Environment

A new study finds the isolated humpback whales off Oman have not increased in two decades, with ship strikes and fishing gear among the main threats.

Six more countries ratified the treaty at this week's UN General Assembly. Its first COP in January 2027 will start choosing high-seas protected areas.

Conservation groups Shark Angels and Sea Shepherd are urging the Brazilian government to stop the sale and serving of shark meat — often mislabeled as 'cação' — in schools and public institutions, warning that the practice is accelerating the extinction of already-threatened species.

The landmark US fishery law that established a 200-mile exclusive economic zone and created regional management councils turns 50 this week, with conservation groups calling for stronger reforms.

Governments at the CMS COP15 in Campo Grande, Brazil agreed on March 29, 2026 to list thresher sharks and hammerheads on Appendix I, granting the highest level of international protection.