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Marine Life & Conservation

Curaçao key for Shark Conservation

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Top Dive Destination Prepares to Host Community and Policy Action for Sharks

The small Dutch Caribbean nation of Curaçao is poised to play a huge part in the future survival of endangered shark species in 2019, with the island due to host both the Annual Curaçao International Dive Festival as well as the 26th annual meeting of ICCAT, the international fishery management body responsible for overseeing commercial fisheries in the Atlantic Ocean.

As part of the Festival, September 29 – October 5, 2019, Project AWARE®, the international non-profit organization working to create positive change for the ocean through local and global action, will be launching a newly revised shark conservation course for the diving community.

Project AWARE partners in Curaçao currently participate in ongoing Dive Against Debris® surveys, where dive operators across the country record and report critical data on marine debris found on the seabed to ensure the health of the country’s marine habitats, and this year they will also be focusing on some of the most vulnerable species in the ocean, sharks.

“This year, Curaçao could potentially play a huge effort in reducing unsustainable fishing on endangered shark species, especially Mako sharks, the fastest shark in the ocean,” said Ian Campbell, Project AWARE’s Associate Director of Policy and Campaigns. “In October, we’ll be launching our newly revised AWARE Shark Specialty for the diving community which will include lots of information on the main threats facing many shark species, but also what divers and the wider community of ocean lovers can do to be part of the solution, including taking part in Project AWARE’s citizen science initiatives.”

The Curaçao International Dive Festival is a huge event that brings together like-minded ocean lovers for a week of festivities focused on protecting the ocean, and then, a few weeks later, government representatives from fifty-two countries will meet here to discuss fishing quotas for Atlantic tuna and other species including Mako sharks.” Bryan Horne, Creator and Founder of the Dive Curacao Network. The ministers making these decisions are all public servants, and we want to ensure that they hear, loud and clear, the message that the Curaçao community and international dive community want them to hear.

ICCAT, the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna, is responsible for managing tuna and tuna-like species in the Atlantic Ocean and the surrounding areas, and the annual meeting will be held in Curaçao between the 18th – 25th November.

Campbell added “ICCAT fishery managers have continued to neglect their responsibility to manage catches of Mako sharks, with the Atlantic populations recently being downgraded to “Endangered” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It’s time they started listening to the public and impose a ban on catching these species before it’s too late.

Tadzio Bervoets, former Chair of the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance and project lead for the Dutch Caribbean Save our Sharks Project echoed Horne and Campbell’s statements  mentioning the importance of protecting sharks on Curacao and the Caribbean Region as a whole; “The Caribbean Sea in general is a biodiversity hotspot for sharks in the Atlantic Basin. During our research initiatives we have tagged sharks with satellite transmitters in the North Eastern that have migrated all the way south to the Northern Coast of Venezuela. This research shows that the species using the whole Caribbean basin as a migratory pathway, highlighting the importance for regional conservation for some of the most threatened apex predators in the ocean.”

“Therefore all conservation practitioners look forward to the ICCAT meeting as well as participating in the Curacao International Dive Festival working both on increasing regional and international conservation measures of the species while simultaneously engaging the diving community to lobby for the protection of these species which are so critically important for the Caribbean Sea and wider Atlantic Basin,” mentioned Bervoets.

For more information about Project Aware visit their website by clicking here.

Marine Life & Conservation

New report shows simple measures needed to cut beach plastic pollution

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The Marine Conservation Society has launched its annual State of our Beaches 2023 report, highlighting the need for less single-use plastic items and more refillable options.

The charity’s beach cleaning programme, now in its 30th year, asks volunteers to record all litter that they find within a 100-metre stretch of beach. By gathering vital data from across the UK and Channel Islands, the charity creates change for cleaner seas and a healthier planet through policy and industry change. Last year, over 148 kilometres of beach were surveyed by volunteers, who removed 17,208kgs of litter from our coast.

Using data collected by over 14,000 volunteers, the State of our Beaches 2023 report shows that half of all litter collected came from public sources – either dumped, blown or washed onto our beaches.

Drinks-related litter, such as plastic bottles, caps and cans were one of the most found items, with an average of 16 found per 100 metres of beach surveyed. This figure is up 14% compared to the charity’s 2022 report.

Plastics caps and lids were recorded on 89% of surveys, with over 30,000 found in total. Plastic bottles were also commonly collected, with 73% of surveys finding this single-use item – a 4% increase compared to 2022. The charity’s inland litter pick survey, Source to Sea, also reported finding plastic bottles on 92% of cleans.

However, the charity’s State of Our Beaches 2023 report also indicates that some types of litter are on a downward trend. Although still in the top 10 litter items, disposable plastic cutlery, trays and straws were found on 5% fewer beaches across the UK, showing that bans on these plastic items between 2022 – 2023 could be working. The presence of plastic cotton bud sticks also dropped by 14%.

