Interpol's 30 Days at Sea identifies offenders in marine pollution crime

“Interpol, the world’s largest international police organization, has carried out a global investigation into marine pollution crime, and identified more than 500 offenses.

Interpol’s operation, code-named 30 Days at Sea, was initiated in response to a call to increase international enforcement against environmental crime.

More than 5,200 inspections were carried out, identifying waste crimes and administrative violations in 84 countries and territories around the world.”

Read my full article on the Jakarta Post: Interpol's 30 Days at Sea identifies offenders in marine pollution crime

Costa Rica Prepares to Export 10 Tons of Hammerhead Shark Fins

Ten tons of hammerhead shark fins, stored in Inversiones Cruz S.A’s warehouses, are awaiting export approval from the Costa Rican Fisheries and Aquaculture Institute (INCOPESCA).Ten tons of hammerhead shark fins have been in storage in Costa Rican warehouses since March 1 of 2015, when the government issued a ban on the export of hammerhead shark fins as part of its Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) obligations. The fins were obtained and stored during the export ban and any attempt to export them is considered a violation of CITES. Thousands of individuals and 22 Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) from around the globe are petitioning the government to stop any export attempt.https://www.costaricantimes.com/costa-rica-prepares-to-export-10-tons-of-hammerhead-shark-fins/59434

How climate change threatens Indonesia's marine tourism

Featured in the Jakarta Post:While the Earth has only warmed around 0.74 degrees Celsius over the last 100 years, this small temperature increase is affecting ocean ecosystems and could impact upon the global marine tourism industry.Coral reef tourism has a global value of US$36 billion per year, according to a scientific study mapping the global value and distribution of coral reef tourism. This study, published in the Marine Policy journal in August 2017, concluded that 30 percent of the world’s reefs are valuable to tourism.Indonesia has a thriving coral reef tourism industry and also has the second largest manta ray tourism industry in the world, with an annual value of over $15 million.While coral bleaching events and ocean acidification are well-documented effects of climate change, there are other stressors upon coral reefs that could undermine these valuable tourism industries.Read more: http://www.thejakartapost.com/travel/2018/02/02/how-climate-change-threatens-indonesias-marine-tourism.html