Italian competitor Andrea Richichi was the toast of Koh Lanta this month after he swept the boards in the third annual Andaman Freediving Challenge, the only competition of its type in Thailand.

The 52-year old reached a depth of 53 metres in the constant weight category and managed an equally impressive breath-hold of six minutes and 33 seconds during the confined water competitions at the Rawi Warin resort on the picturesque island.

Both Olympus and Panasonic have released new tough, waterproof cameras, ideal for photographers who want their cameras to be able to withstand the elements and perfect for use on a dive boat or for snorkelling.

Olympus have released the TOUGH-6020 and the TOUGH-8010, which are shock-proof and waterproof to 5m and 10m respectively, while Panasonic unveiled the LUMIX DMC-TS2, a follow up to their popular LUMIX DMC-TS1, which is waterproof to 10m.

An Australian Scientist has discovered a startling connection between healthy coral reefs, rain & global warming.

Professor Jones of Australia's Southern Cross University has found that algae living in coral tissue and in the ocean produce massive amounts of a substance called DMS. When it reaches the air, DMS forms cloud nuclei or ‘cloud seeds’ which help clouds form. The clouds both produce rain and reflect sunlight back into space, creating a cooler planet – phenomena with interesting implications for global warming.

In a further escalation of the Whale Wars between Sea Shepherd and the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean, Sea Shepherd have demanded an apology from Japan after an incident where three Japanese sailors were injured by pepper spray.

"If Japanese Fisheries Minister Hirotaka Akamatsu has any sense of honor and dignity he will apologize for the lies that the Institute of Cetacean Research have made in accusing Sea Shepherd of injuring three Japanese whalers on February 11," said Paul Watson, the Captain of the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin.

DivePhotoGuide and Wetpixel have announced the winners of the 5th annual Our World Underwater international underwater photography and video competition. The competition was held in association with Our World Underwater and is part of a joint series often referred to as the "Super Bowl" of international underwater imagery events, with world-class prizes, esteemed celebrity judges, and significant global media support.

Thousands of entries were received from dozens of countries and the winners represented fourteen countries. The winners were presented during the film festival at a special 40th anniversary Our World Underwater show in Chicago.

New World Publications is pleased to announce the premiere of the Sensational Seas Two trailer as a free DiveFilm iTunes podcast. The two-minute preview showcases some of the fun-filled underwater images from the Sensational Seas Two DVD production. The trailer is also available for viewing by visiting www.SensationalSeas.com.

To support the expansion of the Misool No Take Zone, the Daram Project has launched an auction for a once in a lifetime 14-day trip around Daram & Misool in Raja Ampat, with a week on the Seven Seas Liveaboard and a week at the stunning Misool Eco Resort.

Daram is a spectacularly beautiful group of islands situated within the South East Misool Marine Protected Area and just outside the border of the No-Take Zone created in 2006 by Misool Eco Resort, The Nature Conservancy and local villages.

Because of its distance from the villages which have the lawful rights to this area, Daram is the perfect entry point for illegal fisherman. Illegal long-liners and shark finners ply these waters, using endangered sea turtles as bait and systematically stripping the area of its riches.

A new species of stingray has been discovered by scientists at Ningaloo Marine Park in Western Australia. The discovery was made during a series of dive surveys conducted as part of a Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI) project led by the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) working with scientists from CSIRO.

CSIRO scientist Will White said the discovery of the ray (Neotrygon sp.) highlighted that there was still much to learn about the sharks and rays that inhabited the Ningaloo coast.

Avid scuba divers can now enjoy the world's oceans from the comfort of their own home with the launch of Endless Ocean on the Nintendo Wii.

According to Nintendo, Endless Ocean: Blue World takes Nintendo's unique ocean simulation series to the next level, with new features and story elements that create a mesmerizing aquatic odyssey for players of any age or experience level.

The plot involves Oceana, a girl who investigates the 'Song of Dragons', which her father, a prominent ocean explorer, sought before his death. Players can advance the story by exploring the game's stunning underwater environments at their own pace.

