PLANET IN PERIL

ScienceDaily Fishing activity now covers at least 55 percent of the world's oceans -- four times the land area covered by agriculture -- and can now be monitored, in near real time, to the level of individual vessels. More here.

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY At current rates of plastic production, by 2050 the total mass of plastics in our oceans will outweigh the biomass of fish.  — World Economic Forum. More here. Pieces of plastic that washed ashore after a storm.  Pacific Ocean beach in San Francisco. Source:  Plastic Oceans. Author: Kevin Krejci.

ScienceDaily An Atlantic sturgeon. US Fish & Wildlife Service. New study finds microplastics in the stomachs of 73 percent of mesopelagic (medium-depth) fish caught in the Northwest Atlantic -- one of the highest levels globally. More here.

nature Maintaining momentum is crucial as nations build a treaty to safeguard the high seas. More here. A ribbon seal in the Bering Sea.  Photo by NOAA.

COMMON  DREAMS Experts say the data indicates that humans must urgently "reduce the heating of our planet by using energy more wisely and increasing the use of clean and renewable energy." Story here. Coral reefs.  A Wikimedia photo.

Common  Dreams Mt. Herschel, Antarctica. Photo by  Andrew Mandemaker. "We are in desperate need for governments to come together and do what is best for these amazing ecosystems." More here.

ScienceNews Rising temperatures are skewing population ratios toward extreme imbalance. Story here. Photo by Karla

NATIONAL OBSERVER A Mexican beach. PinP photo. Almost two dozen marine scientists from around the world have issued a warning about an often-overlooked side effect of climate change and pollution. Story here.

YaleEnvironment360 The Beaufort Gyre, a key Arctic Ocean current, is acting strangely. Scientists say it may be on the verge of discharging a huge amount of ice and cold freshwater that could kick off a period of lower temperatures in northern Europe. Story here.

Science Nine nations and the European Union have agreed to place the central Arctic Ocean off-limits to commercial fishers for at least the next 16 years. The pact will give scientists time to understand the region’s marine ecology and the potential impacts of climate change. Story here. Fishing boat in the Arctic. Photo by J osef Knecht

CBC news Fishing lines killed at least 2 whales, and 2 others were freed by rescuers.  Story here. We destroy our kindred creatures in ways that are varied and wondrous. This northern right whale was run over by a ship. Photo by NOAA.

ScienceDaily Quantitative analysis has evidenced the acceleration system of melting ice: dark water surfaces absorb more heat than white ice surfaces, thus melting ice and making more water surfaces in the Arctic Ocean. Details here.

NATURE|NEWS Geological processes send more meltwater from glaciers and ice sheets to Earth's mid-latitudes. Story here. Greenland. Photo by Uffe Wilken

ScienceDaily Great White shark. Photo by Pterantula  (Terry Goss)  Fish are expected to shrink in size by 20 to 30 per cent if ocean temperatures continue to climb due to climate change. Story here.

BuzzFeed News A weedy sea dragon. Photo by Richard Ling. There's been hardly any research into most residents of the deep oceans, despite it being the biggest habitat on Earth – and it's making them harder to protect, according to a new review. Story here.

THE NEW YORK TIMES  When the Crystal Serenity, a 1000-passenger luxury liner, sails in August on a month-long Arctic cruise through the Northwest Passage, it will have a far more utilitarian escort; a British supply ship.     Story here.

The Washington Post More than 9 billion tons of plastic has been produced since 1950, and the vast majority of it is still around. Story here. Plastic waste on a beach in India. Photo by  Hajj0 ms

Common Dreams Daunting new report shows coastal communities are at-risk and unprepared for flooding caused by climate change. Story here. RELATED: "Angry Oceans - Pt. #1" and "Pt. #2."

theguardian Satellite data confirms ‘calving’ of trillion-tonne, 5,800 sq km iceberg from the Larsen C ice shelf, dramatically altering the landscape. Story here. The Larsen ice shelf as it was in 2004. NASA photo.

|NATIONAL                            |OBSERVER - David Suzuki Orcas breaching - photo credit - Robert Pittman - NOAA Two of British Columbia’s most iconic species, chinook salmon and southern resident killer whales, are in trouble. The whale depends on the salmon for survival. Is it time to manage chinook fisheries with killer whales in mind? Story here.