A dead shark that washed ashore this week at Beit Yanai beach in Israel has renewed concerns about the health of Israel’s marine ecosystems — and the growing risks humans face as climate and coastal pressures intensify.

Beachgoers reported the shark early in the morning, one of several unusual strandings seen along Israel’s coast this year. Marine biologists are investigating the cause of death, but early theories point to two escalating stressors: over-fishing, warming waters and desalination impacts.

Israel’s coastal waters are warming faster than the global average, drawing larger predators like sharks closer to shore in search of cooler currents and shifting prey. Earlier this year a man was fatally attacked by a shark while diving off the coast — a rare but stark reminder that marine behavior is changing.

At the same time, scientists warn that intensive desalination, now underpinning Israel’s national water supply, is subtly reshaping coastal ecosystems. While water is being pumped to replenish a shrinking Sea of Galilee, desalinated water is energy intense.

Brine discharge alters salinity and temperature gradients, influencing fish distribution and potentially disorienting species highly sensitive to environmental change, including sharks and sea turtles.

This is part of a wider pattern of marine disruption in the region. A whale was recently found and dragged to Gaza, where desperate residents butchered and consumed it — a grim indicator of ecological collapse intersecting with humanitarian crisis. Meanwhile, Israel’s sea turtles, already struggling against plastic pollution and beach development, face these shifting conditions on multiple fronts. This man is protecting sea turtles in the Mediterranean Sea. Find out how. 

The dead shark at Beit Yanai may be just one animal, but it reflects a system under stress. Israel’s Mediterranean coastline — once a relative refuge — is becoming hotter, more crowded, and more industrially burdened. Without serious regional cooperation on marine protection, more strandings, more unpredictability, and more human–wildlife conflict are likely on the horizon. And consider just up the sea, in Lebanon, people are fishing with dynamite. 

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Commonly used for livestock feed—woven sacks act like floating death traps, snaring turtles by the neck or limbs

In a groundbreaking study published in Marine Science, researchers from Israel’s Sea Turtle Rescue Center (ISTRC), the University of Haifa, and Ruppin Academic Center present the first high-resolution monthly growth data for sea turtles in the eastern Mediterranean—and uncover a deadly new threat: entanglement in polypropylene (PP) sacks.

This study, authored by Shir Sassoon, Yair Suari, and Dr. Yaniv Levy, focuses on the “epipelagic phase”—the early life stage of sea turtles when hatchlings drift passively in open water. While most conservation efforts target nesting beaches, this study shifts attention offshore, where plastic pollution silently kills juvenile turtles long before they reach maturity.

Turtle ‘Lost Years’ Finally Found

Sea turtles spend up to a decade adrift in the open sea, a period known to scientists as the “lost years” due to limited data. Using over two decades of rescue records (1999–2020), the team compiled length data from 577 young turtles—both loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonia mydas)—to track monthly growth for the first time in this region.

Findings show that loggerhead turtles grow at an average of 0.76 cm per month during their first 19 months of life, while green turtles grow faster—0.92 cm per month over the first 11 months. These growth rates mirror those found in other parts of the Mediterranean but fill critical knowledge gaps, particularly for green turtles during this early life stage.

Seasonal fluctuations in growth were also observed, with reduced rates in winter months, highlighting the sensitivity of juvenile turtles to environmental conditions.

Polypropylene: A Lethal Trap

But the most shocking discovery wasn’t about how turtles grow—it was about how they’re dying.

Out of 324 injured epipelagic phase turtles treated at the ISTRC, nearly half (48%) were entangled in woven polypropylene sacks. These sacks—commonly used for livestock feed—act like floating death traps, snaring turtles by the neck or limbs. Many were so severely injured that they required amputations; 12% died from their injuries.

Loggerhead turtles were most affected, particularly during the summer months. Between 2008 and 2020, PP sack entanglements surged from just 20% to 75% of all epipelagic injury cases. The number of incidents jumped significantly after 2017, suggesting a new pattern in maritime waste disposal.

These sacks are strong, lightweight, and slow to degrade—perfect for transport, devastating for marine life. When researchers traced the logos on the sacks, they found origins from as far as Romania, Russia, and Greece, mostly linked to livestock shipping.