An 18-foot long Whale Shark, de-finned and fighting for life, was found floating belly-up amidst the rough waters of Bahay Kambing, a sheltered cove in the municipality of Tingloy, Philippines. Its twin pairs of dorsal and pectoral fins were neatly sliced off – the soft, white flesh glistening in the morning rays. Knife-marks were evident all over its tail – mercifully too think to cut through.

"Scuba divers from Mabini's Acacia Resort first discovered the mutilated shark on the morning of 15 February,"; recounts Casita Isabel resort owner Linda Reyes-Romualdez. "The shark was towed to nearby Caban cove, whose waters were more placid. Together with a Bantay Dagat unit, volunteers splinted the shark by flanking it with bamboo poles and installing a net underneath to minimize further injuries. We wanted to ease its pain."

To support the expansion of the Misool No Take Zone, the Daram Project has launched an auction for a once in a lifetime 14-day trip around Daram & Misool in Raja Ampat, with a week on the Seven Seas Liveaboard and a week at the stunning Misool Eco Resort.

Daram is a spectacularly beautiful group of islands situated within the South East Misool Marine Protected Area and just outside the border of the No-Take Zone created in 2006 by Misool Eco Resort, The Nature Conservancy and local villages.

Because of its distance from the villages which have the lawful rights to this area, Daram is the perfect entry point for illegal fisherman. Illegal long-liners and shark finners ply these waters, using endangered sea turtles as bait and systematically stripping the area of its riches.

Customs officials in Thailand have seized more than 800 pieces of rare and protected corals and sea anemones smuggled from Indonesia, worth about 2 million Thai Baht (US$60,000), a senior official of the Customs Department announced this week.

Customs Department deputy director-general Kornsiri Pinnarut told a news conference that it confiscated 858 corals, sea anemones, giant clams, cowries and sea fans - a haul weighing in at around 300kg.

According to the customs official, Mr Siriporn Umphu imported the items from Indonesia on March 1, giving false information that they were ornamental fish. It is thought the corals were destined to be sold at Chatuchak weekend market in Bangkok.

Italian competitor Andrea Richichi was the toast of Koh Lanta this month after he swept the boards in the third annual Andaman Freediving Challenge, the only competition of its type in Thailand.

The 52-year old reached a depth of 53 metres in the constant weight category and managed an equally impressive breath-hold of six minutes and 33 seconds during the confined water competitions at the Rawi Warin resort on the picturesque island.

Twenty-two dive centres from across Asia and the Pacific have been recognised by PADI's Project Aware foundation for their achievements in protecting & preserving the environment.

Project AWARE Foundation honors dive operators around the world who display commitment and excellence in their efforts to protect underwater environments.

"The Environmental Achievement Award is about rewarding vision, excellence and pursuit of conservation. More importantly, this award ensures the enjoyment of underwater environments for future generations," said Henrik Nimb, Project AWARE Foundation Director, Asia Pacific. 

Avid scuba divers can now enjoy the world's oceans from the comfort of their own home with the launch of Endless Ocean on the Nintendo Wii.

According to Nintendo, Endless Ocean: Blue World takes Nintendo's unique ocean simulation series to the next level, with new features and story elements that create a mesmerizing aquatic odyssey for players of any age or experience level.

The plot involves Oceana, a girl who investigates the 'Song of Dragons', which her father, a prominent ocean explorer, sought before his death. Players can advance the story by exploring the game's stunning underwater environments at their own pace.

Shark Diver NZ CEO Peter Scott unveiled the world's newest white shark aggregation site to the world this week. "After a few years of careful planning and work with resident researchers we are ready to open this site to interested divers, photographers, and the general public," said Scott.

"In a co-operative conservation venture with New Zealand's White Shark Conservation Trust we will move forward to promote and support research with these magnificent animals helping New Zealanders understand the critical role they play in the environment of the South Island."

In a further escalation of the Whale Wars between Sea Shepherd and the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean, Sea Shepherd have demanded an apology from Japan after an incident where three Japanese sailors were injured by pepper spray.

"If Japanese Fisheries Minister Hirotaka Akamatsu has any sense of honor and dignity he will apologize for the lies that the Institute of Cetacean Research have made in accusing Sea Shepherd of injuring three Japanese whalers on February 11," said Paul Watson, the Captain of the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin.

