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The critically endangered seventy-four fish.

Beautiful seventy-four fish is a story of hope for marine conservation in South Africa

Our survival depends on the ocean and it is crucial to take steps to save it, conservationist Judy Mann said this week This content is restricted to registered users and…

Cape fur seals.

Thousands of thin Cape fur seals die on West Coast beaches

Starvation caused by overfishing is thought to be a major culprit but investigations are ongoing

Squeezed: Chris Arendse fixes his fishing net at his home in Strandfontein Pavilion in Cape Town. Small-scale fishers say the odds are stacked against them. Photos: Bongani Siziba

Fishing subsidies in the W. Cape: ‘Illegal fishing is our only option’

Fishers claim they are forced into illegal trawling because subsidies only benefit big vessels

Disappearing: The mega-stars of the shark world such as the great white get attention, which means that others — like the ghost shark (above) — are forgotten in conservation efforts. Photo: NOAA/OER

Searching for South Africa’s ‘lost sharks’ to save them from extinction

Many may be vanishing before our eyes without anyone paying significant attention

As we celebrate World Ocean Day, it is vital we recognise the importance of protecting areas beyond our national jurisdiction. (Dwayne Senior/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Africa must protect the high seas before it’s too late

We must act now to secure the world’s oceans as a common good — and prevent catastrophic repercussions, argues Halemariam Desalegn

Extinction threat: The African penguins breed on islands off South Africa’s coast, including in the St Croix Island Reserve near the Coega River mouth. Photo: Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild/Getty Images

Penguins can’t get enough to eat

The causes include commercial fishing near their colonies and a scarcity of sardines and anchovies

Mind your back! A young King penguin on Marion Island seems curious about the satellite transmitter attached to an older penguin’s back. The device allows scientists to see where penguins go to find food at sea. (Photo: Pierre Pistorius)

E-tracking marine predators to protect Southern Ocean’s rich feeding grounds

Scientists from a number of institutions collaborated to collect data on 17 marine birds and mammals such as penguins, albatrosses, seals and whales in the ocean around Antarctica

Bordering three countries — Malawi, Tanzania and Mozambique — Lake Malawi stretches across more than 29 000 square kilometres with over 1 000 species of fish. (Gianluigi Guercia/AFP/Getty Images)

Empty nets as overfishing and climate change sap Lake Malawi

Hundreds of local traders gather each morning and afternoon at Senga only to find that fish populations are falling in Lake Malawi

Fishing boats sit in the harbour in Accra, Ghana. (Reuters/Carlo Allegri)

The crisis of Ghana’s fisheries

Ghana is facing widespread illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in its coastal waters causing economic hardship in fishing communities

A woman brings in a bucket of fish in Gunjur village, the Gambia. (Xaume Olleros, The Guardian)

China’s overfishing of Africa: The lure and the lies

Scientists and campaigners warn that factories in coastal villages are wreaking environmental and economic havoc.

A fisherman attempts to repair a net in the fishing town of Tombu, outside Freetown, Sierra Leone. Local fishing families blame the trawlers offshore for wreaking havoc on fish supplies in Atlantic waters. (Reuters/Cooper Inveen)

Sierra Leone tackles overfishing but gets small fry

Dozens of foreign trawlers are licensed to fish in Sierra Leonean waters and the aim of the ban was to help replenish species damaged by overfishing

Conservation efforts ‘protect less than 1% of shark species’

An Oceana report says most shark species are heading towards extinction, while many are still being caught and killed.

Uneasy times for Spain’s age-old bluefin fishing

Uneasy times for Spain’s age-old bluefin fishing

The season for an ancient and spectacular tuna-fishing technique has begun off Spain’s southwest coast.

Coral reefs could be gone by 2050, study warns

The world’s coral reefs could be wiped out by 2050 unless urgent action is taken to stop threats posed to the "rainforests of the sea".

Sushi offensive sinks bid to protect sharks and tuna

Sushi offensive sinks bid to protect sharks and tuna

International conference to protect endangered species pronounced "disaster" by conservation groups after aggressive lobbying.

Tide turns on overfishing

Fish stocks around the world are still collapsing but there are encouraging signs of change.