“The threads unravel and act like tourniquets,” says Dr. Yaniv Levy, director of ISTRC. “We see turtles arrive unable to swim, starved, and in pain. Many suffer limb loss or systemic infections.”

Floating sacks may mimic natural cover like Sargassum seaweed, attracting juvenile turtles who use them as shelter. Once entangled, turtles often cannot free themselves.

ISTRC is uniquely positioned to collect long-term health and injury data. Their clinical records have helped transform the hospital into a research center that informs both policy and turtle care. Turtles are triaged with CT scans, blood tests, and X-rays, and their rehabilitation includes custom slings, IVs, and even prosthetics.

Rehabilitated turtles are typically released after two months of care, but the team notes that many never reach land for rescue. The actual impact is likely far greater than reported.

Policy Implications

The study urges international regulation on maritime waste, especially from livestock carriers. The team tracked suspect ships using Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), identifying several that sail regularly through Israeli waters but do not dock—making legal accountability difficult. There is a natural current that causes plastic sacks tossed illegally off the ship into the sea, to end up on the Levantine shores where they entangle juvenile turtles. Some plastics are believed to be dumped close to show where they blow into the sea.

A proposed bill in the Israeli Knesset calls for an end to live animal shipments, which would reduce sack and marine waste dramatically. It would also reduce undue animal suffering while being shipped for slaughter while alive at sea. Meanwhile, the study suggests declaring protected marine zones and enhancing multinational enforcement to curb this specific pollutant.

The epipelagic phase is one of the most vulnerable life stages for sea turtles. And while global conservation has made strides in nesting beach protection, this study shows that the open sea remains a lawless frontier.

If you live near a marine environment and find a turtle entangled in plastics, it’s important not to remove it without a veterinarian, says Levy. The plastic can cause reduced blood flow and necrotic tissue and removing it puts poisoned blood into the turtle. The turtle above explains what a vet needs to do to treat the turtle. First a round of antibiotics.

The problem with turtles is feed sacks, not plastic straws, Levy emphasizes.

“Plastic pollution regulations must be extended to pelagic zones,” the authors write in the paper. “We need international collaboration and enforcement—not just for turtles, but for the oceans.”

As Dr. Levy notes, these early-stage turtles are not just victims—they’re indicators. “They’re telling us where our waste ends up, and how fast we need to act.”

The post The Rising Threat of Woven Plastic Sacks to Eastern Mediterranean Sea Turtles appeared first on Green Prophet.

A swimmer has gone missing following a rare shark attack off the coast of Hadera, Israel, Israeli police and emergency responders reported on Monday. The incident occurred near the mouth of the Hadera Stream, in a section of beach where swimming was officially prohibited. Israel is on the Mediterranean Sea.

Shark attacks are more common in the Red Sea in Sinai, and the beaches of Egypt. There was a shark attack there in the winter, killing one.

“There has never been a fatal shark attack in Israel on the Mediterranean coast,” says local J. Neufield. “Near Hadera there are certain warmer sections of water due to some of the nearby plants (as in electric and desalination) and sharks are attracted to those waters.

“The types of sharks are usually docile and for decades people have swim/snorkeled and dived there to see them. There have been sightings of them coming very close to shore in last few days. This is a very tragic and unusual event and we will have to wait to see official report for circumstances.”

Magen David Adom emergency services said a search operation was underway, involving rescue divers and maritime patrols. Authorities have since closed the beach to the public as a precaution.

Locals caught the attack on film and posted it on X.

Israel’s Channel 12 News reported that during the rescue operation, a diver was also bitten by the shark, escalating concerns about public safety in the area.

Though shark sightings near Hadera and Israel are not uncommon—particularly between November and May—attacks on humans are extremely rare. The region is known to attract dusky sharks (Carcharhinus obscurus) and sandbar sharks (Carcharhinus plumbeus), both of which are large, coastal species. These sharks are typically not aggressive toward humans and are drawn to the warm outflows from the Hadera power station, seen in the background of the X video, and the abundance of food sources near the streams.

In recent days, large fish die-offs in the Hadera and nearby Alexander Streams have likely lured more sharks close to the shoreline. These predators play a crucial ecological role by consuming dead and dying fish, helping to keep coastal waters clean and in balance.

