The 'End of the Line' for the World's Oceans

More than four fifths of people support the introduction of a nature reserve in our seas to protect stocks of fish, according to a survey published today on World Oceans Day.

The poll came ahead of the launch of a film, The End Of The Line, which reveals the impacts of overfishing on the world's oceans.

Federal Authorities Crack Down on Sea-Borne Oil Polluters

The M/V Snow Flower, a 568-foot refrigerated container ship, was outbound from Los Angeles when it began experiencing serious problems in the engine room.

Mission to Break up Pacific Island of Rubbish Twice the Size of Texas

Scientists and conservationists on the expedition will begin attempts to retrieve and recycle a monument to throwaway living in the middle of the North Pacific.

Military Sonar Blamed for Mass Dolphin Strandings

Mass strandings of dolphins and whales could be caused because the animals are rendered temporarily deaf by military sonar, experiments have shown.

Tests on a captive dolphin have demonstrated that hearing can be lost for up to 40 minutes on exposure to sonar. Hearing is the most important sense for dolphins and other cetaeceans, and losing it is likely to cause them to become disorientated and alarmed.

Oil Spill Fears Deepen as Ship Firm Admits Error

The full scale of the environmental disaster on the Queensland coast was becoming clear last night as a shipping company admitted that its earlier estimates of the size of the oil spill were "substantially" wrong.

An oil slick was blackening beaches along the Sunshine Coast, Bribie Island and Moreton Island.

Even as authorities focused on the damage to these areas - now declared disaster zones - more oil spilt into the Brisbane River. This 500-metre-long slick was contained quickly.

Ocean Expected to Rise 5 Feet Along Coastlines

SAN FRANCISCO - Driven by global warming, the ocean is expected to rise nearly 5 feet along California's coastline by the end of the century, hitting San Francisco Bay the hardest of all, according to a state study released Wednesday.

Nearly half a million people and $100 billion in property, two-thirds of it concentrated around the bay, are at risk of major flooding, researchers found in the most comprehensive study to date of how climate change will alter the state's coastal areas.

Carbon Emissions Creating Acidic Oceans Not Seen Since Dinosaurs

Human pollution is turning the seas into acid so quickly that the coming decades will recreate conditions not seen on Earth since the time of the dinosaurs, scientists will warn today.

The rapid acidification is caused by the massive amounts of carbon dioxide belched from chimneys and exhausts that dissolve in the ocean. The chemical change is placing "unprecedented" pressure on marine life such as shellfish and lobsters and could cause widespread extinctions, the experts say.

Human Factor Suspected in Mass Beaching of Whales in Australia

Conservationists are demanding an immediate and thorough inquiry into what they say is the suspicious stranding of 200 whales and dolphins.

Fears that the mass stranding on an Australian beach on Sunday was caused by human disturbance were raised because two species of cetacean came ashore simultaneously.

Most of the animals were pilot whales, but a number of bottlenose dolphins were also among the pod.

Residents joined wildlife workers to spend hours keeping the surviving animals wet and cool before they could be lifted, pushed and hauled back into the water.