New World Publications is pleased to announce the premiere of the Sensational Seas Two trailer as a free DiveFilm iTunes podcast. The two-minute preview showcases some of the fun-filled underwater images from the Sensational Seas Two DVD production. The trailer is also available for viewing by visiting www.SensationalSeas.com.

Sir Richard Branson has recently unveiled his latest his latest toy - an underwater plane.

The Virgin entrepreneur has bought a winged submarine that will allow guests staying at his exclusive resort in the Caribbean to explore the depths of the ocean. The underwater 'sea plane' is just one of many of his luxury toys. And for the super rich, it could be enough to entice them to the resort for a holiday with a James Bond style difference.

Forensic science, more often associated with solving murders in prime time television crime series, is now helping the United Nations fight illegal fishing, fraudulent product substitution and false documentation that not only cheat consumers but also endanger fish stocks and threaten livelihoods in developing countries.

Experts, inspectors, law enforcement officials, scientists and academics from round the world recently gathered at a UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) workshop in Rome to discuss how to enforce best practices in the $86-billion-a-year global fishing industry, using such tools as DNA analysis and chemical testing.

Mares Diving this morning announced a product safety recall involving the company's NEMO Air scuba diving computer. Under certain circumstances, the O-ring can fail and cause a slow leak of breathing gas through the Quick Connector, which could require a diver to surface quickly and face possible risk of injury or running out of air.

Any air leak resulting from an O-ring failure would be slow, because these fittings are designed to the EN250 standard, which requires a very small (0.3mm) opening in the high-pressure hose fitting, but we nevertheless take this issue seriously and intend to correct all affected units.

From 15th January this year, all divers visiting Lembeh Strait in Indonesia will need to pay an entrance fee of 50,000 Rupiah in order to dive the area. The scheme, initiated by the local goverment, is aimed at providing funds to protect and manage the area.

Lembeh Strait is one of the world's most famous dive destinations, especially for macro lovers and photographers, with an incredible array of unusual and bizarre creatures. Thousands of divers flock to the strait each year in search of wierd and wonderful critters and the area has been descibed by many to be the 'engine room of evolution'. 

The fee only needs to be paid once for each stay in Lembeh Strait and may be re-assessed if divers leave the area and return again on the same trip.

TUSA has announced a safety recall on its RS-670 regulator distributed or sold from May 2009 through September 2009. TUSA was recently informed about the possible loosening of the BLC plug on the R-600 1st stage. There is a slight chance this may cause a high-pressure leak creating an unstable intermediate pressure.

TUSA will service the affected units and return within approximately 7-10 business days after receipt.

For further information, visit the TUSA website.

The film "The Cove" has won Best Documentary at the Critics Choice Awards as announced on 15th January 2010. The awards are often used as an indicator for the year's Oscar winners.

The movie, which attempts to highlight the secretive cature and slaughter of Dolphins in Taiji, a remote Japanese fishing village has won numerous accolades and succeeded in bringing this terrible and unnecessary slaughter to the world's attention.

A major stretch of the Western Australian coastline is being put forward as the 18th national World Heritage site after a deal between State and Federal governments was struck to protect the Ningaloo Coast.

Ningaloo is a virtually untouched barrier reef stretching 260 kilometres on the north-west cape, an area that includes Coral Bay and Exmouth.

The site is home to the largest fish in the world, the whale shark, and is populated by manta rays, sea snakes, whales, turtles and more than 500 species of tropical fish and 220 varieties of coral.

An Australian Scientist has discovered a startling connection between healthy coral reefs, rain & global warming.

Professor Jones of Australia's Southern Cross University has found that algae living in coral tissue and in the ocean produce massive amounts of a substance called DMS. When it reaches the air, DMS forms cloud nuclei or ‘cloud seeds’ which help clouds form. The clouds both produce rain and reflect sunlight back into space, creating a cooler planet – phenomena with interesting implications for global warming.

Specialist scientists at a workshop in Perth this week have been identifying a treasure trove of marine sponges and have confirmed unexpectedly high biodiversity in deep Western Australian waters off Ningaloo Reef.

