Environment

• Thursday, June 2nd 2016 - 08:49 UTC

  US defense bill includes one billion dollars to fund a new polar icebreaker

  

  The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee's Defense Appropriations Bill has included one billion dollars in funding to accelerate construction of a new polar icebreaker for the U.S. Coast Guard, reported Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.).

• Tuesday, May 31st 2016 - 17:30 UTC

  FAO sponsored illegal fishing accord scheduled to become law on 5 June; 30 countries have adhered

  

  Illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing is about to become much more difficult thanks to the imminent entry into force of the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), a ground-breaking international accord championed by FAO.

• Monday, May 30th 2016 - 07:03 UTC

  Australia enforces low sulfur fuel regulations: Carnival cruise fined

  

  Australia’s Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has fined Carnival PLC US$15,000 after one of its P&O Cruises ships, the Pacific Jewel, breached new low sulfur fuel regulations in Sydney Harbor. A fuel sample taken by the ship’s crew and provided to EPA officers while the ship was berthed at the White Bay Cruise Terminal on February 26, 2016 had a sulfur level of 0.293%, nearly three times the 0.1% sulfur limit.

• Wednesday, May 25th 2016 - 18:04 UTC

  Cephalopods numbers have increased over the last six decades, says Adelaide university study

  

  According to a new study published in the journal Current Biology, cephalopods’ numbers have increased in the world’s oceans over the past six decades. Cephalopods are a diverse group of highly developed mollusks that includes squid, cuttlefish, octopuses and nautiloids.

• Wednesday, May 25th 2016 - 07:02 UTC

  UK tremor: North Yorkshire approve fracking operations

  

  The first fracking operation in the UK since 2011 earthquake scares has been approved by North Yorkshire councilors, stirring a fresh debate on the benefits and risks of the controversial gas extraction method. Councilors granted permission to UK firm Third Energy to use hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, at an existing drilling site near the village of Kirby Misperton.

• Tuesday, May 17th 2016 - 06:23 UTC

  Falklands hopeful of improved relations with Argentina, Gilbert House tells BIMR conference

  

  Falkland Islands remains hopeful of improved relations with the new administration of Argentina and cooperation in the many areas of mutual interest such as fisheries and connectivity, but sovereignty of the Falklands is not for negotiation, reads the Gilbert House report to the 46th British Isles and Mediterranean Region Conference, which opened on Sunday in Jersey.

• Monday, May 16th 2016 - 21:42 UTC

  Falkland Islands' biosecurity officers thwart Argentine ant army invasion

  

  By Ross James, Biosecurity Officer for Penguin News - An Argentine army, thousands strong invaded the Falklands recently, and their arrival went unnoticed for several weeks before the alarm was raised. The Argentine Ants arrived aboard a yacht which had sailed non-stop around the world from Australia, non-stop that is until huge waves swept the singlehanded 78 year-old sailor overboard and capsized his yacht as he rounded Cape Horn. In a stroke of luck a subsequent wave righted the vessel and at the same time the sailor was able to pull himself back aboard.

• Friday, May 13th 2016 - 16:44 UTC

  IAATO celebrates 25th anniversary with record number or participants; Bob Simpson reappointed

  

  The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) has concluded its 25th anniversary meeting in Newport, Rhode Island, USA with a record number of participating members. Sixty-nine members attended, agreeing on changes to membership structure and outcomes that strengthen the association’s ability to achieve its mission of promoting the practice of safe, environmentally responsible travel to the Antarctic.

• Saturday, May 7th 2016 - 08:25 UTC

  UK's state of the art polar research ship to be named Sir David Attenborough

  

  The United Kingdom's £200 million state-of-the-art polar research ship is to be named after world renowned naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, the Science Minister Jo Johnson confirmed on Friday. Following a call for suggestions that sparked global interest, Royal Research Ship Sir David Attenborough has been selected as a name that captures the ship’s scientific mission and celebrates the broadcaster’s contribution to natural science.

• Wednesday, May 4th 2016 - 22:17 UTC

  “Whale recovery in Falklands” and an explosion of sightings

  

  ”Whale recovery in Falklands’ waters was the subject of an article in Penguin News in October last year. It outlined the Marine Spatial Planning team’s efforts to capture the story of the mammal’s recovery.