By Samantha Whitcraft, Shark Savers International
Florida like South Africa and Australia, is synonymous with sharks. With recent but rare sightings of white sharks off the Florida coast, media coverage of uncommon bites and a constant barrage of photos from bloody catch & kill tournaments, one might believe there is a thriving shark population swimming in Florida’s coastal waters. But the reality is that Florida’s rich coral reefs and dense coastal mangroves were once far richer in large sharks than they are now.
Scientists estimate that between 1981 and 2005 hammerhead populations declined by more than a 90 percent in the northwest Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. While, recreational divers in Florida report seeing nurse sharks fairly regularly, they rarely see a tiger shark or a hammerhead species of any kind.…

By Mera McGrew
Washington D.C. — On Wednesday August 1, 2012, U.S. Rep Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R./Florida) and fellow Congress members Mario Diaz-Balart (R./Florida) and David Rivera (R./Florida) met with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Chief Dr. Jane Lubchenco to discuss the future of Aquarius Reef Base, the world’s only functioning underwater laboratory. In its 2013 $5 billion budget request, NOAA, which owns Aquarius, has stripped the $3 million funding it would take to operate Aquarius for the year, ensuring the closure of this one of a kind underwater laboratory, potentially as early as next month if no new funding comes through.
After learning about the budget cuts and plans to close Aquarius, U.S. Rep Ros-Lehtinen and fellow Congress members Mario Diaz-Balart and Rivera traveled four miles off the coast of Key Largo, Florida to visit the underwater lab and witness the final moments of what could be Aquarius’s final mission.…

By Michael Keller
Dr. Edith Widder is an undersea explorer, innovator and cofounder of the Ocean Research & Conservation Association, which translates complex scientific findings into technological solutions. She is a certified scientific research pilot for atmospheric diving systems and has invented instrumentation for submersibles as well as deep-sea observation equipment.
A leading specialist in the emission of light from living organisms, called bioluminescence, Dr. Widder applies her research to reverse environmental degradation of the world’s aquatic ecosystems. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology, a master’s degree in biochemistry and a Ph.D. in neurobiology, and received a MacArthur Fellowship in 2006.
Q: Where are you right now and what are you up to?
Edith Widder: I’m in the northwest Pacific Ocean off the Ogasawara Islands, Japan, on a hunt for giant squid.…

Why are sea turtles miraculous? Scott Gass, Veronica Wallenberg and Johan Sonestedt recently teamed up to answer this question in the latest TEDed animated video. The short video explains the journey of a sea turtle and introduces the many pressures that threaten sea turtles today.
With increasing fishing pressures, rising problems with marine debris and threatened nesting grounds, the video states that only 2 out of every 800 sea turtle hatchlings make it to breeding age. Today, all eight sea turtle species are either extinct or threatened.
Watch the animated video below to see the miraculous journey of sea turtle hatchlings, learn the challenges presented by human interference and gain a new appreciation for these amazing creatures that have been around roughly 150,000,000 years ago!…

July 25, 2012  by Deb Castellana
As Mission Aquarius, a celebration of 50 years under the sea, winds to a close, the Mission Blue team in Florida is filled with hope for the future of Aquarius. Dr. Sylvia Earle, her team of Aquanauts and everyone working to support and highlight the mission pulled together into a cohesive team that has made a clear statement to the world – Aquarius must be saved.
With One World One Ocean in the lead, an award winning group of ocean media pros converged on Key Largo, Florida to call attention to the imminent loss of funding for the world’s last remaining undersea laboratory. Utilizing IMAX film, live webcasts from both inside the habitat and from the seafloor, social media and mainstream news networks, teams worked 24/7 to highlight both the past achievements of Aquarius, and it’s possibilities for the future.…

Turning marine debris into electricity may have once been an idea of the future, but in Hawai’i, it’s actually reality.
Marine debris of all shapes, sizes and materials accumulates in and around the islands of Hawai’i. Much of the debris is made up of abandoned fishing gear including nets, lines, and commercial fishing traps. The debris endangers marine wildlife and even navigation through the surrounding water. In 2002 a NOAA-funded initiative set out to resolve this problem by converting some of the marine debris into electricity.
Every year, Nets-to-Energy removes large conglomerations of nets that can each weigh thousands of pounds, from Hawaii’s reefs and shores. After collection, the nets are chopped into small pieces suitable for combustion at an energy from waste facility.…