More than 1,000 sponge samples were obtained from a joint AIMS/Geoscience Australia research cruise to the Ningaloo Reef region off the Western Australian coast in 2008. The project was funded by the Marine Biodiversity Hub of the Commonwealth Environment Research Facilities (CERF) initiative that supports public-good environmental research throughout Australia.

The increasing acidity of the world's oceans – and that acidity's growing threat to marine species – are definitive proof that the atmospheric carbon dioxide that is causing climate change is also negatively affecting the marine environment, says world-renowned Antarctic marine biologist Jim McClintock, Ph.D., professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Biology.

"The oceans are a sink for the carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere," says McClintock, who has spent more than two decades researching the marine species off the coast of Antarctica. Carbon dioxide is absorbed by oceans, and through a chemical process hydrogen ions are released to make seawater more acidic.

Not to be outdone by the little Coconut OCtopus, which was recently filmed using the coconuts as tools, scientists have discovered that Freshwater stingrays can use water as a "tool" in problem-solving tests.

The stingrays learned to use jets of water as a tool to extract a meal of hidden food from a plastic pipe. Freshwater stingrays, found in many tropical waters such as the Amazon river, are related to ocean stingrays.

Dolphins have been declared the world's second most intelligent creatures after humans, with scientists suggesting they are so bright that they should be treated as 'non-human persons'.

Studies into dolphin behaviour have highlighted how similar their communications are to those of humans and that they are brighter than chimpanzees. These have been backed up by anatomical research showing that dolphin brains have many key features associated with high intelligence.

Sea Urchin's body acts like a giant eye, scientists discover Sea urchins don't seem to have any problems avoiding predators or finding comfortable dark corners to hide in, but they appear to do all this without eyes. So how do they see? It appears that sea urchins may use the whole surface of their bodies as a compound eye, and the animals' spines may shield their bodies from light coming from wide angles to enable them to pick out relatively fine visual detail.

A researcher from McGill University in California has discovered a near-complete skull of a primitive 'dugong' like creature, culminating in the naming of a new species and illuminating a virtually unknown period in Madagascar fossil history.

The primitive 'dugong' is among the world’s first fully-aquatic sea cows, having evolved from terrestrial herbivores that began exploiting coastal waters. Within this ancient genus, the newly discovered species is unusual as it is the first species known from the southern hemisphere and is extremely primitive in its skull morphology and dental adaptations. The fossil is a pivotal step in understanding Madagascar's evolutionary history as it represents the first fossil mammal ever named from the 80-million-year gap in Madagascar's fossil record.

Australian marine scientists studying Octopus in Indonesia have filmed the first evidence of tool use in an invertebrate. Tool use was previously thought to be a sophisticated behaviour confined to mammals and birds, but this short video of a Veined Octopus shows for the first time that this long-held notion is in fact a myth.

Scientists are reporting the first identification of substances involved in the Jekyll-and-Hyde transformation that changes harmless marine bacteria into killers that cause coral bleaching.

Bleaching already has destroyed up to 30 percent of the world's coral reefs, and scientists are searching for ways to slow or stop the damage. One known culprit is an ocean-dwelling bacterium, Vibrio coralliilyticus (V. coralliilyticus) that chokes-off corals' energy supply and kills these shell-clad marine animals. At lower temperatures, the bacteria are harmless to coral, but at warmer temperatures the bacteria become virulent and dangerous to coral.

Living on a coral reef is a bit like living in a tanning bed. As the sun's rays shine through the water and reflect off the reef, they strike corals, their symbiotic photosynthetic algae, and other inhabitants from above and below. So what keeps these creatures from being fried?

A new study suggests that coral acts as a sunscreen, absorbing UV light and limiting the harm it inflicts on the reef's denizens.

Millions of shark fins are sold annually to satisfy the demand for shark fin soup, a Chinese delicacy. Now, scientists using DNA tools have figured out how to trace sharks' fins from the Hong Kong market all the way back to the sharks' homes, and have found that endangered populations are still being exploited. These findings highlight the need for better protection from international trade.

