The Cayman Islands Cabinet has approved a bid to ensure the protection of Stingray City and the Sand Bar, two of the Islands’ most popular tourist attractions.

The marine conservation regulations to designate the areas Wildlife Interaction Zones aim to protect the rays and their natural reef environment, as well as introduce the licensing of tourist boats that visit the areas.

Announcing the decision, Minister for Tourism, Hon Charles Clifford, said, “The Government of the day must do what it has to do to ensure we have these primary attractions for generations to come.”

Read full article: 'Stingray City and Sand Bar become protected zones'

Monterey, California (Apr 5, 2007 14:41 EST) Researchers completed an important step in constructing the first deep-sea cabled observatory in the continental United States. In a multi-institution effort managed by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and funded by the National Science Foundation, 52 kilometers (32 miles) of cable were laid along the seafloor of Monterey Bay. This undersea cable will provide electrical power to scientific instruments, video cameras, and robots 900 meters (3,000 feet) below the ocean surface. The cable will also carry data from these instruments back to shore, for use by scientists and engineers around the world.

Read full article: 'Cable Laid for New Deep-sea Observatory off California Coast'

Wellington, New Zealand (Apr 5, 2007 05:12 EST) A groundbreaking fishing industry initiative will see some of New Zealand’s most significant and exciting underwater habitats protected from bottom-trawling and dredging, Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton announced today.

“Many of our most striking and fascinating underwater features will be protected, including cold water corals, seamounts and hydrothermal vents, each of which are specifically noted by the United Nations as vulnerable ecosystems," he said.

Read full article: 'Proposal Closes 32% of New Zealand's Seafloor to Bottom Trawling'

CARLSBAD, Calif. - More than 4 million gallons of raw sewage belched into a seaside ecological reserve, threatening aquatic life and forcing the closure of a beach in one of the worst spills in San Diego County's recent history.

Sewage started gushing into the Buena Vista Lagoon after a main broke Sunday night.

Read full article: '4 million gallons of sewage spill into lagoon'

A state of emergency has been declared in the Solomon Islands after a tsunami struck, killing at least 12 people.

Whole villages are said to have been wiped out around the main town of Gizo in the western Solomons.

The scale of devastation should become clearer once results of an assessment are known, but officials warn the number of dead could rise further.

Read full article: 'Tsunami sparks Solomons emergency'

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Dive centers, resorts, shops and clubs across the globe are gearing up to Dive In. The week of April 22, 2007 will launch Coral Reef Alliance's eighth annual DIVE IN TO EARTH DAY celebration.

Even if you have registered your activity with another organization, you should still register with CORAL. You will receive additional support materials and free publicity.

Read full article: 'Register Your Earth Day Event with CORAL'

Hindu groups are launching an international campaign today to halt India’s plans to create a shipping channel by dredging the sea between India and Sri Lanka.

They say that the project will destroy an ancient chain of shoals known as Adam’s Bridge, which Hindus believe was built by an army of monkeys to allow Lord Rama to cross to Lanka to rescue his abducted wife. They are also protesting on environmental grounds, arguing that the 30-mile string of limestone shoals, also known as Ram Sethu, protected large parts of India from the 2004 tsunami.

Read full article: 'Saving Rama’s underwater bridge'

Brussels, Belgium (Mar 22, 2007 11:54 EST) Protecting the delicate ecosystem of Europe's seas and coastal regions was the subject of a recent hearing in Parliament. A Commission Green paper last year identified the threat to Europe's coast of rising sea levels, pollution and over fishing. This is not a small problem - the EU has a coastline longer than Africa and the EU's sea area (territorial waters of members) is larger than its land mass. The hearing on 20 March brought together MEPs, experts and the EU's Fisheries Commissioner.

Read full article: 'Europe's Seas and Coasts Under Threat'

The impact of global warming on the vast Southern Ocean around Antarctica is starting to pose a threat to ocean currents that distribute heat around the world, Australian scientists say.

Melting ice-sheets and glaciers in Antarctica are releasing fresh water, interfering with the formation of dense "bottom water", which sinks 4-5 kilometres to the ocean floor and helps drive the world's ocean circulation system.

Read full article: 'Ocean's heat transfer system 'at risk''

London, England (Mar 23, 2007 15:26 EST) A United Nations report into ozone layer depletion and its impact on aquatic ecosystems reveals wider links between UV levels and global warming.

Marine and freshwater organisms could be facing damage due to increasing UV levels, according to the UN commissioned review. Aquatic ecosystems produce over half the biomass of the Earth and are an integral part of the planet's biosphere. The international team behind the review is worried that our depleted ozone layer now exposes these ecosystems to harmful levels of UV radiation, particularly in polar regions where the ozone layer is thinnest.

Read full article: 'Organisms Could be Sustaining Damage from UV Rays'

The impact of global warming o­n the vast Southern Ocean around Antarctica is starting to pose a threat to ocean currents that distribute heat around the world, Australian scientists say.

Melting ice-sheets and glaciers in Antarctica are releasing fresh water, interfering with the formation of dense "bottom water", which sinks 4-5 kilometres to the ocean floor and helps drive the world's ocean circulation system.

Read full article: 'Ocean's heat transfer system 'at risk''

Washington, D.C. (Mar 20, 2007 15:21 EST) The Rio Grande is among the world's top ten rivers at risk, according to a report by the same name released today by World Wildlife Fund. The WWF report, World's Top 10 Rivers at Risk, names the world's rivers that are facing widespread degradation while millions of people depend on them for survival.

Read full article: 'WWF Releases List of World's Top 10 Rivers at Risk'