishing there. The new study examined information on illegal fishing in the MPA - a vast (640,000 km²/250,000 mi2) area containing pristine and remote reefs. Enforcement data suggests more than 14,000 sharks were caught in th...

Chagos coral reefs post bleaching, March 2018 (credit Chris Perry) The window of opportunity to save the world’s coral reefs is still open but time is running out, new research shows. An international study involving University of Exeter marine scientist Professor Chris Perry, and jointly led by marine biologist Dr Christopher Cornwall from Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington and Dr Steeve Comeau from the French National Centre for Scientific Research, has calculated how co...

Credit: Claire Collins Bans on shark fishing are only partially effective in protecting sharks, new research suggests. Scientists from the University of Exeter, international conservation charity ZSL (Zoological Society of London) and Sri Lankan NGO Oceanswell examined the effects of a blanket ban on landing thresher sharks, brought in by the Sri Lankan government in 2012. Information gathered from local fishers suggests the ban has stopped targeted fishing for the sharks - but persistent "byca...