Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Also known as ‘devil birds’ for their haunting scream, they are just starting to arrive from sub-Saharan Africa May Day dawns cold and breezy, with sullen grey clouds promising rain. Hope seems very far away. But then, a distant dark streak scythes through the skies over the Avalon Marshes, stiff-winged, direct and determined. A single swift, my first of the year. As I do every spring, I silently recite the words of the poet Ted Hughes: “They’ve made it again, which means the globe’s still working … ” Continue reading...

The US cattle industry adopted a ‘climate neutral’ goal in 2021 but scientists say that ‘misses the point’ in keeping global temperature rises below 1.5C Sign up for the Rural Network email newsletter Join the Rural Network group on Facebook to be part of the community Cattle Australia is lobbying the red meat sector to ditch its net zero target in favour of a “climate neutral” goal that would require far more modest reductions in methane emissions. The $75bn red meat industry, led by Meat and Livestock Australia, announced a target of reaching net zero emissions by 2030 seven years ago, in an attempt to maintain its social licence and drive investments in emissions reduction technology. Sign up to receive Guardian Australia’s fortnightly Rural Network email newsletter Sign up for the Rural Network email newsletter Join the Rural Network group on Facebook to be part of the community Continue reading...

Charity asks people to charm worms to the surface and count their numbers to contribute to worm map of UK Dancing for worms may seem an odd pursuit, but an environment charity is calling for people across the UK to charm the creatures from the depths in order to count them. The Soil Association is trying to get a nationwide picture of worm abundance, to track their decline and see where they need the most help. Continue reading...

Abalobi provides a real-time marketplace for fishers to sell their catch, while also monitoring fish populations, and the tech could go global The 59-year-old Wilfred Poggenpoel is a fisher from Lambert’s Bay, a picturesque town 170 miles north of Cape Town that’s popular with surfers and home to 17,000 breeding pairs of Cape gannets. Five years ago, he made the decision to join a virtual marketplace called Abalobi, which enables fishers such as him to sell their catch directly to restaurants, retailers and consumers using a custom-built app. “I get a better price and I can sell more species now,” he says. “I’ve bought a 60-horsepower motor that I’d never have been able to afford before. I’ve bought a second boat.” He joined, he says, because he didn’t want to spend all day walking around town in the sun trying to sell fish. “My quality of life has improved. I’ve even been able to help some old people in the community.” Continue reading...