Ocean News

Unravelling the complicated mystery of The Little Boy, or El Niño as we’ve come to know it, is a scientific conundrum that has long kept scientists scratching their heads. The reason they’re so interested in understanding how it works? The impact of El Niño events spread far and wide, with…

For threatened wildlife populations, the spread of disease adds to a substantial list of conservation challenges that could cause their extinction. The clock is ticking to find suitable treatments, but to effectively solve infections, we need to understand how they work. A new publication by SOSF-funded researcher David Duffy finds…

A new study suggests that removing invasive rats from islands might be key to saving coral reefs. The research shows that seabirds are important carriers of nutrients to islands, which in turn feed into healthy coral reef ecosystems. Where invasive rats threaten seabirds populations, the knock-on effects for coral reefs…

Four years after the first sawfish conservation strategy was released, what have its impacts been so far? SOSF project leader Ruth H. Leeney of Protect Africa’s Sawfishes provides an overview of the many sawfish projects supported by SOSF since the strategy’s release and assesses how far we have come. (Click…

The charismatic sawfish with their elongated sharp-toothed rostrum is one of the most critically endangered family of fish on the planet. Comprised of five distinct species, this family of rays has sparked increased conservation efforts throughout the globe over the past 15 years. Today, SOSF project leader Dean Grubbs from…

A new paper published by our D’Arros Research Centre Directors, Ryan Daly and Clare Keating Daly, and Manta Trust Founder, Guy Stevens suggests that marine areas of the Amirantes Island group in the Republic of Seychelles may be underestimated in terms of species diversity. To shed light on the current…

Congratulations to Terence Vel, who celebrated this year’s Commonwealth Day (12 March 2018) with special recognition from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, as the 39th Commonwealth Point of Light. Terence was honoured for his exceptional volunteer environmental work, running the Wildlife Clubs of Seychelles –  a grassroots, self-sustaining environmental organisation dedicated…

Hats off to SOSF funded project, the Acoustic Tracking Array Platform (ATAP) on five years of telemetry success in South Africa! Recently, project leader, Paul Cowley published a paper in the African Journal of Marine Science alongside his colleagues detailing the highlights of ATAP’s work tracking animal movements off the…

In 2019,  Sri Lanka will host the 18th Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) meeting of its Conference of the Parties. Recently, we spoke to SOSF/Manta Trust collaborator, Daniel Fernando about his experience navigating work life in the policy sector as well as his opinions on shark and…

The shortfin mako is a large mackerel shark currently listed as Threatened under the IUCN Red List. Shortfin makos are credited with being the fastest-swimming sharks alive, with speed bursts of nearly 70 km an hour! This charismatic marine top predator is a long distance traveler, journeying offshore areas, often…

A new paper published by SOSF collaborator and project leader, Alison Kock has highlighted trends in sightings and population structures of white sharks in False Bay, South Africa over a nine-year time period from 2004 to 2012. The study area took place on Seal Island, a small land mass 5.7…

It started off as a young aspiring marine biologist’s ‘pipe dream’, but with a few years of hard work and persistence, this dream job became a reality. For Pelayo Salinas, joining the Charles Darwin Foundation in the Galápagos as their Senior Marine Ecologist was just the beginning. Given his passion…

Hot off the press, Issue 8 of the SOSF Magazine is now available, look for it online at saveourseasmagazine.com. In this issue, SOSF invites readers to explore a wide range of ocean research and conservation topics. With immersive stories, breathtaking photos and behind-the-scenes insights that take you from the windswept…

SOSF collaborator, Nick Jones has spent more than 1000 hours underwater filming various types of marine wildlife from humpback whales to great white sharks. His work has been featured by Lonely Planet, Wanderlust and the BBC. This past year, as part of his Masters in Wildlife Filmmaking at the University…

The remote country of Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands off the east coast of Africa. Towards the outermost edges of this country lies the Amirantes, a group of coral islands and atolls. One of these locations, D’Arros Island and St Joseph Atoll, hosts the SOSF D’Arros Research Centre.…