Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Blue Planet Society @blueplanetsociety.bsky.social · 12h

A recent Mongabay investigation found widespread government purchases of shark meat in Brazil to serve in thousands of public institutions.
🦈🇧🇷

news.mongabay.com/2025/09/how-...

How we probed a maze of websites to tally Brazilian government shark meat orders

Mongabay recently published an investigation revealing widespread Brazilian government purchases of shark meat to feed schoolchildren, hospital patients, prisoners and more. The series has generated p...

news.mongabay.com

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Blue Planet Society @blueplanetsociety.bsky.social · 5d

Hunted at sea, sold worldwide: Inside the global shark trade. 🦈

Humans kill an estimated 100 million sharks annually.

That's almost 274,000 sharks every day, 11,000+ sharks every hour & 3 sharks per second.
www.fairplanet.org/story/hunted-at-sea-sold-worldwide-inside-the-global-shark-trade/

Hunted at sea, sold worldwide: Inside the global shark trade | FairPlanet

A rare look inside one of Southeast Asia’s largest - and most controversial - shark markets.

www.fairplanet.org

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Blue Planet Society @blueplanetsociety.bsky.social · 6d

Investigation Uncovers Hidden Harm of the Fishing Industry. 🎣

“Industrial-scale fishing is contributing to the rapid decline of fish stocks because of the sheer volume it removes from the sea without sustainable methods to allow fish to replenish.”
petapixel.com/2025/09/14/p...

Photographer's Nine-Month Investigation Uncovers the Hidden Harm of the Fishing Industry

What lies behind your seafood? Nicole Tung’s award-winning reporting uncovers the human and ecological toll of illegal fishing in Southeast Asia.

petapixel.com

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Blue Planet Society @blueplanetsociety.bsky.social · 8d

Much of U.S. shark meat comes from endangered species, study finds. 🇺🇸

Research shows the majority of shark meat is mislabeled or so vaguely labelled that buyers do not know what they are eating.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Much of US shark meat comes from endangered species, study finds

Research shows majority of shark meat mislabeled or so vaguely labeled buyers do not know what they are eating

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Blue Planet Society

spencer roberts 🦈 @unpopularscience.bsky.social · 11d

There’s a bill in the senate right now designed to revive the US shark longlining industry.

Today we’re launching a campaign to stop it and this film trailer to expose this American shark cull conspiracy.

Details and action items below:
🦈🧵

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Blue Planet Society @blueplanetsociety.bsky.social · 13d

Warnings over collapsing fish stocks as experts advise ‘zero catch’ for cod.

(If only fish and chips were the biggest concern).

Conservationists call for action to follow scientific advice and end overfishing in the North Sea and west of Scotland.

www.independent.co.uk/climate-chan...

UK could see fish and chips shortages as cod supply in ‘grave danger’

Scientists have warned that North Sea cod is in ‘grave danger of collapse’

www.independent.co.uk

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Blue Planet Society @blueplanetsociety.bsky.social · 14d

Bottom trawling to continue in English protected waters‼️

Defra says blanket ban on ‘destructive’ fishing practice disproportionate.

We argue it's disproportionate to claim MPAs provide actual protection. The myth of MPAs continues.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Bottom trawling to continue in English protected waters, government rules

Defra says blanket ban on ‘destructive’ fishing practice disproportionate as MPs urge minister to reconsider

www.theguardian.com

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Blue Planet Society @blueplanetsociety.bsky.social · 16d

More than 30 years ago, scientists first sounded the alarm about the deadly toll of fisheries entanglement (bycatch) on dolphins and porpoises in UK waters.

Tragically, the situation remains as urgent today as it was in the 1990s.

eia-international.org/blog/the-pre...

The pressing case for protecting harbour porpoises from fisheries bycatch in English waters - EIA

We investigate and campaign against environmental crime and abuse

eia-international.org

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Blue Planet Society @blueplanetsociety.bsky.social · 18d

Historic High Seas Treaty is a "turning point for humanity"

A United Nations treaty designed to protect the marine life and ecosystems of the high seas has received the 60th and final ratification needed to come into force.