Massive corals are being used by marine scientists to unravel the effects of climate and environmental change on coral reefs in Australia’s remote north-west. Often referred to as the Methuselah’s of coral reefs because they can be older than 500 years, these massive corals grow in a series of annual bands that store a wealth of information about the environment in which they grow.

It is the old skeletal material contained deep within the coral that allows researchers to compare present day growth rates with those pre-dating the industrial revolution and hence examine the consequences of climate change on coral reefs.

The patterns that schooling fish form to save energy while swimming have inspired a new wind farm design that researchers say will increase the amount of power produced by at least tenfold.

"For the fish, they are trying to minimize the energy that they consume to swim from Point A to Point B," said John Dabiri of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, who led the study. "In our case, we're looking at the opposite problem - how to we maximize the amount of energy that we collect?"

"Because both of these problems involve optimizing energy, it turns out that the model that's useful for one is also useful for the other problem."

Hammerhead sharks' distinctive T-shaped heads give the predators human-like vision, according to a new study.

"There have always been ideas about why hammerheads have funny-looking heads, but nobody has systematically examined these hypotheses until relatively recently," said study team member Stephen Kajiura, a sensory biologist at Florida Atlantic University.

Based on electrical activity in the sharks' eyes, scientists think the shape gives hammerheads, like humans, excellent stereo vision and depth perception. Such traits may help the marine animals hunt speedy prey.

Scientists have captured the world's first images of a baby coelacanth - an extremely rare type of fish known as a 'living fossil'. Until as recently as 9138, these primitive fish were thought to have been extinct for 65 million years.

Japanese marine researchers have found and successfully filmed the young fish at a depth of 528ft in Manado Bay off Sulawesi Island, Indonesia. Video footage shows the 12.6-inch coelacanth, coloured blue with white spots, swimming slowly among rocks on the seabed for about 20 minutes.

DivePhotoGuide and Wetpixel have announced the winners of the 5th annual Our World Underwater international underwater photography and video competition. The competition was held in association with Our World Underwater and is part of a joint series often referred to as the "Super Bowl" of international underwater imagery events, with world-class prizes, esteemed celebrity judges, and significant global media support.

Thousands of entries were received from dozens of countries and the winners represented fourteen countries. The winners were presented during the film festival at a special 40th anniversary Our World Underwater show in Chicago.

Both Olympus and Panasonic have released new tough, waterproof cameras, ideal for photographers who want their cameras to be able to withstand the elements and perfect for use on a dive boat or for snorkelling.

Olympus have released the TOUGH-6020 and the TOUGH-8010, which are shock-proof and waterproof to 5m and 10m respectively, while Panasonic unveiled the LUMIX DMC-TS2, a follow up to their popular LUMIX DMC-TS1, which is waterproof to 10m.

Olympus have just announced the launch of a housing for the their EPL-1 Micro Four-Thirds camera system - PT-EP01 Water Protector.

Micro Four Thirds cameras have been one of the major recent developments in the last year, bringing SLR quality to cameras that are much smaller and more lightweight than traditional SLRs. The EPL-1 model is the most affordable model in the Olympus range.

Nature’s Best Photography and Diver’s Alert Network (DAN) host the 3rd annual Ocean Views photography competition. As one of the largest and most prestigious underwater photography competitions, you won’t want to miss this one!

A selection of winning images will be published in Alert Diver and Nature’s Best Photography magazines as well as several online galleries. Prizes include $2,010 cash and a 9-night trip to Papua New Guinea with Peter Hughes Diving. Entries are accepted from now until March 1, 2010. Entry forms and more information are available at the Ocean Views Photo Contest website.

UWPhotographyGuide.com has launched a free online guide to underwater photography to assist divers and photographers in learning this difficult art.

Many award-winning amateur and professional underwater photographers worldwide have contributed to the Underwater Photography Guide. Reaction to this resource by industry professionals has been overwhelmingly positive.

Well-known professional underwater photographer Alex Mustard says "The Underwater Photography Guide is an excellent and free resource that every underwater photographer who wants to improve their photos should bookmark".

Would you like to see your images published in a gorgeous coffee table book?

