Breaking Waves: Ocean News https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-waves en More than 15m oysters to be released in the North Sea for UK rewilding project https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/more-15m-oysters-be-released-north-sea-uk-rewilding-project <p>Exclusive: Experts say scheme will help repair damaged marine ecosystems while sequestering large amounts of carbon</p> <p>More than 15m juvenile oysters are to be released into the North Sea in one of the biggest rewilding projects in UK waters.</p> <p>The scheme, which will use a unique rearing process, hopes to re-establish a huge oyster bed around Orkney that experts say will create a “trophic cascade” of climate and ecological benefits.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/more-15m-oysters-be-released-north-sea-uk-rewilding-project" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Fri, 17 Apr 2026 06:00:23 +0000 admin 103077 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Puerto Rico’s rainforest center reborn: in pictures https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/puerto-rico-s-rainforest-center-reborn-pictures <p>After two devastating hurricanes, El Yunque national forest has built a new visitors center that hosts a vibrant arts festival</p> <p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2026/apr/16/puerto-rico-el-yunque-rainforest-in-pictures">Continue reading...</a></p> Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:00:02 +0000 admin 103076 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org MSC’s ‘blue tick’ scheme creates illusion of ethically sourced fish, study claims https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/msc-s-blue-tick-scheme-creates-illusion-ethically-sourced-fish-study-claims <p>Sustainability certification by Marine Stewardship Council may be obscuring labour abuses in seafood supply chains, say researchers</p> <p>The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), which operates a “blue tick” scheme to indicate the sustainability of fish, has been accused of creating an “illusion” of ethical sourcing, after a <a href="https://www.itfglobal.org/en/resources/labour-abuses-in-msc-certified-fisheries">study reported</a> that widespread labour abuses have taken place on the fishing vessels it approves.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/msc-s-blue-tick-scheme-creates-illusion-ethically-sourced-fish-study-claims" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:00:57 +0000 admin 103073 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org ‘I don’t go out’: Vermont’s undocumented dairy workers live in fear after immigration raids https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/i-don-t-go-out-vermont-s-undocumented-dairy-workers-live-fear-after-immigration-raids <p>A tenfold increase in the number of immigration detentions has compelled many workers to barely leave the farms where they work</p> <ul> <li> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/15/vermont-dairy-industry-migrant-labor-workers-rights">‘They want to keep denying us our rights’: workers in Vermont’s $5.4bn dairy industry fight for basic labor protections</a></p> </li></ul><p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/i-don-t-go-out-vermont-s-undocumented-dairy-workers-live-fear-after-immigration-raids" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:00:56 +0000 admin 103074 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org In the footsteps of Linnaeus: scientists share their passion for species from tiny wasps to hairy plants – in pictures https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/footsteps-linnaeus-scientists-share-their-passion-species-tiny-wasps-hairy-plants-pict <p>For his project <a href="https://www.christerbphoto.com/de-ofortrutna/">‘De Oförtrutna’</a> (The Relentless), photographer <strong>Christer Björkman</strong> pictured Swedish scientists working in the spirit of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/13/wikipedia-influence-list-carl-linnaeus">Carl Linnaeus</a>, the botanist who created the modern taxonomic system that classifies organisms based on appearance. Each scientist brought to the shoot a book and an item of importance to their work</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/footsteps-linnaeus-scientists-share-their-passion-species-tiny-wasps-hairy-plants-pict" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:00:56 +0000 admin 103075 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Week in wildlife: a puffin bromance, blushing terrapins and goslings galore https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/week-wildlife-puffin-bromance-blushing-terrapins-and-goslings-galore <p>This week’s best wildlife photographs from around the world</p> <p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2026/apr/16/week-in-wildlife-puffin-rescue-and-a-goslings-first-gander">Continue reading...</a></p> Thu, 16 Apr 2026 07:00:52 +0000 admin 103072 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Ammonia pollution hotspots found in areas of UK with most pig and poultry factory farms https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/ammonia-pollution-hotspots-found-areas-uk-most-pig-and-poultry-factory-farms <p>Map reveals most severe concentrations of ammonia emissions, which are dangerous to health and environment</p> <p>Ammonia pollution hotspots have been identified in areas with some of the greatest numbers of intensive pig and poultry farms in Britain, research has revealed.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/ammonia-pollution-hotspots-found-areas-uk-most-pig-and-poultry-factory-farms" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Thu, 16 Apr 2026 06:00:49 +0000 admin 103070 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Thursday briefing: What it will take for Britain to break up with natural gas https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/thursday-briefing-what-it-will-take-britain-break-natural-gas <p>In today’s newsletter: The economic fortunes of the UK are intertwined with the price of the costly fuel – so why are we so slow to ditch it?</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/thursday-briefing-what-it-will-take-britain-break-natural-gas" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Thu, 16 Apr 2026 05:46:19 +0000 admin 103071 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org How South Korea plans to use the Iran crisis to spur a renewables revolution https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/how-south-korea-plans-use-iran-crisis-spur-renewables-revolution <p>Energy crisis unfolding in Middle East has added political urgency, and more funding, to transform South Korea’s solar industry</p> <p>In Guyang-ri, a farming village of 70 households about 90 minutes south-east of Seoul, people gather for communal free lunches six days a week. The meals are funded by the village’s one-megawatt solar installation, which generates roughly 10m won ($6,800) in net profit each month.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/how-south-korea-plans-use-iran-crisis-spur-renewables-revolution" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Thu, 16 Apr 2026 03:09:28 +0000 admin 103069 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org Drax claimed record £999m in subsidies for burning trees in 2025, thinktank says https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/drax-claimed-record-999m-subsidies-burning-trees-2025-thinktank-says <p>Company has received about £8.7bn in renewable energy subsidies since 2012, despite claims wood pellets are not sourced sustainably</p> <p>The owner of the Drax power plant in North Yorkshire received record subsidies of almost £1bn for burning trees to generate electricity in 2025, a climate thinktank has calculated.</p> <p>The company was paid £999m last year for generating about 4.5% of Great Britain’s electricity from its biomass plant, costing each household £13 a year, according to analysts at Ember.</p> <p><a href="https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org/breaking-wave/drax-claimed-record-999m-subsidies-burning-trees-2025-thinktank-says" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Wed, 15 Apr 2026 23:01:41 +0000 admin 103068 at https://www.worldoceanobservatory.org