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/19/c...

Hard-Fought Treaty to Protect Ocean Life Clears a Final Hurdle

www.nytimes.com

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Blue Planet Society @blueplanetsociety.bsky.social · 19d

Scientists Identify a New Manta Ray Species, Just the Third Known in the World.

Meet Mobula yarae, inhabiting the tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic, stretching from the eastern United States down to Brazil.
www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/s...

Scientists Identify a New Manta Ray Species, Just the Third Known in the World

Meet Mobula yarae, a large marine creature that lives along the coast in the Atlantic Ocean

www.smithsonianmag.com

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Blue Planet Society @blueplanetsociety.bsky.social · 20d

Toothless sharks? Ocean acidification could erode predator’s vital weapon, study finds. 🦈

Sharks could struggle to feed themselves efficiently in future, affecting marine ecosystem stability.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Toothless sharks? Ocean acidification could erode predator’s vital weapon, study finds

Sharks could struggle to feed themselves efficiently in future, affecting marine ecosystem stability, researchers say

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Blue Planet Society

spencer roberts 🦈 @unpopularscience.bsky.social · Feb 19

We programmed a crawler to search open web marketplaces for every animal on the IUCN red list.

Nearly 2/3 of our matches were shark jaws, comprising 9 of the top 10 openly traded threatened species.

A glimpse of the global trophy trade of endangered sharks:

🌏 🦑 🧪 🧵
urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...

Fig. 1. Threatened animal listings in major online marketplaces: Wedges indicate the proportion of unique full matches by English and Latin scientific names identified within a 15-week automated search crawl. A total of 546 matches were identified advertising body parts or eggs of 83 species listed as vulnerable or endangered by the IUCN or banned in international trade by CITES. 96 % of listings were hosted on domains ebay.com, etsy.com, thetaxidermystore.com, and gumtree.com.

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Reposted by Blue Planet Society

spencer roberts 🦈 @unpopularscience.bsky.social · 22d

Today we launched a campaign to ban shark fishing in Miami city & county.

Our sharks are famous online, beloved around the world. These creeps turn them into tacky trinkets, killing endangered species.

Let’s shut it down.

change.org/p/save-endangered-sharks-ban-land-based-shark-fishing-in-miami

Sign the Petition

Save Miami Sharks: Ban Land-Based Shark Fishing

change.org

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Blue Planet Society @blueplanetsociety.bsky.social · 22d

Do Lobsters and Crabs Feel? We’ve had the answer for years. 🦀🦞

Research indicates that marine animals experience pain and are capable of making complex, conscious
decisions.

www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/minds-unknown/202507/do-lobsters-and-crabs-feel-weve-had-the-answer-for-years/amp

Do Lobsters and Crabs Feel? We’ve Had the Answer for Years

Scientific research and personal experiences are shaping our understanding of fish and invertebrate minds. Are we ready to rethink how we treat them?

www.psychologytoday.com

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Reposted by Blue Planet Society

Adam Porter @ap3489.bsky.social · 22d

Great talk from @drplanktonpoo.bsky.social Krill Poo may sequester as much #carbon as mangroves AND we're messing that up by fishing them out. The fishery near Antarctica shut early for the first time ever due to record catch numbers (because of more fishing) @bes-aquaticgroup.bsky.social

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Blue Planet Society @blueplanetsociety.bsky.social · 24d

Grind Alert‼️

An estimated 280 Pilot Whales have been slaughtered in The Faroe Islands 🇫🇴 . The 10th Grind of the season. 🩸

Just after the anniversary of one of the darkest chapters in recent Grind history when 1428 white-sided dolphins were slaughtered in 2021.

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Blue Planet Society @blueplanetsociety.bsky.social · 24d

Long-lost sailback shark rediscovered after more than 50 years!

The rare sailback houndshark, which has an unusually large dorsal fin, was first described by scientists in 1973. That was the last record of its existence, until now

www.newscientist.com/article/2493...

