Fewer Sharks, But More Attacks

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• Polar Bears May Have Yet Another Worry: Sharks

  Aug 12, 08 6:42 PM CDT
  As if polar bears in the North Pole didn't have enough to worry about these days: Scientists have found the bone of a young bear in the stomach of a Greenland shark, Reuters reports. The unprecedented discovery prompts a "million dollar question," says one researcher: Do the bears now have to worry about sharks as predators? It seems improbable that the sluggish shark could catch and kill a bear, but the possibility raises intriguing questions.
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• Jellyfish Surge Is Ocean Call for Help

  Aug 3, 08 7:01 AM CDT
  Jellyfish populations are surging because of rising sea temperatures and overfishing, which leaves them with few predators and no competition for plankton, reports the New York Times. Fishermen are finding nets “filled with more jellyfish than fish,” said one, and swimmers are reporting increasing numbers of jellyfish stings, which can take weeks or even months to heal. In Barcelona recently, some 300 people were treated for stings within a few hours. More »

• Fears Mount Over Gulf of Mexico 'Dead Zone'

  Jul 31, 08 3:22 AM CDT
  Scientists are  increasingly concerned about the growing "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico, an oxygen-poor mass of water that cannot sustain most sea life, which now covers 8,000 square miles, nearly the largest ever. Created by fertilizer runoff from the Mississippi, the zone would be even bigger if not for the ocean-stirring power of Hurricane Dolly, reports the Washington Post.
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• Overfishing Oceans Leads to 'Rise of Slime'

  Jun 21, 08 6:00 AM CDT
  Overfishing results in more than just the depletion of one species—it can mean the degradation of entire ecosystems. As the populations of large, predatory fish such as sharks and tuna decline, their prey flourishes, with sometimes-devastating results. The Christian Science Monitor looks at the problem of the world's increasingly depleted oceans. More »

• Ocean Sharks Face Extinction

  May 22, 08 1:40 PM CDT
  Ocean sharks are threatened with extinction, with 11 species designated “high-risk” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and five more also in danger. Sharks are dwindling from intentional fishing, which targets them for their meat and fins, and “bycatch” fishing that lands them in nets meant for tuna and swordfish. The group is calling for global catch limits, the BBC reports. More »