Lizzie Price, Beachwatch Manager at the Marine Conservation Society, said, “Half of the litter found on our beaches originates from public sources, underscoring the pressing issue of single-use plastic. Evidence shows that refillable alternatives and litter return schemes effectively reduce rubbish, as demonstrated by the decline our data has shown in items like plastic bags and disposable cutlery.

“Urgent and decisive action from UK governments is needed to accelerate our shift towards a circular economy, where we reuse, repair and recycle. The public needs greater access to refillable products and systems need to be implemented in which manufacturers are responsible for their waste.”

Governments across the UK have committed to delivering deposit return schemes from October 2025. However, the proposed scheme in England does not include glass items, despite glass being found on 52% of beaches in 2023. The charity is calling for governments across the UK to introduce compatible all inclusive deposit return schemes as soon as possible. This would see aluminium cans, and plastic and glass bottles have a 20p deposit which would be returned when recycled which would reduce drinks-related pollution.

Businesses are, however, starting to take refillable and reusable options into their own hands. Supermarket chain, Aldi, the largest corporate funder of the charity’s 2024 Beachwatch programme, is already leading the charge in refillable items by trialling refillable options for cereals and porridge oats in their stores over the past 5 months.

Plastics and Packaging Director, Luke Emery, from Aldi, who are running 4 beach cleans for staff and volunteers in 2024, said, We are continually working to reduce single-use plastics and packaging, and making unpackaged product options more commonplace for our customers is a key part of this. We are really pleased with the uptake of our refillable range so far by customers. Not only are we making sustainable shopping more accessible, but we also offer refill products for a better price than the packaged alternative, helping our customers save money.”

Marine litter is one of the biggest threats to our seas, with plastic breaking down over time into microplastics and threatening marine life which can ingest or become entangled in them. The Marine Conservation Society is urging the UK Government to move faster on its policies to cut down plastic waste and prevent items from reaching our seas.

To find out more about the charity’s beach cleans and how to get involved, please visit mcsuk.org/beach-cleans

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Guarding Against Coral Invaders

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Protecting (Dutch) Caribbean Reefs from Unomia stolonifera

Recent reports highlight the concerning spread of the invasive soft coral, Unomia stolonifera, currently devastating Venezuela’s marine ecosystems and detected in Cuba. With the potential threat of its expansion to the (Dutch) Caribbean islands, urgent action and awareness are essential to safeguard marine biodiversity and local economies from possible catastrophic consequences.

Invasive species are animals or plants from another region of the world that don’t belong in their new environment. These species can have major ecological effects by decimating native flora or fauna. They can also cause large economic losses and impact human health. Invasive species also pose a significant threat to marine ecosystems worldwide, including the Dutch Caribbean. Among these invaders is the octocoral species Unomia stolonifera or “Pulsing Xenia”, originally from the Indo-Pacific. With its rapid growth and lack of natural predators, this species can outcompete native species and disrupt fragile marine habitats such as seagrass beds and coral reefs.

Background

The invasive soft coral U. stolonifera was first identified in 2014, off the coast of Venezuela. It is believed to have been introduced via the illegal aquarium trade.  Since this species can reproduce sexually and asexually (or fragment), even small pieces can regenerate to spread.  Once introduced it quickly took over shallow reefs and hard substrate at depths of 0-50 meters, outcompeting local corals and seagrass for space.  Follow on surveys found that this coral species exhibited average percentage cover as high as 80%, vastly outcompeting native corals. In highly colonized areas, fish are disappearing due to loss of habitats.

In 2022, during a survey conducted in Cuba by the University of Havana, an unknown octocoral was discovered which was later identified as the invasive Unomia stolonifera. It is suspected that the coral larvae arrived in ballast water from fossil fuel ships originating from Venezuela, as nearby sites adjacent to Venezuelan ports have been heavily affected by the invasion.

How to help

Prevention through continuous monitoring, particularly in high-risk areas such as marine harbors and oil facilities, is paramount. Early detection plays a pivotal role in mitigating the threat posed by Unomia stolonifera.

The public’s involvement and awareness are also vital. Local communities, recreational divers, tourists, and all stakeholders are urged to participate in early detection efforts by reporting sightings (photo, location and date) of this invasive coral to their respective Protected Area Management Organization (PMO’s)- the Fundacion Parke Nacional Aruba (FPNA)STINAPA BonaireCARMABI Curaçao Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF)Nature Foundation St. Maarten (NFSXM) and St. Eustatius National Parks (STENAPA). If an invaded area is confirmed, follow the recommendations by the local PMO’s.

Keys to Success

Despite the challenges, early detection is key to mitigating the threat posed by Unomia stolonifera. With continued vigilance, research, and community engagement, there is hope for containing this potential issue before it becomes a major threat.

About the DCNA

The Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) supports (science) communication and outreach in the Dutch Caribbean region by making nature related (scientific) information more widely available through amongst others the Dutch Caribbean Biodiversity Database, DCNA’s news platform BioNews and through the press. This article contains the results from several scientific studies but the studies themselves are not DCNA studies. No rights can be derived from the content. DCNA is not liable for the content and the in(direct) impacts resulting from publishing this article.

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