The Amazing Seas Book Event is a unique festival spanning the globe for underwater photographers.  The idea is simple; we get together with good friends, travel to the best SCUBA diving destinations in the world, stay at exotic resorts, dive amazing reefs and photograph the definitive hard cover, coffee table book for that area.

Wetpixel Expeditions has announced two dive photography expeditions to Indonesia for late 2010:

The first trip is the Ambon Night Safari, between November 7-16, 2010. The second trip is to Raja Ampat & Misool between November 20 and December 2, 2010.

Photographers Eric Cheng and Tony Wu will lead the Ambon trip, while Eric will lead the Raja Ampat trip.For more information, visit the Wetpixel website or click on the links below.

Ambon Trip

Raja Ampat Trip

The deadline for the first major international underwater photo and video competitions of the new decade is January 15th. Your entries must be submitted by the deadline date in order to compete for over $80,000 in valuable prizes, and the recognition as being one of the best in the world.

There are categories for photographers of all levels, from novice to professionals and you can compete in 14 still image categories and 2 video categories across the competition series.

Winners have been announced for the 47th International Underwater Photographic Competition hosted by the Los Angeles Photographic Society. Best of show went to this stunning image of two mating mandarin fish by Uwe Schmolke of Germany.

Other winners were Esteban Tore, Davide Vezzaro, Michele Davino, Dave Nesheim, Robert Pecoraro & Anastasia Laity. For a look at all of the winning images, visit the winners gallery.

Nauticam housings have been causing quite a stir since they were showcased at the recent DEMA dive show in the US. Wetpixel members David & Debi Henshaw got the chance to test drive the new Nauticam housing for the Nikon D90.

Find out what they made of it...

Announcing the 2009 winner of the Bob Commer Award for Excellence in Underwater Photography and the winners of the 45th Annual SEA International Underwater Photographic Competition organized by the Northern California Underwater Photographic Society.

The Bob Commer Award of Excellence and SEA International Best of Show went to David Hinkel for his stunning image of two Pygmy Seahorses. Other winners were Bartosz Strozynski, Oliviero Pulido, Jose Alejandro Alvarez, Steven Kovacs, Linda Reisinger & Giordano Cipriani.

All classes in the competition were stiff with more entries than last year and many new entrants from all over the world. It was an excellent competition and all entrants should all be proud of their entries.

Congratulations to all the winners

The winning images are displayed on the NCUPS website at http://www.ncups.org/sea.html.

Kathy Mendes
NCUPS SEA Coordinator

Ikelite have launched a new ultra compact high definition camera & housing set-up that can also take 8mp photos.

The set-up uses the JVC Picsio GC-FM1 camera, which can record at a resolution of 1080p and a 2" colour screen. The housing set-up weighs just 560 grams, allows access to all the camera controls and can be fitted with external strobes and lenses.

Priced at just US$460 for the camera & housing, the set-up is ideal for budget conscious video and photo enthusiasts and those looking to save space in their dive luggage.

With massive convergence underway and digital SLRs starting to shoot HD video, we've all been waiting for lighting manufacturers to release products to accompany products that require both flash and continuous lighting. Ikelite has stepped up to the challenge with the announcement of the DS161 Movie Substrobe, an update to their DS160 Substrobe.

The DS161 features 3 high-power LEDs that will output 500 lumens at 5000-5500K with a 45 degree beam angle - wide for fish portraits and macro video work. The continuous lighting beam runs for 5 hours on a charge, and has 9 power levels.

Aquatica has announced a new housing for the Nikon D300s, Nikon's 12.3 megapixel SLR capable of 720p HD video. With the new housing, Aquatica introduces both optical fiber and regular Nikonos and Ikelite bulkheads for strobe sync.

Aquatica also mentions that they provide fingertip access to all camera menus and video controls including both AF-ON activation and AE-AF lock buttons, which are accessible via a single lever.

Beneath the Sea's 2010 Contest is Open...

Dig out your finest underwater images, as Beneath the Sea have announced the opening of their 2010 contest. The competition is open to photographers and videographers from around the world.

In addition to prizes, entrants in each category will compete for individual recognition from the Grandmaster of that field.

For contest rules and entry forms visit www.Beneaththesea.org.  The deadline for entries is December 31st 2009.

