Blue whale protection may need to increase
New Zealand Herald | 20 May 2013
The protection afforded to blue whales in New Zealand waters may need to be increased, now a study has found they may be more regular visitors to the South Taranaki Bight than previously thought.
 Pacific Ocean | Marine Mammals

Scientists explore roots of future tropical rainfall
EurekAlert | 20 May 2013
(Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) How will rainfall patterns across the tropical Indian and Pacific regions change in a future warming world? Climate models generally suggest that the tropics as a whole will get wetter, but the models don't always agree on where rainfall patterns will shift in particular regions within the tropics.
 Indian Ocean | Pacific Ocean | Climate Change | Research

Precious penguins needing better protection
New Zealand Herald | 19 May 2013
Extending a ban on set net fishing around the Otago Peninsula will stem the deaths of one of the rarest penguin species in the world, the native yellow-eyed penguin, Forest and Bird says.
 Pacific Ocean | Fisheries | Seabirds

GPS 'improves early tsunami alerts'
BBC | 17 May 2013
GPS data could provide faster and more accurate early warning systems for tsunamis, a German team of scientists suggest.
 Natural Hazard | Remote Sensing

Puffin census examines impact of winter on breeding numbers - video
Guardian Unlimited | 17 May 2013
Patrick Barkham heads to the north-east of England to visit the Farne Islands, where the National Trust is embarking on an epic census of the puffin population.
 Atlantic Ocean | Research | Seabirds

Conservationists to count breeding birds after 'puffin wreck' winter
Guardian Unlimited | 17 May 2013
Nipped fingers and handfuls of guano will be the order of the day for wildlife rangers on the Farne Islands as they embark on an epic census on Friday to discover whether puffin numbers have plummeted after a year of extreme weather. The 10 National Trust rangers living on the islands must dangle their bare fingers down 60,000 puffin burrows in the next two months to determine whether breeding pairs have fallen after the worst puffin "wreck" for 66 years.
 Atlantic Ocean | Research | Seabirds

EU deep-sea fisheries reps call for authorities to work together
fishupdate.com | 17 May 2013
Over the last two days (15-16 May), representatives from the industry, the EU institutions, EU Member States, civil society as well as from the scientific community have gathered in Edinburgh to optimise the management of deep water fishing.
 Deep Sea | Fisheries | Governance

Microbes capture, store, and release nitrogen to feed reef-building coral
EurekAlert | 16 May 2013
(American Society for Microbiology) Microscopic algae that live within reef-forming corals scoop up available nitrogen, store the excess in crystal form, and slowly feed it to the coral as needed, according to a study published in mBio.
 Coral | Research

James Cameron to be publicly honored with Scripps Nierenberg Prize
EurekAlert | 16 May 2013
Ocean frontier explorer and world-renowned filmmaker James Cameron has been named by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego as the recipient of the 2013 Nierenberg Prize for Science in the Public Interest.
 Deep Sea | Diving | Research

Mackerel back on the Fish to Eat list
World Fishing | 16 May 2013
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has upgraded European and Norwegian mackerel to a yellow 'three' rating on its Fish to Eat List, meaning people can eat it occasionally without endangering the species.
 Atlantic Ocean | Fish | Fisheries