While the Mediterranean Sea is home to over 40 species of sharks, sightings along Israeli shores are relatively infrequent, and serious incidents like this one are exceedingly rare. Authorities are urging the public to avoid swimming in prohibited areas and to report any unusual marine activity. About 15 years ago we reported that shark attacks were up 25% worldwide.

A couple of years ago a seal washed up on shore in Jaffa.

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In a jaw-dropping annoucement, US President Trump announced that the US will take over the radicalization of the Gaza Strip and that the current population will need to be displaced as they rebuild and clear out the rubble. War and conflict has disasterous environmental implications and we can imagine that environmental organizations are scrambling to figure out how to deal with the humanitarian crisis and the 37 million tonnes of debris and hazardous material that covers much of the Gaza Strip area. The Gaza Strip is a wasteland.

After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump has declared that the US will “take over” the Gaza Strip envisioning a “long-term” US ownership of the territory after all Palestinians were moved elsewhere.

Gaza, he said, could be transformed into the “Riviera of the Middle East”. Trump did not explain how and under what authority the US could assume control of Gaza. “We will own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site,” he said, adding that the US would “level” destroyed buildings and “create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area.”

Related: Gazans make remote-controlled bombs from UNWRA condoms

The Gaza Strip, was most notably in the news over the last year and a half after the violent terror attack against Israelis and foreign workers, where about 1200 people were killed and some 250 people taken hostage. The Strip is 25 miles (45 km) long and at its widest is 6 miles (10 km) wide. Its violent history and ruling of the terror regime called Hamas makes it untenable as a partner for peace. Israel retaliated in order to defend its country. Sadly, thousands of civilians and children have lost their lives in this battle in Gaza.

Reconstruction, under what authority, and how long it will take are many of the unanswered questions, but the time might be right for zero energy technologies and building practices envisioned and put into practice in cities like Masdar, might make for some excellent case studies. Hassan Fathy, a well-known vernacular architect who built New Gourna in Egypt offers some reasonable and sound ecological design and building practices for the Middle East.

Related: Trump could use these sustainable technologies to rebuild Gaza

What this offers is a new promise for a better future: I hope that the future people living there will not live under a brutal, evil regime. I recall a story from about 15 years ago that I was working on after meeting Middle East water leaders at an event in Switzerland. I spoke with the mayor of Ashkelon, Israel who was developing a new wastewater treatment plant for his city and offered the blueprint and outside development grants to the mayor of Gaza City, not far down along the coast. But Hamas would not let the mayor of Gaza City out.

The Ashkelon mayor had also offered to meet at a third location in Europe so that they could discuss cooperation on treating their population’s wastewater. The Gaza City mayor wanted to go but the Hamas regime, not the people of Israel, wouldn’t let him out.

Some Palestinians and left-wing Marxists call working with Israel as “normalization” and any act of peacebuilding even for their mutual good is seen as an act of sabotage against their vision of owning all of Israel. Under this theory, if you work with Israel, Hamas will threaten your livelihood and life and this is why Trump understands that only a reset can bring harmony to the people living there. We’ve seen enough videos to know how Hamas treats people who criticize the regime.

Peaceful, normalization is a train that has left the building. “Normalization” of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia with the west –– and Israel –– is already happening at a breakneck speed. Saudi Arabia wouldn’t survive without moving in this direction.

By 2030, Saudi Arabia plans to be an open-minded, ecological superhighway of ideas and commerce, that spring forth out of its mega city Neom projects and head out of an oil economy. While early visitors are paid to live in Neom projects (X readers compare it to a penal colony) and stars like Will Smith and Tom Brady come out to endorse island paradise projects like Sindalah, Saudi Arabian’s sudden and moderate politics make us hopeful of the impact, and speed of America’s colonization of Gaza and sustainable development in the region.

Related: how America’s Daniel Hillel pioneered drip irrigation in the Middle East

Establishing an American presence in the Middle East that is not in the corrupt Qatar will give a great chance for developing new clean water, energy and agricultural solutions for the entire Middle East (read how the Taliban killed the Japanese water bring clean water to Afghanistan). New Gazans could train all the Arab nations on these new fruits of success.

Up next: Lebanon. Make it free from the Hezbollah.

