Posts Tagged ‘Pollution’
Antibiotic resistance in dolphins mirrors trend seen in humans
Samples collected from dolphins by scientists over a 12 year period indicate that dolphins may be mirroring the trend in human resistance to antibiotic drugs. Researchers looked at the samples from bottlenose dolphins living in the Indian River Lagoon in Florida between 2003 and 2015 and found that nearly 90% of the 733 samples taken…
Read MoreNature may have the answer to plastic pollution
Scientists working on solutions to the growing problem of plastic pollution are now focusing attention on a potential breakthrough supplied by Mother Nature. A study by researchers at Utrecht University reveals that several species of mushrooms will break down and ‘eat’ plastic, sometimes in a matter of weeks. Some, such as the oyster mushroom, are…
Read MoreEU parliament approves ban on single use plastics
The European Union parliament has announced today that it has approved a ban on single-use plastics, a move that would reduce the amount of plastic pollution feeding into rivers and then out to the ocean. The ban covers several types of products, such as straws, cutlery and cotton buds, with the EU also encouraging all…
Read MoreSuccess! Controversial plan for oil transfers between ships in important dolphin habitat dropped
A port authority in Scotland has announced that it is to drop plans to pursue a licence to transfer oil between ships in the Moray Firth. Invergordon’s Port of Cromarty Firth announced it’s decision regarding the controversial plan after campaign groups, including WDC raised the issue of potential harm to wildlife in the area. Ship-to-ship…
Read MoreHalf the world’s orca populations in peril from chemical pollution
A new study released this week suggests that the futures of more than half of the different orca population groups in the ocean are in doubt and that some, like the pod located off the West Coast of Scotland, are almost certainly doomed because of the level of pollutants in the water. One of the main…
Read MoreWhat we can do to save Southern Resident orcas
We’ve been hearing from many of you that you’re heartbroken about the loss of a newborn calf in the critically endangered Southern Resident orca community – we are, too. It’s hard to put into words what it feels like to watch this tragedy unfold – sadness for the whales, angry at delayed action to save…
Read MoreGodzilla is not whale food
Elspeth Shears is a residential volunteer at the WDC Scottish Dolphin Centre in Spey Bay. Our visitor centre is on the Moray Firth, north east Scotland, home to the most northerly population of bottlenose dolphins in the world. With the Scottish sun shining up above on a beautiful Sunday in Moray, Scotland, more than 60…
Read MoreWDC welcomes significant move by European Commission on single-use plastics
The European Commission has put forward a proposal for a European Directive on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment. The objective of this Directive is to prevent and reduce the impact of certain plastic products on the environment, in particular, the aquatic environment, and on human health. The various…
Read MoreCommonwealth nations announce pledge to fight plastic pollution
Countries from across the Commonwealth have today pledged to eliminate avoidable single use plastic in an ambitious bid to clean up the world’s oceans. New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Ghana have become the latest nations to join the UK and Vanuatu-led Commonwealth Clean Oceans Alliance – an agreement between member states to join forces in the…
Read MoreNew study suggests amount of microplastic in oceans could be much higher
A new global map of aquatic plastic pollution has revealed that rivers in the north west of the UK have the highest microplastic pollution discovered so far anywhere in the world. Scientists from the University of Manchester took samples from 40 sites across the region with over 500,000 microplastic particles discovered in the River Tame…
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