Turtles under serious threat in Indian Ocean - Nearly half of the world's most endangered turtles found in northern Indian Ocean
September 2011: Almost half - 45 per cent - of the world's most threatened sea turtle populations are found in the northern Indian Ocean, according to a new study.
The team of top turtle experts also determined that the most significant threats across all of the threatened populations of sea turtles are fisheries bycatch, accidental catches of sea turtles by fishermen targeting other species, and the direct harvest of turtles or their eggs for food or turtle shell material for commercial use.
The recent report, produced by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Marine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG) and supported by Conservation International (CI) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), is the first comprehensive status assessment of global sea turtle populations. The study evaluated the state of individual populations of sea turtles and determined the 11 most threatened populations, as well as the 12 healthiest ones.
Read on...
Showing posts with label Indian Ocean. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indian Ocean. Show all posts
Monday, October 3, 2011
Monday, November 22, 2010
New species of large squid found
Has light-producing organs to lure prey
November 2010: A new species of squid has been discovered in the southern Indian ocean.
The new species, 70cm long, is a large member of the chiroteuthid family - squids from this group are long and slender with light-producing organs, which act as lures to attract prey. So far, more than 70 species of squid have been identified from the IUCN-led Seamounts cruise, representing more than 20 per cent of the global squid biodiversity.
‘For ten days now 21 scientists armed with microscopes have been working through intimidating rows of jars containing fishes, squids, zooplankton and other interesting creatures,' says Alex Rogers, Principal Scientist and Marine Biologist at the Zoological Society of London. ‘Many specimens look similar to each other and we have to use elaborate morphological features such as muscle orientation and gut length to differentiate between them.'
The recent discoveries are part of an IUCN-led Seamounts Project, which started a year ago when a team of the world's leading marine experts ventured into a six-week research expedition above seamounts in the high seas of the Indian Ocean. The aim of the cruise was to unveil the mysteries of seamounts in the southern Indian Ocean and to help improve conservation and management of marine resources in the area.
‘The new discoveries will not only satiate the appetite of scientists working in the field, but will help improve conservation and management of Indian Ocean resources and future management of deep-sea ecosystems in the high seas globally,' says Carl Gustaf Lundin, head of the IUCN Global Marine Programme.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/new-species-squid.html
November 2010: A new species of squid has been discovered in the southern Indian ocean.
The new species, 70cm long, is a large member of the chiroteuthid family - squids from this group are long and slender with light-producing organs, which act as lures to attract prey. So far, more than 70 species of squid have been identified from the IUCN-led Seamounts cruise, representing more than 20 per cent of the global squid biodiversity.
‘For ten days now 21 scientists armed with microscopes have been working through intimidating rows of jars containing fishes, squids, zooplankton and other interesting creatures,' says Alex Rogers, Principal Scientist and Marine Biologist at the Zoological Society of London. ‘Many specimens look similar to each other and we have to use elaborate morphological features such as muscle orientation and gut length to differentiate between them.'
The recent discoveries are part of an IUCN-led Seamounts Project, which started a year ago when a team of the world's leading marine experts ventured into a six-week research expedition above seamounts in the high seas of the Indian Ocean. The aim of the cruise was to unveil the mysteries of seamounts in the southern Indian Ocean and to help improve conservation and management of marine resources in the area.
‘The new discoveries will not only satiate the appetite of scientists working in the field, but will help improve conservation and management of Indian Ocean resources and future management of deep-sea ecosystems in the high seas globally,' says Carl Gustaf Lundin, head of the IUCN Global Marine Programme.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/new-species-squid.html
New species of large squid found
Has light-producing organs to lure prey
November 2010: A new species of squid has been discovered in the southern Indian ocean.
The new species, 70cm long, is a large member of the chiroteuthid family - squids from this group are long and slender with light-producing organs, which act as lures to attract prey. So far, more than 70 species of squid have been identified from the IUCN-led Seamounts cruise, representing more than 20 per cent of the global squid biodiversity.
‘For ten days now 21 scientists armed with microscopes have been working through intimidating rows of jars containing fishes, squids, zooplankton and other interesting creatures,' says Alex Rogers, Principal Scientist and Marine Biologist at the Zoological Society of London. ‘Many specimens look similar to each other and we have to use elaborate morphological features such as muscle orientation and gut length to differentiate between them.'
The recent discoveries are part of an IUCN-led Seamounts Project, which started a year ago when a team of the world's leading marine experts ventured into a six-week research expedition above seamounts in the high seas of the Indian Ocean. The aim of the cruise was to unveil the mysteries of seamounts in the southern Indian Ocean and to help improve conservation and management of marine resources in the area.
‘The new discoveries will not only satiate the appetite of scientists working in the field, but will help improve conservation and management of Indian Ocean resources and future management of deep-sea ecosystems in the high seas globally,' says Carl Gustaf Lundin, head of the IUCN Global Marine Programme.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/new-species-squid.html
November 2010: A new species of squid has been discovered in the southern Indian ocean.
The new species, 70cm long, is a large member of the chiroteuthid family - squids from this group are long and slender with light-producing organs, which act as lures to attract prey. So far, more than 70 species of squid have been identified from the IUCN-led Seamounts cruise, representing more than 20 per cent of the global squid biodiversity.
‘For ten days now 21 scientists armed with microscopes have been working through intimidating rows of jars containing fishes, squids, zooplankton and other interesting creatures,' says Alex Rogers, Principal Scientist and Marine Biologist at the Zoological Society of London. ‘Many specimens look similar to each other and we have to use elaborate morphological features such as muscle orientation and gut length to differentiate between them.'
The recent discoveries are part of an IUCN-led Seamounts Project, which started a year ago when a team of the world's leading marine experts ventured into a six-week research expedition above seamounts in the high seas of the Indian Ocean. The aim of the cruise was to unveil the mysteries of seamounts in the southern Indian Ocean and to help improve conservation and management of marine resources in the area.
‘The new discoveries will not only satiate the appetite of scientists working in the field, but will help improve conservation and management of Indian Ocean resources and future management of deep-sea ecosystems in the high seas globally,' says Carl Gustaf Lundin, head of the IUCN Global Marine Programme.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/new-species-squid.html
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