Want to work with a network of partners that rebuild Gaza sustainably? Send us a message if you work in sustainable development and land rehab. gaza@greenprophet.com

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Highly endangered but still kicking: researchers from Israel have found the breeding ground of a rare sea creature, a kind of ray once thought to be a shark, called the guitarfish. The long-term study at the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences at the University of Haifa found that the coast between Ma’agan Michael and Dor Beach serves as a nursery ground for the blackchin guitarfish and the scientists are working to get it declared a nature reserve.

Dor Beach is a popular place for people from all over Israel to swim. It is free to enter but you need a car to get there.

Blackchin guitarfish is a cartilaginous fish in danger of extinction.

The researchers found that concentrations of juvenile guitarfish develop from the end of August through early November.

“A nursery ground is a natural area where animals, particularly marine species, gather during the early stages of life. A nursery ground is defined as an area that enhances the animals’ chances of survival during the sensitive early stage of life by providing optimum conditions in terms of food, protection against predators, and shelter from extreme environmental conditions. Following the study findings, we hope this area will be declared a nature reserve when the young guitarfish gather here so they can be protected,” says PhD student Eynav Cohen, one of the study’s authors.

Guitarfish populations are in constant decline around the world, and in the Mediterranean Sea in particular, mainly as a result of net fishing. These fish are now classed at the highest level of extinction risk for vertebrates.

Related: Over Fishing in the Mediterranean Sea 

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the blackchin guitarfish is in critical danger of extinction. The researchers add that there is a lack of biological and ecological knowledge about guitarfish, including population sizes along Israel’s coast and worldwide. Most of the existing knowledge comes from commercial fishing data.

This study was the first time a monitoring program for guitarfish in Israel was established.

The researchers hope that their study’s findings, confirming that the area serves as a nursery ground for the blackchin guitarfish, will motivate national to regional regulatory bodies to declare the area as a marine nature reserve when the guitarfish are present.

So little is known about the Mediterranean Sea and its biodiversity. Since the establishment of the Suez Canal and the linking of the Med Sea to the Red Sea biodiversity has become under threat due to invasive species such as the jellyfish taking over. Egypt earns almost $10 Billion USD a year for the canal which allows ships to bypass Africa on their way to Europe but Egypt has denied its culpability in the biodiversity invasion.

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Just as the weather heats up in the Mediterranean a nasty surprise makes it uncomfortable to surf and swim. After Egypt created the man-made Suez Canal to link the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea a nightmare of invasive animal, plant and bacterial species have overtook the Mediterranean Sea.

They compete with fish and habitat, causing harm to natural ecosystems. It’s been over 150 years since the canal was created and there is little evidence that Egypt has done anything to protect habitats on either side of the canal. Toxic jellyfish and invasive lionfish are two of the more well known invaders. Most worrisome has been the arrival of the Lagocephalus Sceleratus, an extremely poisonous bony fish commonly known as the silver-cheeked toadfish.

Desalination plants could create a salinity barrier that would slow the invaders from traveling back and forth but meanwhile research continues on the expansion and behavior of the newcomers.

The phenomenon of migrating from the Red to Med Sea is called the Lessepsian migration (or the Erythrean invasion). It is more rare for the migration to happen in the opposite direction.

One jellyfish, the invasive Rhopilema nomadica, is a nomad jellyfish indigenous to tropical warm waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Since the 70’s it has been also found in Mediterranean Sea, where it entered via the Suez Canal. It is now the the commonest jellyfish in the southeastern Mediterranean, and they actually direct themselves and “swim” to the west while swimming, according to researchers who studied them.

“Until now, it was assumed that jellyfish aggregations swim in a random manner, so that their direction is dictated solely by water currents…We discovered that along the coast of Israel, jellyfish swim toward the west, i.e., against the direction of the waves,” said Dr. Yoav Lehahn of the Department of Marine Geosciences at the University of Haifa, the editor of the study.

Jellyfish belong to the phylum Cnidaria and have existed for around 500 million years without any morphological changes. Researchers’ knowledge about jellyfish is still very limited in many respects. One of the biggest unknowns  about jellyfish aggregations is the nature of their movement and migration patterns.

The lack of understanding of this aspect impairs the ability to prepare for the arrival of jellyfish at various facilities, such as power stations and desalination plants. “If the jellyfish were passive – in other words, if they were not able to move independently and simply drifted along in sea currents, we could predict the arrival of aggregations. We cannot do so, and this suggests that jellyfish have swimming capabilities that we do not yet understand,” the researchers explained.

