Environmental News: March 12th- March 24th 2010

Manatee Deaths Jump To New Record In Florida
24-Mar-10
Tom Brown
At least 431 manatees have died in Florida waters so far this year, exceeding in less than three months the total for any full calendar year on record, authorities said on Tuesday.
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In Response to California Fuel Regulation, Cargo Ships Chart More Precarious Routes
March 23, 2010
By LEORA BROYDO VESTEL
In an apparent effort to skirt a new clean-fuel regulation in California, an increasing number of ships traveling to and from one of the nation’s busiest port complexes — at Los Angeles and Long Beach — are abandoning a long-established shipping lane, choosing instead to travel along a riskier route that traverses a Navy weapons testing and training area.
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U.N. Group Rejects Shark Protections
By DAVID JOLLY
Published: March 23, 2010
PARIS — Delegates to a United Nations conference on endangered species voted down three of four proposals to protect sharks on Tuesday, handing another victory to Japan, China and countries opposed to the involvement of the international authorities in regulation of ocean fish.
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Monk seal taken to UCSC lab for study, treatment
March 23, 2010
A young Hawaiian monk seal that was removed from the wild last year for treatment and rehabilitation is providing researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a rare opportunity to study the physiology of this critically endangered species.
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Human health linked directly to forest health
March 23, 2010
Gland, Switzerland — Environmental degradation is causing serious detrimental health impacts for humans, but protecting natural habitats can reverse this and supply positive health benefits, according to a new WWF report.
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Thirsty Peruvians harvesting fog with nets
March 22, 2010
(Reuters) - Catching fog with nets is the solution to water scarcity for people who live beyond the reach of utility lines in this sandy hillside shantytown overlooking Peru's capital, Lima.
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High Arctic species plummeting across the board, others Arctic residents on the rise
March 22, 2010
Between 1970 and 2004 species populations in the high Arctic have declined by 26 percent, according to the first report by the Arctic Species Trend Index (ASTI).
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Corals used in jewellary fail to win UN trade curbs
By Regan Doherty
March 21, 2010
DUBAI (Reuters) - A U.N. conference rejected on Sunday trade restrictions on red and pink corals used in jewelry in what environmentalists called a new setback for endangered marine species.
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Scientists gather to catch rare slice of killer whale's life
March 19, 2010
By PAUL EASTON - The Dominion Post
A rare chance to carry out an autopsy on a baby orca could reveal more about the species and the health of the ocean environment.
Read more here.

Global conference rejects bans on trade in bluefin tuna, polar bear
March 19, 2010
By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writer
In the contest between commerce and conservation, a global conference this week aimed at protecting imperiled wildlife seems to be giving commerce the upper hand.
Read more here.

GAO report scolds EPA
By Blake Morrison, USA TODAY
During the past decade, the Environmental Protection Agency's commitment to keeping children safe from toxic chemicals has lapsed, and top officials routinely ignored scores of recommendations by the agency's own children's health advisory committee, according to a report released Wednesday by the Government Accountability Office.
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U.N. Meeting Asked To Regulate World Shark Trade
17-Mar-10
Deborah Zabarenko, Environment Correspondent
Exploding Asian demand for shark fin soup has slashed worldwide shark populations, and global regulation is the best way to save eight species now under pressure, ocean conservationists reported on Monday.
Read more here.

Richard Branson Aims To Rock The Boat For Green Shipping
17-Mar-10
Greener World Media
Look around you -- the furniture in your office or house, the electronics, the clothes you are wearing, mostly likely some of your dinner -- chances are these things moved by boat. About 85 percent of worldwide cargo travels by ship, and so it's no surprise that shipping is a major contributor to climate change.
Read more here.

Trendy restaurant apologizes for serving whale meat
March 16, 2010
Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- A trendy California sushi restaurant charged by federal authorities with serving whale meat offered an apology Monday, saying it "ignored its responsibilities" to endangered species.
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EU confirms support for bluefin tuna trade ban
March 11, 2010
European Union ambassadors agreed to propose protecting bluefin tuna as an endangered species on Wednesday (10 March), a move that would effectively ban international trade in the species.
Read more here.