Oceans Protection Treaty Could Take effect from January
, the treaty will enter into force after 120 days, setting the stage for the first-ever legally binding global framework to protect marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, according to the highseasalliance.org, which tracks the number of signatures.At the end of May, after the European Union and six EU member states deposited their ratification at the UN, the number stood at 28.At the opening of UNOC3 in Nice on Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged world leaders to ratify the treaty.Guterres cautioned that illegal fishing, plastic pollution and rising sea temperatures
Sea.AI Technology Supports European Initiative to Protect Whales
In the continuing effort to protect whales from deadly ship strikes, Sea.AI is collaborating with the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) and the University of La Laguna (ULL) to support efforts under the European Union’s ATLANTIC WHALE DEAL project.Whales face increasing threats from ship collisions in busy maritime routes. The ATLANTIC WHALE DEAL brings together scientists, conservationists and technology experts from across Europe to tackle the problem.Sea.AI will provide its AI-powered machine vision technology which detects and classifies objects on the water’s surface. This technology
NOC Awarded $3.5m to Explore Expanding Ocean Desertification
even reverse this trend.Subtropical gyres, often referred to as “ocean deserts," cover more than 60% of the ocean's surface. These regions are expanding at an unprecedented rate of five million square kilometers per decade—an area equivalent to the Amazon Rainforest or the entire European Union.As global temperatures rise, scientists are concerned about the long-term impact of this expansion on marine ecosystems and the Earth's climate, which would reduce ocean productivity, affecting marine food webs and the ocean’s role as a carbon sink.The new project, called EXPAND, will
EU Pledges Over €300 Million for Ocean Conservation
The European Union announced €301,485,000 ($342.7 million) in EU funding to support actions in the fields of the sustainable blue economy, marine pollution, marine protected areas, digital oceans, sustainable fisheries, and ocean and climate change.The announcement was made at the Our Ocean Conference in Busan. The Conference is an international event, launched in 2014 and hosted by a different country each year, aiming to foster global ocean governance and action to support marine conservation and sustainable development.The European Union has committed to:Sustainable blue economy: €120
PML: How Climate Change Will Alter European Fish Distribution
kilometres for haddock (3-25 km) to over 400 km for herring (230-430 km) by 2100. In the Mediterranean Sea, shifts will occur primarily along an east-west gradient, with changes in centroid location ranging from 2 to 786 km depending on the species.The economic stakes are particularly high for the European Union, as the world’s largest single market for fish and fish products. The EU aims to effectively manage its fish stocks and sustainably grow its aquaculture sector to promote self-sufficiency in the domestic supply of fish and seafood, but climate change poses both risks and potential opportunities
Sewage Contaminates British Waters
,000 tonnes once it is completed.John Holmyard, who runs the business with Nicki, their daughter Sarah and son George, said they never expected sewage to affect their farm: "But it's not worked out like that."For shellfish producers, dumped sewage has been toxic.Before Britain left the European Union, mussels and oysters could be shipped to the continent prior to purification. Post Brexit, the EU only accepts purified goods or those from the cleanest British waters, rated Class A.That change has all but destroyed mussel farming in north Wales on Britain's west coast. The region once produced
OPT Bags WAM-V Order from European Offshore Services Provider
U.S.-based Ocean Power Technologies has secured a contract from a new European Offshore Services Provider for a fully integrated unmanned surface vehicle WAM-V, set for near term delivery.The contract expands the company’s previously announced expansion into certain regions to the European Union, working with end customers and resellers.The vehicle will be assembled immediately and shipped to the customer. Training and services will be provided in-country, according to OPT."Securing this contract is testament to demand for our systems in the market. Recent efforts globally, whether
Baltic States Switch from Russian to European Power Grid
; von der Leyen said.Debated for many years, the complex switch away from the grid of their former Soviet imperial overlord gained momentum following Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.It is designed to integrate the three Baltic nations more closely with the European Union and to boost the region's energy security."This is freedom, freedom from threats, freedom from blackmail," von der Leyen said, adding that the wider European continent was also liberating itself from the use of Russian natural gas.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in
Subsea Sabotage in the Baltic Sea - a Timeline for Perspective
launched a sabotage investigation and on Dec. 26 seized a tanker carrying Russian oil on suspicion it caused the damage by dragging its anchor. Finnish authorities said the Cook Islands-registered Eagle S was part of a "shadow fleet" used to circumvent sanctions on Russian oil exports. The European Union said it condemns any deliberate destruction of Europe's infrastructure.The NATO military alliance said on Dec. 27 it would boost its presence in the Baltic Sea region. The Kremlin said the same day that the ship's seizure was of little concern to it, and Russia has previously denied involvemen
February 2025