The data collection stage in the study was complex: a light airplane flew along the coastline from Ashkelon in the south to Nahariya in the north, mapping the distribution of aggregations and identifying the largest ones. Next, the researchers monitored and photographed the direction of progress of the aggregations using drones operated from a nearby research boat.

The researchers examined the direction in which the aggregations swam relative to the sea currents and waves and found they swim collectively at a speed of around 10cm a second, moving to the west in a counter-wave direction. By so doing, they distance themselves from the coast and increase their chances of survival. The researchers added that the swimming patterns may vary between different jellyfish species and different maritime environments:

“When the strong tidal currents are dominant, it is possible that the jellyfish would swim against the current rather than against the waves, in order to reduce the risk of being swept onto the beach. In other cases, jellyfish may prefer to stay close to the coast, in inlets or estuaries. Swimming toward the open sea may not always be the first choice – the underlying objective is to reach a place where they have the best chances of survival.”

After storms, for example, large numbers of jellyfish are swept onto the beach, because they were unable to overcome the undertow created by the waves, the researchers note. The study advances our understanding of their movements, and in the future may allow us to predict when accumulations will arrive on coasts and when they will depart.

During the 2022 to 2023 fiscal year, the Suez Canal revenues hit a record-breaking $9.4 billion. Canal revenues are a key source of foreign currency for Egypt alongside tourism. Egypt should be earmarking a significant amount of these profits to helping protect the ecosystems that have been devastated. Why is no one holding Egypt accountable?

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HomeExchange, a pioneer in home exchange vacations for over three decades, has recently introduced HomeExchange Collection—an exclusive community catering to like-minded travelers seeking to connect, share, and swap their luxurious homes. As a Certified B Corporation, HomeExchange Collection actively supports sustainable travel initiatives. By promoting the use of existing homes as accommodations, the platform reduces the need for constructing new hotels. Many homes in the collection boast eco-friendly features such as solar power, electric vehicle charging, handcrafted construction with local materials, and even bicycles for exploring local neighborhoods. 

Membership in HomeExchange Collection comes with a host of benefits, including dedicated support from a specialized team, alternative accommodation options, and coverage in case of cancellations or non-compliance. Moreover, members enjoy property damage protection of up to $2,000,000, providing peace of mind during their luxury home exchanges. 

One of the unique luxuries for members is the opportunity to feel at home anywhere in the world, immersed in homes with distinctive character. Host members contribute invaluable pre-arrival advice, offering insights into authentic travel experiences that unveil the rich tapestry of local culture and customs. Noteworthy is the diverse membership, encompassing sustainable fashion designers, international consultants, interior designers, scientists, architects, artists, and engineers—all dedicated to sharing their homes and offering meaningful recommendations in various destinations. 

The emphasis on community sets HomeExchange Collection apart. Members are encouraged to embrace a local lifestyle, supporting small businesses and adhering to recommendations from their hosts. With no financial transactions involved, the platform fosters a sense of hospitality where guests are welcomed as friends or family, promoting responsible tourism that respects the local ecosystem. 

But, HomeExchange Collection goes beyond its immediate operations, annually calculating and working to reduce its carbon footprint. The company actively contributes to global carbon neutrality through partnerships with the GoodPlanet Foundation, investing in impactful social and environmental projects.

Operating from its Paris headquarters, HomeExchange enforces a stringent waste management policy, ensuring the recycling of all workplace materials through collaboration with “Les Joyeux Recycleurs.” Furthermore, the company’s commitment to sustainability is evident in its use of electricity supplied exclusively by Enercoop, a French utility company harnessing renewable energies.

Here’s a look at some of our favorite properties in the MENA and Mediterranean region that can be exchanged through HomeExchange Collection:

Mountainside Family Villa 

Nestled in a traditional Turkish village, Villa Alara offers peace and proximity to attractions like Kalkan, Fethiye, Kas, and Antalya. The spacious 5-bedroom family retreat overlooks Patara beach. Ideal for a relaxing family holiday, the villa features a private pool area with stunning sea views. Spread across three floors, the ground floor offers an open-plan lounge and a well-equipped kitchen, while the second floor boasts four ensuite bedrooms with access to a large balcony. The third floor provides a rooftop terrace with sunbeds and a BBQ. Outdoors, enjoy a large infinity heated pool, jacuzzi, and various activities like table tennis and basketball. Family-friendly amenities cater to babies and toddlers. 

