Environmental News Network

MIT aims for kinder, gentler scallop dredge
The director of MIT Sea Grant's Center for Fisheries Engineering Research wants to build a better dredge-even though he's the first to admit that current dredges do a fine job of catching the creatures. What current dredges don't do, says Goudey, is take into consideration unintended consequences, such as damaging bottom habitat -- a concern since the 1986 reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act introduced the issue of essential fish habitat. >> Read the Full Article
Recycling Styrofoam: 15 Million Pounds Diverted From Northeast Landfills
LIVERPOOL, N.Y. - A New York furniture company has found a second life for what once use to go to landfills: packaging styrofoam. Some of the recycled byproducts are made into consumer household plastic items such as picture frames, egg cartons, lunch trays, video and audio cassette casings as well as bathroom fixtures including counter tops, sinks and tub and shower surrounds. >> Read the Full Article
Analysis: Weak Laws, Neglect Behind Greek Fires
ATHENS - Weak zoning laws, careless farmers and smoldering garbage dumps are the main reasons for the forest fires that have killed 63 and destroyed whole rural economies in Greece in recent days, Greenpeace said on Monday. The fires, fanned by strong winds, have engulfed whole villages, forcing thousands to flee their homes, and burned millions of hectares of woods and farmland dried by summer heat. Greece has declared a state of emergency and sought help from its EU partners. The prime minister, facing parliamentary elections on September 16, indicated arsonists might have been responsible and vowed to punish them. >> Read the Full Article
Sand-Like, Pulverized Glass Seen as One Solution to Florida Beach Erosion
Picture a beautiful beach spanning miles of coastline, gently lapped by aqua-colored water -- and sprinkled with glass. Ouch? Think again. It feels just like sand, but with granules that sparkle in the sunlight. >> Read the Full Article
Hawaii's First Passenger Services Sets Sail Despite Court Cloud over Environmental Concerns
Loaded with people paying a discount fare of just $5, the $95 million Hawaii Superferry made its maiden run Sunday with a rushed launch for a three-hour voyage to Maui -- the first passenger ferry service between the islands. >> Read the Full Article
Indian Ocean sees smallest tuna catch in 11 years
Tuna fishermen in the Indian Ocean have landed their smallest catch for 11 years, a report and industry sources said on Monday, with possible explanations ranging from over-fishing to global warming. "The total catches recorded... during the first four months of 2007 is estimated at 75,000 tonnes, the lowest catch reported for that period since 1996," the multinational Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) said in a report seen by Reuters on Monday. >> Read the Full Article
Condition of bluefin tuna in gulf of maine is declining
The quality of giant bluefin tuna caught in the Gulf of Maine has declined significantly since the early 1990s, researchers at the University of New Hampshire have found by analyzing detailed logbooks from a commercial tuna grader at the Yankee Fishermanï¿½s Co-op. The findings, published this week in Fishery Bulletin, indicate potential changes in food sources, shifts in reproductive or migratory patterns, or the impact of fishing may be the cause of this decline. >> Read the Full Article
Emphasis on conifer forests places multiple species at risk
The traditional emphasis on dense, fast-growing, conifer-dominated forests in the Pacific Northwest raises questions about the health of dozens of animal species that depend on shrubs, herbs and broad-leaf trees, a new analysis by Oregon State University and the U.S. Geological Survey suggests. At least 78 vertebrate species have been documented that require, in one way or another, the food or habitat provided by non-coniferous vegetation, and may be at increasing risk whenever forest management reduces the prevalence of these shrubs or trees, or specifically targets them for removal. >> Read the Full Article
Promoting Water Security in the Pacific
Managing and protecting freshwater resources is of vital importance for the Pacific regionâ€™s health and wealth. A recent mission by the IUCN Water Programme is leading to the development of the Nadi River Catchment area, to help both secure water supply and prevent downstream flooding. >> Read the Full Article
Polluted China rivers threaten "sixth" of population
Polluters along two of China's main rivers have defied a decade-old clean-up effort, leaving much of the water unfit to touch, let alone drink, and a risk to a sixth of the population, state media said on Monday. Half the check points along the Huai River and its tributaries in central and eastern China showed pollution of "Grade 5" or worse -- the top of the dial in key toxins, meaning that the water was unfit for human contact and may not be fit even for irrigation, national legislators were told. >> Read the Full Article