Long-lost sailback shark rediscovered after more than 50 years

The rare sailback houndshark, which has an unusually large dorsal fin, was first described by scientists in 1973. That was the last record of its existence, until now

www.newscientist.com

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Blue Planet Society @blueplanetsociety.bsky.social · 28d

Bottom trawling to continue in English protected waters, government rules‼️

Defra says blanket ban on ‘destructive’ fishing practice disproportionate.

The lack of protection in protected areas is astounding.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Bottom trawling to continue in English protected waters, government rules

Defra says blanket ban on ‘destructive’ fishing practice disproportionate as MPs urge minister to reconsider

www.theguardian.com

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Blue Planet Society @blueplanetsociety.bsky.social · 29d

🚨Another Grind 🩸

22 pilot whales were slaughtered this week in Hvannasund in the Faroe Islands 🇫🇴. The ninth grind of the year.

🩸More senseless murder.
🩸More lives wasted.
🩸Disgusting and completely unnecessary.

📸Kasper Solberg

#Boycottfaroesislands #grind

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Blue Planet Society @blueplanetsociety.bsky.social · Sep 8

The discovery of a 5-metre great white shark missing its jaws has been labelled "bizarre and worrying" by an illegal animal trade expert.

A fur seal carcass and a southern bluefin tuna were also found nearby, stoking concerns of illegal fishing.

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08...

Great white shark found with missing jaws sparks illegal trade concerns

The discovery of a 5-metre great white shark missing its jaws is labelled "bizarre and worrying" by an illegal animal trade expert.

www.abc.net.au

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Blue Planet Society @blueplanetsociety.bsky.social · Sep 5

Dramatic rise in whale and dolphin strandings in Scotland. 🐳🐬🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Research shows steep increases over past 30 years, after summer of strandings across Europe.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Dramatic rise in whale and dolphin strandings in Scotland

Research shows steep increases over past 30 years, after summer of strandings across Europe

www.theguardian.com

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Blue Planet Society @blueplanetsociety.bsky.social · Sep 1

Collapse of critical Atlantic current (AMOC) is no longer low-likelihood, study finds.

Scientists say ‘shocking’ discovery shows rapid cuts in carbon emissions are needed to avoid catastrophic
fallout.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Collapse of critical Atlantic current is no longer low-likelihood, study finds

Scientists say ‘shocking’ discovery shows rapid cuts in carbon emissions are needed to avoid catastrophic fallout

www.theguardian.com

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Blue Planet Society @blueplanetsociety.bsky.social · Aug 30

GRIND ALERT ‼️

A grind has taken place today in Hvalba, Faroe Islands. 🇫🇴 The third Grind this week.

An estimated 29 pilot whales have been removed from the ocean in a display of cruel and sadistic slaughter.

📸: Kasper Solberg

#grind #stopthehunt

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Blue Planet Society @blueplanetsociety.bsky.social · Aug 30

"The protection of hammerhead sharks 🦈 in the Golfo Dulce Sanctuary 🇨🇷 is a critical issue. The fishing of other species allows for the incidental capture of this population, making current bans insufficient for effective conservation.”
www.cremacr.org/en/costa-ric...

Costa Rica’s Ministry of Environment (MINAE) Must Address the Incidental Catch of Hammerhead Sharks in the Golfo Dulce

Why is the incidental catch of hammerhead sharks still occurring in the Golfo Dulce? This is the question that the Ministry of Environment (MINAE) must answer to environmental attorney Walter Brenes, ...

www.cremacr.org

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Reposted by Blue Planet Society

George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · Aug 28

If you can bear it, watch this. Two rules clearly being broken: prolonged "fight" time and use of a gaff to pierce the tuna and hold it alongside the boat.
www.facebook.com/reel/1261809...

25 reactions | TUNA!!!! Trip down to Falmouth with the boys, resulting in an 90 minute fight with a giant blue fin tuna to fuel my big game fishing obsession! fantastic trip with @zephyrcharters202...

TUNA!!!! Trip down to Falmouth with the boys, resulting in an 90 minute fight with a giant blue fin tuna to fuel my big game fishing obsession! fantastic trip with @zephyrcharters2022 giving us a.....

www.facebook.com

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