Charming House in the Cyclades

Serifos offers beautiful beaches, historic sites, and hiking trails, maintaining its authentic character despite tourism development. With 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, this residence sleeps 4, offering a delightful retreat in the village of Hora, a Greek village island paradise. The house is divided into two independent floors, each featuring a terrace with a view. The ground floor includes a small living/dining room, a well-equipped open kitchen, and a bedroom. The south-facing green terrace offers a beautiful view of the village and the sea.

The first floor, independent and air-conditioned, hosts a bright bedroom with a private bath. The terrace with a pergola provides a magnificent panoramic view of the Aegean Sea. The village of Hora, considered one of the most beautiful in the Cyclades, is a small fortified medieval settlement with breathtaking views. Guests can enjoy peace and quiet, a short walk to the village center, and proximity to shops, bars, and restaurants. 

Seaside Retreat in Greece

Villa Liba is a luxurious retreat on Meganisi Island, Greece, in the Ionian Sea. This residence accommodates 6 guests across 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, offering contemporary elegance. The villa features a spacious terrace, garden furniture, pergola, infinity swimming pool with a jacuzzi, outdoor kitchen, and a panoramic sea-view rooftop. Inside guests will find well-appointed bedrooms, a living room, and an equipped kitchen. The home is located a 15-minute walk or a 5-minute bike or car ride from Vathy village, known for its authentic fishing port and specialty restaurants.

Stylish Getaway in Dubai 

This luxurious apartment located in Dubai accommodates up to 4 guests. This residence is located in the prestigious Creek Harbour neighborhood with stunning views of the marina and central park. The space features 1 bedroom, 2 bathrooms, and a fully equipped kitchen.

Guests can enjoy an elegant living room, balcony, and world-class amenities like a gym, swimming pool, and 24-hour security in the high-end building, complete with a designated parking spot. Dubai Creek Harbour provides a perfect blend of natural beauty, luxury living, and cultural significance, making it an ideal destination for travelers.

The post Discover Unique Homes and Sustainable Getaways with HomeExchange Collection appeared first on Green Prophet.

As officials from Mediterranean countries gather this week for the the UN’s General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) annual session in Croatia. The FAO-based group are working with NGOs urging the adoption of measures that would allow the GFCM to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and cases of non-compliance within its region – a call backed by a legal analysis published this week that shows that GFCM has the competency to impose such measures.

The Mediterranean is being overfished and damaging, illegal trawlers are killing undersea ecosystems. But with the UN’s poor track record in fighting and naming larger issues such as terrorism, it is likely that a UN group will have full faith buy-in for people fighting for fish.

The proposed system under discussion this week – which already exists in other regional fisheries management organisations – would allow the UN-run GFCM group to take action against countries that consistently disregard fishing regulations.

Several organisations of the Med Sea Alliance argue that creating a compliance mechanism is crucial for the Mediterranean’s biodiversity, fish stock recovery, and the communities that rely on marine resources.

“At the moment, the GFCM cannot act when countries systematically fail to follow its requirements on, for example, fleet control or properly reporting on their fishing activities, but with such a system in place, the GFCM could apply measures such as suspending fishing authorisations or requiring increased controls,” said Helena Álvarez, Senior Marine Scientist at Oceana in Europe. “This is a prerequisite for ensuring the survival of the Mediterranean’s unique biodiversity, to support the recovery of fish stocks and the communities that rely on marine resources”.

“The Mediterranean Sea, rich in biodiversity and vital to the livelihoods of countless fishermen, faces persistent challenges”, said Nils Courcy, Senior Jurist, Marine & Mediterranean, at ClientEarth. “Fishing rules and regulations are established through consensus, but implementation and enforcement often fall short. A compliance mechanism can help enforce regulations that prevent destructive fishing practices, such as bottom trawling, which can harm or destroy vital habitats, such as seagrass (Posidonia oceanica). This gap in enforcement endangers shared natural resources and the very existence of the fishermen who depend on them.”

