Photo by WWF.

Nothing natural about nature’s steep decline: WWF report reveals staggering extent of human impact, including that of fisheries, on planet

Photo by WWF.

Photo by WWF.

Humanity and the way we feed, fuel and finance our societies and economies are pushing nature and the services that power and sustain us to the brink, according to WWF’s Living Planet Report 2018. The report, released today, presents a sobering picture of the impact of human activity on the world’s wildlife, forests, oceans, rivers and climate, underlining the rapidly closing window for action and the urgent need for the global community to collectively rethink and redefine how we value, protect and restore nature.

The Living Planet Report 2018 presents a comprehensive overview of the state of our natural world, twenty years after the flagship report was first published. Through indicators such as the Living Planet Index (LPI) provided by the Zoological Society of London, the Species Habitat Index (SHI), the IUCN Red List Index (RLI), the Biodiversity Intactness Index (BII) and the Sea Around Us fisheries data, as well as Planetary Boundaries and the Ecological Footprint, the report paints a singular disturbing picture: human activity is pushing the planet’s natural systems that support life on earth to the edge.

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Dr. Deng Palomares. Photo by Valentina Ruiz Leotaud.

Frontiers awards the Sea Around Us Project Manager

Dr. Deng Palomares. Photo by Valentina Ruiz Leotaud.

Dr. Deng Palomares. Photo by Valentina Ruiz Leotaud.

The Sea Around Us Project Manager, Dr. Deng Palomares, received an award that praises her efforts as Specialty Chief Editor for Frontiers in Marine Science.

Granted by the journal’s Community Support Fund, the award acts as a positive acknowledgment of the impact of Dr. Palomares’ initiative to maintain a vibrant Marine Fisheries and Aquaculture section, as well as of her incessant work in encouraging scientists to submit their papers and boosting the overall growth of Frontiers.

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The Sea Around Us laments the passing of Paul G. Allen

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It is with great sadness that the Sea Around Us team received the news about the passing of Mr. Paul G. Allen.

As informed by his company and our project’s partner, Vulcan Inc., Allen passed on Monday, October 15, 2018. We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and coworkers.

In his role as philanthropist, community builder, and conservationist, Allen supported the Sea Around Us for three years. We are thankful for having had the opportunity to work alongside such a generous person.

Photo by RSiS.

Cooperation in the South China Sea

Photo by RSiS.

Photo by RSiS.

In September 2018, the Sea Around Us Principal Investigator, Daniel Pauly, traveled to Singapore to take part in a conference titled “The South China Sea Fisheries Cooperation: Progress, Problems and Prospect,” which was organized by Nanyang Technological University’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

As keynote speaker, Dr. Pauly gave an overview of the fisheries in the South China Sea. Using the Sea Around Us catch reconstructions of the countries in the area, he explained who is catching what, and outlined major trends in catch composition and catch per effort.

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Photo by Magda Ehlers, Pexels.

Become a Forrest Scholar while studying for your PhD with the Sea Around Us – Indian Ocean

Photo by Magda Ehlers, Pexels.

Photo by Magda Ehlers, Pexels.

The Sea Around Us – Indian Ocean, based at the University of Western Australia under the lead of Professor Dirk Zeller, is looking for outstanding PhD candidates interested in conducting ‘big-data’ research on fisheries and fisheries conservation issues at the ocean-basin scale or on Indian Ocean Rim countries.

If this is of interest to you, then consider applying for the Forrest Research Foundation Scholarship program, which is open to domestic (i.e., Australian) and international applicants. The round for 2019 PhD students opened on September 10, 2018 and closes midnight Western Australian Time (GMT +8) on Wednesday, October 31, 2018.

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