Ecuador has extended the marine reserve around the Galapagos Islands to protect sharks, whales, turtles, rays and other species.
The new reserve covers 198,000 square kilometres and extends to the waters of Costa Rica and the Isla del Coco National Park.
Over 2,900 marine species have been reported in the archipelago, which consists of 16 major and several smaller islands, about 1,000 kilometres west of Ecuador.
Rapid climate change vs evolution. The Galapagos cormorant has evolved to thrive in an environment where they can feed near the coast outside the islands where they live. Their wings have shrunk to a third of the size needed for flight and they have become very efficient swimmers. Rapid climate change threatens to disrupt the cold currents that bring nutrient-rich water so close to their remote island home. It is now possible that the millions of years of evolution that have made them so successful in this particular environment will put them at a life-threatening disadvantage
A dead porpoise was found in the Blekinge archipelago in August. When the unusual find is now investigated, it turns out that the cause of death is still unclear - and that it was a pregnant female, reports Blekinge county newspaper
Alaska suspends all snow crab and king crab fishing this year. The authorities' decision comes after a sharp decline in crabs in the Barents Sea and Bristol Bay respectively. It is the first time ever that snow crab fishing has been suspended; for the king crabs, it is the second autumn in a row that they have been protected
