カテゴリー: Oceans
Jono Ridler has battled loneliness and fatigue as he aims to break the record for the longest unassisted staged swim – and raise awareness about fragile marine lifeFirst he hears a faint chatter coming from the ocean depths, then clicks and squeaks as …
Exclusive: Pacific island’s new leader Lord Fakafānua discusses ‘exciting’ US partnership as critics fear impacts of seabed explorationThe recently elected leader of Tonga has described a deal to partner with the US on deep-sea mineral exploration as a…
Dozens of traditional boats made as part of a project to reconnect with culture and ‘start of conversation’ on ocean rightsIn October in Lifou island, a double-hulled canoe was pushed into the lagoon – a small act that marked a deeply symbolic moment.I…
Respected ocean expert Katy Soapi continues to advocate to protect Tetepare, one of the last untouched places in Solomon IslandsScientist Katy Soapi’s earliest memories are of the sea. She grew up on Rendova, a lush island in western Solomon Islands, …
Around the Cook Islands, the world’s two most powerful countries are exploring the possibility of deep-sea mining for critical mineralsDeep below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, the seafloor is dotted with clusters of brown and black rocks, each cont…
NZ$180bn worth of housing and $26bn of infrastructure at risk of flooding and storm damage, new government report findsNew Zealand’s oceans are warming 34% faster than the global average, with NZ$180bn (US$104bn) worth of housing at risk of flooding, a…
Less than 1% of our country’s seas are highly protected and the damaging practice of bottom-trawling must be restrictedIt’s a remarkable feat that a small, isolated island nation of just five million people has managed to stake a claim to one of the la…
In New Zealand only a handful of farms produce pearls from abalone, known as pāua, but the molluscs need delicate conditions to surviveRoger Beattie was diving off the Chatham Islands, about 800km east of New Zealand, when he saw his first pāua pearl. …
Nicknamed ‘Moana’, Charlene Erasito is the only female Pacific Islander on the expedition to document unexplored parts of the oceanOn the island of Rotuma in Fiji, Christmas is a time of joy, a celebration bursting with song, dance and laughter. Charle…
A vast network of volunteers leap into action to save beached creatures in New Zealand, a global hotspot for strandingsOn a blustery March day in Wellington, a group of would-be whale rescuers wearing wetsuits and hi-vis vests are waist deep in the chi…
The mass death of once-endangered olive ridley turtles in January has prompted an increase in wildlife patrols and a crackdown on fishing boatsMore than 1,100 dead olive ridley sea turtles have washed ashore on the beaches of Tamil Nadu state in southe…
A cocktail of protectiveness, fear and superstition has led many Taiwanese to stay away from the ocean, but that is starting to change, one swimming class at a timeA dozen excited 10-year-olds are bouncing in their chairs. The small classroom’s walls a…
Samoa says 200,000 litres of diesel has leaked into the sea after HMNZS Manawanui hit a reef, with officials now racing to remove tons more fuel ahead of cyclone seasonFrom the sky you can see it. A long white blot in the perfect blue. The HMNZS Manawa…
António Guterres calls for a ‘massive’ increase in finance and support for the countries most vulnerable to rising sea levelsPacific island nations are in “grave danger” from rising sea levels and the world must “answer the SOS before it is too late”, …
Government’s push to fast-track projects in NZ stirs fears deep-sea mining off Taranaki, long opposed by the community, could go aheadThree fishers sit around a bare table in Pātea Boating Club, a few hundred metres back from New Zealand’s south Tarana…