A new species of stingray has been discovered by scientists at Ningaloo Marine Park in Western Australia. The discovery was made during a series of dive surveys conducted as part of a Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI) project led by the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) working with scientists from CSIRO.

CSIRO scientist Will White said the discovery of the ray (Neotrygon sp.) highlighted that there was still much to learn about the sharks and rays that inhabited the Ningaloo coast.

An 18-foot long Whale Shark, de-finned and fighting for life, was found floating belly-up amidst the rough waters of Bahay Kambing, a sheltered cove in the municipality of Tingloy, Philippines. Its twin pairs of dorsal and pectoral fins were neatly sliced off – the soft, white flesh glistening in the morning rays. Knife-marks were evident all over its tail – mercifully too think to cut through.

"Scuba divers from Mabini's Acacia Resort first discovered the mutilated shark on the morning of 15 February,"; recounts Casita Isabel resort owner Linda Reyes-Romualdez. "The shark was towed to nearby Caban cove, whose waters were more placid. Together with a Bantay Dagat unit, volunteers splinted the shark by flanking it with bamboo poles and installing a net underneath to minimize further injuries. We wanted to ease its pain."

Toothed whales are currently suffering from a major threat which is unsustainable loss from by-catch in fishery operations. For 86% of all toothed whale species, entanglement and death in gillnets, traps, weirs, purse seines, longlines and trawls poses a major risk. Lack of food and forced dietary shifts due to overfishing pose additional threats to 13 species.

These are among the findings of a report launched today on the website of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (UNEP/CMS). A corresponding poster available online shows for the first time all toothed whale species sorted according to their conservation status as defined by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

To study the impact of global warming on marine life in the seas around India, the government has embarked on a major project to give them DNA barcodes to "create inventories of biodiversity".

DNA barcoding is a method that uses a short genetic marker in an organism's DNA to identify it as belonging to a particular species.

A Taiwanese marine biologist said Tuesday he had found a new species of crab which is coloured like a polka-dotted strawberry. Professor Ho Ping-ho of National Taiwan Ocean University said he made the discovery while carrying out research on the environmental impact from a shipwreck last year on the beaches of southern Kenting National Park.

"One was dead while the other was dying when they were found on a beach of Chialoshui," Ho told AFP, referring to a scenic coastal village in the national park.

The two female crabs, with the bigger one measuring 2.5 centimetres in size, have been made into specimens. "Luckily the oil leak from the shipwreck was not serious, otherwise the two crabs might have been polluted and escaped our eyes," Ho said.

Source: AFP

Loggerhead turtles are returning to Queensland beaches in record numbers, with the highest number of recorded adult females returning to lay eggs since 1984.

"So far this season, rangers and conservation staff at Mon Repos have recorded over 350 adult female loggerhead turtles returning to lay eggs," said Acting Premier Paul Lucas. The turtles were returning to Mon Repos beach and surrounds, near Bundaberg.

A recent study in Sabah, Malaysia has highlited the threat to Pygmy Seahorses caused by irresponible divers and dive operators. These incredible little seahorses, which are known from only a few special areas in the Asia Pacific region, are one of the highlights for any diver who is lucky enough to spot one. But their popularity amoung divers is also a threat and a cause for concern, according to marine biologist Yeong Yee Ling, who has been studying these tiny creatures for the past three years.

Enthusiasm to view these creatures has also seen as many as 100 divers congregate on their habitat and use the flash to take their picture, which is thought could harm them. In come instances, ignorant and irresponsible divers have also been known to break off the sea fans and move them just to get a better angle and take a better picture.

Consistent individual differences in behaviour, termed personality, are common in animal populations and can constrain their responses to ecological and environmental variation, such as temperature.

Dr Peter Biro, of the UNSW School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences and colleagues show for the first time that fluctuations in temperature  have large effects on the personality of fish.

"The idea that fish have personalities may seem surprising at first, but we now know that personality is common in animal populations, and that this phenomenon may have far-reaching implications for understanding how animals respond to ecological and environmental challenges." added Dr. Biro

India may not be the first place that comes to mind as a Whale Shark hotspot, but that may all be about to change. A study is currently being undertaken in the state of Gujarat to find out more about the region's Whale Sharks, aid conservation efforts and assess the feasability of Whale Shark toursim in the area.

