Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Plan to allow fishing around Chagos Islands alarms conservationists

admin — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 12:08:08 +0000

Chagossian people would be allowed to fish in area that has teemed with life since ban was introduced in 2010

One of the most precious marine reserves in the world, home to sharks, turtles and rare tropical fish, will be opened to some fishing for the first time in 16 years under the UK government’s deal to hand back the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

Environmentalists decry ‘crushingly disappointing’ Pfas action plan for UK

admin — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 07:56:37 +0000

Ministers’ proposals to tackle ‘forever chemicals’ fail to match tougher stance taken in Europe, say experts

Environmental campaigners have criticised a “crushingly disappointing” UK government plan to tackle “forever chemicals”, which they warn risks locking in decades of avoidable harm to people and the environment.

The government said its Pfas action plan set out a “clear framework” of “coordinated action … to understand where these chemicals are coming from, how they spread and how to reduce public and environmental exposure”.

Riverford sales rise 6% as UK organics market enjoys biggest boom in two decades

admin — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 05:00:30 +0000

Sector bounces back as consumers focus on provenance and healthy eating, but is still well behind Europe

Consumers searching for healthy food from trusted sources have fuelled the UK organic market’s biggest boom in two decades, according to vegetable box seller Riverford.

Good luck Dua Leaper: scientists return frogs wiped out by fungal disease to wild

admin — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 04:56:55 +0000

Researchers dig ‘spas’ and install ‘saunas’ in ACT wetlands to give green and golden bell frogs the best chance of survival

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NSW goldmine faces community class action over allegations of a ‘toxic trifecta’ of pollution

admin — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 03:28:04 +0000

Residents living near Cadia goldmine in central western NSW allege in court filings that dust containing heavy metals has contaminated the water supply

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Race to contain suspected bird flu outbreak among Thames Valley swans

admin — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 12:01:09 +0000

Volunteer workers say increasing case numbers and dozens of dead birds raise fears spread is wider than recorded

Members of the public and charity volunteers are working to contain a suspected outbreak of bird flu among swans in the Thames Valley, amid signs that confirmed cases are continuing to rise.

Since October, 324 cases of bird flu in swans have been recorded by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (Apha), which is sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Of these, 39 were recorded in the first four weeks of 2026 alone.

Is tyre pollution causing mass deaths in vulnerable salmon populations?

admin — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 12:00:09 +0000

A US judge will decide if, as research suggests, a chemical tyre additive is harming endangered fish species

Last week, a district judge in San Francisco, California, presided over a three-day trial brought by west coast fishers and conservationists against US tyre companies. The fishers allege that a chemical additive used in tyres is polluting rivers and waterways, killing coho salmon and other fish. If successful, the case could have implications far beyond the United States.

‘Nothing is sacred to them’: the race to save rare plants as Russian troops advance

admin — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 09:00:51 +0000

With some of Ukraine’s most valuable biodiversity sites and science facilities under occupation, experts at Sofiyivka Park in Uman are struggling to preserve the country’s natural history

Bomb cyclone brings freezing temperatures and snow to millions in US

admin — Sun, 01 Feb 2026 22:51:54 +0000

About 150m faced cold weather advisories along eastern US, and two in North Carolina died in storm-related conditions

A bomb cyclone produced freezing temperatures across a large portion of the US from the Gulf coast to New England, bringing heavy snow to North Carolina where two were killed in storm-related conditions, and setting records in Florida, where officials warned of ice and falling iguanas.

The Guardian view on risks from biodiversity collapse: warnings must be heeded before it’s too late | Editorial

admin — Sun, 01 Feb 2026 17:25:32 +0000

Inadequate food supplies and collapsing rainforests must be recognised as national security threats – not pigeonholed as green issues