A legal analysis by Professor Tullio Scovazzi – retired former professor of international law at the Universities of Parma, Genoa, Milan and Milan-Bicocca, Italy – and Professor Simone Vezzani, – professor of international and European law at the University of Perugia, Italy – confirms that the GFCM has the competency to impose corrective measures in cases of non-compliance.

The analysis was commissioned by the Med Sea Alliance, a coalition of non-governmental organisations working to improve the health and productivity of the Mediterranean Sea, in response to questions raised during the GFCM Compliance Committee meeting in May 2023 about the compatibility of such a system with international law. The legal analysis concludes that the current lack of a compliance mechanism is not a legal, but rather a political question.

“As this legal analysis shows, the only thing holding back GFCM from effectively dealing with states who don’t follow the rules is a matter of political will,” said Jesús Urios Culiañez, Environmental Justice Foundation’s lead campaigner for the Mediterranean. “This week, GFCM Members have an opportunity to make the meaningful change we need. By establishing a strong enforcement system for the conservation and management of the Mediterranean, they can protect marine ecosystems and support the livelihoods of those who rely on them. They must not let this opportunity slip away.”

In a Call to Action published during the GFCM High-level conference on MedFish4Ever initiatives, several member organisations of the Med Sea Alliance urged GFCM members to create a compliance mechanism, expand vessel tracking and that other tracking measures (AIS) and ensure that that trawl bans in the Mediterranean Sea are fully enforced and complied with to support the recovery of fish stocks and the protection of sensitive habitats.

The post Fight against illegal fishing and bottom sea trawling in the Mediterranean appeared first on Green Prophet.

The invasive blue crabs that made their way to Tunisia from the Indian Ocean via the Suez Canal were not welcome at first but since have turned into a new export. Another species of blue crab that originated in America is causing its share of problems for fisherman right now in Italy.

The Callinectes Sapidus, the blue crab, the Atlantic blue crab, or the Maryland blue crab is threatening Italy’s clam-farming and fishing industries. The Italian government has allocated about $3 million USD to fund the capture of as many blue crabs as possible.

As a past researcher on invasive species, working for CAB Biosciences in Switzerland, I am pretty certain that offering a bounty to catch these crabs will have no impact in the long run. The species, as invaders do, will only be balanced when a natural predator finds a way to keep them in check. Remember when the mayor of Hebron offered a $20 bounty for a truck of dead dogs?

At the same time, the blue crab is the fifth most popular crab in the world market. It is especially sought out in the Asian, United States and Australian markets where it is featured on the menus of many restaurants.

According to Nature, the blue crab in Italy was first observed in the Mediterranean Sea in 1949, where it was probably transported in the ballast waters of transoceanic ships.

“The colonisation took some time, it is a slow process,” says Gianluca Sarà, marine ecologist at the University of Palermo. Before invading the Po River Delta, Atlantic blue crabs have been spotted in other locations in Italy. Established populations were first detected in 2014 in the lagoon of Lesina and Varano, in Apulia.

Climate change is suspected to be one of the reasons the blue crab was able to slide into Italy from the Adriatic Sea. Researchers are now looking on how their colonisation will impact other aquatic sea life and shores.

Invasive species like the Portunus segnis from the Indian Ocean or Callinectes Sapidus, the Atlantic blue crab, lived in ecosystems that that developed over thousands, maybe millions of years. The Suez Canal changed this separation between seas fast and is the reason why the Mediterranean is over-run with jellyfish every summer, making it impossible to swim in places like Israel and Lebanon for fear of getting stung during the hottest times of the year.

Two blue crabs invade. Let’s get those crabs straight

Portunus segnis, is the scientific name for the African blue swimming crab. It is a crustacean, and a swimming crab belonging to the family Portunidae. It is native to the western Indian Ocean, but invaded the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal in Egypt. In 2015 it invaded the Gulf of Gabes, in southern Tunisia. Now the country has dozens of crab-processing plants. “At first fishers wanted this species to disappear, but now they are asking the authorities for regulations to protect it,” says one fisherman.

Another invasive blue crab, the one invading Italy currently is Callinectes sapidus, the Atlantic blue crab, or regionally known in the US as the Maryland blue crab. It is a species of crab native to the waters of the western Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, and it is now introduced internationally. It is also known as the Chesapeake blue crab.

