npj Ocean Sustainability, Published online: 09 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s44183-026-00243-9
The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies is the first global treaty to restrict the use of harmful fishing subsidies. The agreement is a critical step towards reigning in the destructive subsidies that have fueled the rapid depletion of global fish stocks. However, these important new rules are being undermined by the significant number of countries—including some of the world’s biggest fishing nations—that have refused to ratify the treaty.
Breaking Waves: Ocean News
09/08/2026 - 17:09
Officials say sighting a sign species – driven to extinction in state before reintroduction in 2011 – expanding its range
A gray wolf has recently been seen in California’s Mendocino national forest for the first time since the species returned to the state 15 years ago, state wildlife officials confirmed.
Officials in Lake county, which is about two hours north of San Francisco, said last week the California department of fish and wildlife (CDFW) had received reports of sightings in the forest in late August. The agency verified the presence of a wolf in the far north end of the county, county supervisor Brad Rasmussen said in a statement on social media.
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09/08/2026 - 16:54
A total of six people apprehended as clean-up of rubbish stacked 10 metres high cost about £6m
Two men have been arrested after fly-tippers dumped a “mountain of illegal waste”, stacked 10 metres high, in Oxfordshire.
Hundreds of tonnes of rubbish appeared in a field between the River Cherwell and the A34 near Kidlington in November last year. The waste tip was so large that removing it could cost more than the local council’s annual budget, the area’s MP said.
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09/08/2026 - 12:37
Appeals court dismisses lawsuit from Jackson residents claiming that tainted drinking water violated their rights
A US appellate court has decided that the federal constitution does not guarantee a right to clean water.
That legal opinion came in the form of a decision on Friday from the fifth circuit court of appeals to uphold a lower court’s dismissal of a 2022 lawsuit from several Jackson, Mississippi, residents claiming that tainted drinking water violated their constitutional rights.
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09/08/2026 - 11:18
Center of storm passed west of the islands and was moving away but flooding and mudslides will continue to be a risk
Damaging winds and heavy rains from Hurricane Lowell pelted Hawaii’s western islands on Tuesday, knocking out power to thousands and ripping up stretches of beachside roads.
Fierce winds downed trees and caused widespread power outages on the island of Kauai, home to 73,000 residents. The Kauai island utility cooperative reported that nearly all of its members were without power early on Tuesday.
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09/08/2026 - 07:06
More than 140 clubs breached licences, with a third caught taking water illegally, analysis shows – but no fines issued
More than 140 golf clubs in England have breached their water extraction licences in the past five years, according to data analysis by the Guardian.
More than a third of these clubs were caught taking water illegally from the environment, either by taking more than permitted or by removing it outside the permitted period.
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09/08/2026 - 07:05
Man, who had arrived in Turin from Miami via Istanbul, under investigation for smuggling and faces fine or prison
An Italian man is facing a hefty fine or possible prison term after the dried head of a critically endangered crocodile was found in his luggage at Turin’s Caselle airport.
The man had arrived at the airport in the northern Italian city on a flight from Miami via Istanbul, the Turin unit of Italy’s financial police squad said in a statement.
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09/08/2026 - 06:47
From rare bacteria to ‘forever chemicals’, a series of cases of violations or alleged pollution has prompted alarm
When officials in Wyoming conducted a routine test on the water that was being discharged from a massive under-construction Meta datacenter, it was a shock to find it contained a rare and potentially hazardous bacterium.
While the wastewater flushed into sewers in Cheyenne, Wyoming, was never destined for the public drinking supply, the presence of Cupriavidus gilardii bacterium in 801,000 gallons of water ejected by a contractor for the datacenter earlier this year was still unnerving.
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09/07/2026 - 23:00
Anglers will help scientists investigate the porbeagle, tope and blue shark to boost knowledge and conservation
‘We have really cool sharks,” says Dr Lucy Hawkes. She is not referring to animals in the rich coastal waters of South Africa or Mexico, but instead talking about the species that live around Britain. Hawkes, an associate professor at the University of Exeter, is co-leading a new three-year project to investigate the lives of three of England’s most vulnerable shark species.
“I like the porbeagle, which looks like a baby great white shark,” she says. “Surfers could see one and absolutely poop their pants, but they’re not dangerous. It’s amazing that we share the water with some pretty exciting animals.”
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09/07/2026 - 23:00
npj Ocean Sustainability, Published online: 08 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s44183-026-00238-6
Linking blue economy sectors to ecosystem services and socio-economic priorities: a framework for integrated maritime spatial planning
