Ocean News

When the Save Our Seas Foundation established the SOSF Shark Education Centre in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2008, it aimed to connect people of all ages from the local communities – as well as visitors from distant lands – with the unique marine environment found on their doorstep in…

The Save Our Seas Foundation and the Museum of Natural History of Geneva join forces for oceans. We are proud to announce our partnership with the Museum of Natural History of Geneva in celebrating the museum’s 200th birthday in 2020. In a spectacular show, the museum has welcomed three main…

Threatened shark species still make up most of the international shark fin trade A new genetics study published in Nature by Diego Cardeñosa has highlighted that endangered shark species continue to make up a major portion of the international trade for their fins. For the first time, the species found…

This year we are celebrating the first-ever World Manta Day – a full day to raise awareness for and show appreciation of these gloriously mysterious creatures. Save Our Seas Foundation couldn’t be more excited to join our partners at Manta Trust in the celebration of our flappy friends! ‘Manta‘ means…

Conservation research is failing sawfishes if its outcomes are never communicated to those with the power to take action to protect sawfishes.   A scientific paper by Alifa Haque, Aparna Riti Biswas, and myself has been published today (Publish, then perish? Five years on sawfish are still at risk in…

Across Europe, 2019 brought record summer temperatures, followed by dramatic scenes of bush fires across Australia at the close of the year and into early 2020. According to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, the global land and ocean surface temperature in January 2020 was the highest in the 141-year…

Have you ever found a mermaid’s purse on the beach? These little capsules can be cast upon the beach where they blend in well with strands of seaweed, so you need to be looking carefully to find one! Perhaps, in the past, some people believed that they were indeed purses…

Whale sharks are the largest member of the shark family and the largest fish in the world. Weighing up to 20 tonnes, they can grow up to 14 m long – that’s as long as a school bus! However, these pelagic animals do not evoke the same fearful reaction in…

Shark Biology and Conservation Essentials for Educators, Students, and Enthusiasts by Daniel C. Abel and R. Dean Grubbs, with contributions from Tristan Guttridge and published by Johns Hopkins University Press. Shark Biology and Conservation is a new book about sharks aimed at communicating shark science in a meaningful and unintimidating…

Evidence of social connections in basking shark behaviour? Basking sharks, the second-largest sharks in our seas, continue to amaze scientists as we learn more about their lives. These enormous, filter-feeding sharks made headlines in 2018 for their ability to breach clear of the water’s surface, making acrobatic leaps thought only…

There are many sources of plastic in our oceans, including the mountains of single-use plastic created in western societies, and lost and abandoned fishing gear. But far more insidious is the problem of microfibres, and it’s one that very few people are aware of. A recently published study has revealed…

Scientists devise conservation plan for angel sharks in the Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea By their very nature, angel sharks are not exactly the scene-stealing sharks of the seas. Camouflaged ambush predators that lie in wait for their prey, they settle subtly onto the sandy seafloor along shallow coastal…

Reef manta rays are highly resident around D’Arros Island and St Joseph Atoll in Seychelles “They’re so charismatic,” enthuses Lauren. “I feel that they’re such a good flagship species to get people passionate about the ocean”. A Save our Seas Foundation project leader, and PhD graduate from the University of…

Nearly 30 new conservation projects added to Save Our Seas Foundation’s current roster Since 2003, the Save Our Seas Foundation (SOSF) has been dedicated to protecting life in our oceans, especially sharks and rays. To do this, the organisation invests in research, conservation and education projects led by passionate and…

To protect life in our oceans, especially sharks and rays, the Save Our Seas Foundation has expanded its support of global marine research, conservation and education initiatives. This year, we are funding 20 new Small Grant projects aimed at generating critical knowledge on marine species and their habitats. Aimed at…