The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) estimates that 51 percent of all the Bluefin tuna caught in the Mediterranean during 2007 was illegal and unauthorised. According to the commission, the total catch for last year was 61,000 tones – a sharp contrast to the agreed quota of 29,500 tones. The commission is now warning for a complete collapse of the tune stocks in the Mediterranean, unless drastic measures are put into action.

According to the commission, the recovery plan implemented over the past two years by tuna fishing countries has failed to improve the poor state of the tuna stocks. If the Mediterranean tuna stocks collapse, it will not only be a catastrophe from a conservational perspective; it will also have serious consequences for all those who get their livelihood from tuna fishing in the area.

“Scientists have made the situation clear and now it is necessary for ICCAT and all the states involved in blue fin tuna exploitation to act in order to halt the decline and prevent a collapse“, says Xavier Pastor, the director of Oceana, an organisation that works to protect the world’s oceans. “Drastic measures should be adopted, such as closing the Mediterranean tuna fishery from June to August, the blue fin tuna’s reproductive months.”

Is the scary looking Atlantic Wolffish, Anarhichas lupus, on the brink of extinction? Today, The Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) and others filed a scientific petition with the federal government of the United States, seeking endangered species protection for this intimidating eel-like creature. If the petition is successful, the Atlantic Wolffish will be the first marine fish to receive endangered species protection in New England.

The Atlantic Wolffish, also known as the Seawolf, is primarily found in cold parts of the Atlantic, but can also be encountered in warmer locations, such as the north-western Mediterranean Sea and the Bay of Biscay. Along the North American coast, it is found as north as the Davis Strait between mid-western Greenland and Baffin Island, and as far south as New Jersey. It is however uncommon south of Cape Cod, New England. In order to survive the cold temperature of its northern habitat, the Atlantic Wolffish has developed a natural anti-freeze that prevents its body from freezing.

The CLF petition cites federal and independent scientific studies that show a dramatic decline of Atlantic Wolffish during the past two decades. According to federal statistics, commercial fishermen are now landing 95% less Atlantic Wolffish than in 1983. Back in the early 1980s, commercial fishermen landed about 1,200 metric tones of this fish per annum, which can be compared to the mere 64.7 metric tons of Atlantic Wolffish landed last year. The Atlantic Wolffish has also worried the scientific community by virtually disappearing from the scientific research trawls carried out twice a year off the coast of New England.

”Based on all available science, Atlantic wolffish are rapidly headed toward extinction in New England’s ocean waters,” said Peter Shelley , CLF Vice President and Senior Attorney. “The dramatic decline in wolffish is a troubling indication that while there is some good news about marine species like haddock and sea scallops that have been successfully restored, our ocean’s long term health continues to hang for other species by a precarious balance. Key species like the wolffish and endangered whales remain in serious jeopardy.”

The main threats against the Atlantic Wolffish are commercial fishing (including by-catch) and habitat degradation, with a major part of the habitat degradation being the result of commercial fishing since it is carried out using trawls and dredges. “Absent some action to reduce or eliminate the destruction of seafloor habitat in the few remaining areas of United States waters that harbor remnant populations of the Atlantic wolffish, it is probable that it will be faced with extinction in those waters in the near future,” says marine scientist and co-petitioner Dr Les Watling.

The Atlantic Wolffish is listed as a Species of Concern by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

In December 2007, the Baji dolphin of the Yangtze river was declared extinct. A study has now revealed that the Yangtze finless porpoise might face the same destiny if no protective measures are taken, National Geographic News reports.

A new study has shown that Yangtze river porpoises are dying in part due to exposure to insecticides and mercury. The Yangtze River in China is home to the planet’s last river-dwelling finless porpoises. As a part of the study, researchers also investigated the organs of porpoises living in China’s Dongting Hu Lake (which is connected to the Yangtze River) and found high concentrations of PCBs and other pollutants.

According to study co-author Wang Ding of China’s Institute of Hydrobiology, the Yangtze finless porpoise population has decreased sharply each year during recent decades. He states that pollution, dam construction, fishing and transportation all contribute to the problem.

WWF China has helped maintain a natural preserve for the Yangtze porpoise along an oxbow of the Yangtze River and the Institute of Hydrobiology is running a captive breeding program where a third calf is expected to be born in the summer of 2008. These measures are however far from enough we want to keep the Yangtze river porpoises from going extinct.

“Urgent measures need to be undertaken to save this porpoise. Pollution control is one of the most important, but this will take time and huge efforts by the government and companies,” says Li Lifeng, director of WWF China’s freshwater program.

You can read the full article here:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/04/080423-yangtze-porpoise.html

According to Wildlife Extra, 12 different specimens of the endangered Giant freshwater stingray were caught in over the course of just 3-4 months last year. The findings where made in both the Ban Pakong and the Maeklong Rivers, and one of the specimens was a young stingray measuring no more than 12 cm (4.7 inches). This might be a sign that the Giant freshwater stringray is somehow managing to combat the dangerous pollutions that are contaminating its habitat.

The specimen that received most attention was of course the enormous stingray caught by Tom Parker from Coventry whilst on a guided fishing tour to the Ban Pakong River. After being measured and photographed, the rare fish was fortunately released back into the wild. The Giant freshwater stingray had a wingspan of 2.4 meters (7.9 feet) and weighing it turned out to be impossible for the fishing party.

A research project has now been launched by Dr Terry Bertozi of the Evolutionary Biology Unit of the South Australian Museum in Adelaide, Australia and the fishing company FishSiam in order to find out more about the elusive Giant freshwater stingray.

You can learn more reading the full article at Wildlife Extra: http://www.wildlifeextra.com/giant-stingray930.html

Stingrays have flat bodies that make it possible for them to stay hidden in under layers of sand at the bottom until an unsuspecting animal ventures close enough to become lunch. Some stingrays grow really huge, as the one in the article, but others can be kept in normal hobby aquariums. It is very important to provide them with a suitable substrate in the aquarium to allow them to carry out their natural habits. You can learn more about a few species of stingray that can be kept in aquariums here: http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/predatory/sting.php

Giant Mekong catfish. Copyright www.jjphoto.dk

According to Zeb Hogan, head of the National Geographic Society’s Megafishes Project, a new dam project planned for Khone Falls in Laos threatens the migration of the Mekong giant catfish. The largest Mekong giant catfish ever caught weighed in at an astonishing 293 kilograms (646 pounds), but the existence of this magnificent species is unfortunately threatened in the wild and it is currently listed as critically endangered by the World Conservation Union.

You can find out more by visiting National Geographic at http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/04/photogalleries/catfish-pictures/

The Mekong giant catfish inhabits the Mekong River Delta in South-East Asian and can be found not only in Laos, but also in nearby Cambodia. Earlier, the species lived in Thailand as well but it is now believed to have become completely eradicated from the Thai part of the Mekong River Delta. (It has however been introduced as a sport fish in a number of lakes in Thailand, so the species has not vanished completely from Thai waters.) The situation is critical for the populations in Laos and Cambodia as well and the new dam might worsen an already precarious situation. The primary threats against the Mekong giant catfish are habitat destruction, pollution and over fishing. You can find more information about the Mekong giant catfish here: http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/catfish/giantmekong.php