Global shipping industry to blame for invaders

According to The Revelator, “global shipping is moving invasive species around the world.”

They report that “in July 2021 federal agents in New Orleans abruptly ordered the 600-foot cargo ship Pan Jasmine to leave US waters. The ship, which had sailed from India, was preparing to offload goods when inspectors noticed fresh sawdust on the cargo deck and discovered non-native beetles and ants boring into wooden packaging materials. The unwelcome insects included an Asian longhorn beetle, a species that was introduced into New York 25 years ago, where it has killed thousands of trees and cost $500 million in control efforts.

“The crew of beetles aboard the Pan Jasmine is not an isolated incident. That same month bee experts north of Seattle were scouring forest edges for Asian giant hornet nests. These new arrivals, famously known as “murder hornets,” first turned up in the Pacific Northwest in 2019, also likely via cargo ship. The two-inch hornets threaten crops, bee farms and wild plants by preying on native bees. Officials discovered and destroyed three nests.

“And this past autumn Pennsylvania officials urged residents to be on the lookout for spotted lanternflies, handsome, broad-winged natives of Asia discovered in 2014 and now present in at least nine eastern states. Believed to have arrived with a shipment of stone from China, the lanternfly voraciously consumes plants and foliage, threatening everything from oak trees to vineyards.”

Can world governments agree on necessary preventative measures?

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Thousands of years ago there was an active route of ships sailing between Europe and the Holy Land on the Mediterranean Sea. Here are there sea storms wiped out ships along with their contents before they reached shore. Treasure seekers still find surprising troves of ancient goods deep down under the sea.

In Beit Yanai, a small coastal village north of Netanya, a swimmer uncovered an enormous and rare cargo that sank in the sea. The 1800-year old marble columns were transported on a merchant ship from the Roman era and didn’t make. 

This is the first cargo shipment of its kind known in the Eastern Mediterranean and included 44 tons of Corinthian capitals adorned with plant motifs; partially carved capitals, and marble columns up to 6 meters long never made to Israel’s shores. These valuable architectural pieces were meant for a temple or a theatre but a storm stopped the shipment. 

The treasure was only about 200 meters from the seashore and was found by a man named Gideon Harris, while swimming out in the sea. 

The Israel Antiquity Authorities announced that they’d known about the cargo for some time but had lost track of its exact location. Then they sent marine archeologists: “The recent storms must have exposed the cargo, and thanks to Gideon’s important report, we have been able to register its location, and carry out preliminary archaeological investigations, which will lead to a more in-depth research project,” says Koby Sharvit, Director of the underwater archaeology unit at the Israel Antiquities Authority.  

From the position the site formation and angle of the cargo on the seabed, it is evident that the ship bearing the cargo was wrecked after the ship’s crew encountered a storm in the shallow waters, and dropped anchor in a desperate effort to prevent the ship from grounding: “Such storms often blow up suddenly along the country’s coast,” says Sharvit, “and due to the ships’ limited manoeuvring potential, they are often dragged into the shallow waters and shipwrecked.”

“From the size of the architectural elements, we can calculate the dimensions of the ship; we are talking about a merchant ship that could bear a cargo of at least 200 tons,” he adds. “These fine pieces are characteristic of large-scale, majestic public buildings. Even in Roman Caesarea, such architectural elements were made of local stone covered with white plaster to appear like marble.

“Here we are talking about genuine marble.”

The marble marble cargo likely came from the Aegean or Black Sea region, in Turkey or Greece, and since it was discovered south of the port of Caesarea, it seems that it was destined for one of the ports along the southern Levantine coast, Ashkelon or Gaza, or possibly even Alexandria in Egypt, the Authority body reports.

The finding resolves some old questions: Land and Sea archaeologists have long argued whether the Roman period imported architectural elements were completely worked in their lands of origin, or whether they were transported in a partially carved form, and were carved and fashioned at their site of destination.

The find of this cargo resolves the issue, as it is evident that the architectural elements left the quarry as basic raw material or partially worked artifacts and that they were fashioned and finished on the construction site, either by local artists and artisans or by artists who were brought to the site from other countries, similarly to specialist mosaic artists who traveled from site to site following commissioned projects. 

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