The research, undertaken by the 'Whale Shark Conservation Campaign' and supported by TATA and the Wildlife Trust of India, has sent a team of experts from Australia and the US to the region. Currently, it is known that around 60% of Whale Sharks visiting the region are female and the area is thought to be an important breeding hub. To find out more, the team plan to tag 6 Whale Sharks and use satelite data to assess their movements and migration routes.

A new survey in Australia has discovered the not enough is being done to protect Grey Nurse Sharks and that the species may be on the brink of extinction.

A little over 1000 Sharks were found by the study along Australia's east coast. Researchers estimate that, to sustain the population, the region requires a minimum of 5000 Sharks.

An extremely rare megamouth shark was caught by Filipino fishermen, marking only the 41st time the species has been seen in the 33 years since its discovery and giving new insight into the elusive shark’s behaviour.

Fishermen based in Donsol were trawling for mackerel along the eastern coast of Burias Isle on the morning of 30 March when they caught a large shark from a depth of approximately 200 meters. 

The shark was brought to shore in Barangay Dancalan in Donsol, Sorsogon and WWF Donsol Project Manager Elson Aca immediately arrived to assess the haul and identified it as a megamouth shark – considered the world’s rarest shark. 

One of the first set of studies to examine what tourists and recreation enthusiasts actually think about coral reef ecosystems suggests they are a rare exception to controversies over human use versus environmental conservation – their stunning beauty is so extraordinary that almost everyone wants them protected in perpetuity.

The analysis, done in Hawaii by researchers from Oregon State University and the University of Hawaii, found that most people visiting the state's coral reef ecosystems care so deeply about the reefs that they will generally endorse whatever amount of management is needed to protect them.

"It was really quite astonishing, almost shocking how much people wanted this resource protected for its own sake," said Mark Needham, an assistant professor of forest ecosystems and society at OSU. "We fish and hunt wildlife for food or sport, we cut trees for timber. In most natural resource issues, we find conflicts over management for economic value versus environmental preservation or protection, but we really didn't see that here.

"Our surveys found overwhelmingly that people visiting coral reef areas did not think that human use and access were the most important issues when it came to these areas," he said. "And if anything was to have a deleterious effect on reef ecosystems, they would want it stopped."


Source: UnderwaterAsia.info

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It may take at least a century for the coral reefs in waters surrounding the outlying island of Lanyu, also known as Orchid Island, to recover from the damage wrought by Typhoon Morakot, according to Taiwanese scientists.

"Morakot not only wreaked havoc on land in Taiwan but also on the corals on the seabed, " said Chen Chao-lun, an associate research fellow at the Biodiversity Center of Academia Sinica, Taiwan's most prestigious academic institution.

"The seabed off Lanyu is littered with coral wreckage in the wake of the storm, " Chen said, adding that the coral looks like it has been "shredded by a fruit slicer." An avid amateur diver, Chen joined 55 other volunteers enlisted by two local environmental protection organizations to check the state of the coral reefs at 16 sites off the coasts of Taiwan proper and its outlying islands, between May and September.

Business and policy leaders will get together in Manila next year to debate how to protect the Coral Triangle, the world’s most diverse marine environment.

The summit, organized by the Philippine Government and WWF will be held on January 18 to 21, 2010 and outline business opportunities for key sectors operating in the region encompassing Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste.

It will also provide a platform for financial support and investment for businesses willing to commit to sustainability and green growth.

Covering just one per cent of the earth’s surface, the Coral Triangle includes 30 per cent of the world’s coral reefs, 76 per cent of its reef building coral species as well as vital spawning grounds for tuna.


Source: WWF

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While on location in Japan, acclaimed underwater photographer Tony Wu captured incredible images of a Sperm Whale eating a Giant Squid.

Battles between giant squid and sperm whales often leave the whales scarred with sucker marks. Until recently, such wounds--along with analysis of sperm whale stomach contents--were the only proof of the whales' appetite for giant squid.