Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Unprovoked shark attacks up sharply in 2025, with 12 human deaths worldwide

admin — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 14:00:34 +0000

Report records 65 unprovoked attacks – but annual drowning deaths in US alone exceed 4,000

The number of people killed or bitten by sharks in unprovoked attacks globally increased significantly in 2025, a report published on Wednesday has found, while a single Florida county maintained its crown as the so-called shark bite capital of the world.

Environmental groups sue Trump’s EPA over repeal of landmark climate finding

admin — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 12:10:49 +0000

Lawsuit from health and environmental justice groups challenges the EPA’s rollback of the ‘endangerment finding’

More than a dozen health and environmental justice non-profits have sued the Environmental Protection Agency over its revocation of the legal determination that underpins US federal climate regulations.

Second wild beaver spotted living at Norfolk nature reserve

admin — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 12:05:58 +0000

Exclusive: Pensthorpe was believed to be home to just one individual but pair have been filmed grooming each other

No one knows where they came from or how they ended up in Norfolk. But one thing is certain: now, there are two of them.

Carmakers face possible heavy fines in Australia for failing to meet climate targets

admin — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 09:06:07 +0000

Companies including Mazda and Nissan face multimillion-dollar hit unless they improve carbon efficiency

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No trees, no food, shot for fun … yet Serbia’s imperial eagles are making an improbable return

admin — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 09:00:03 +0000

Less than a decade ago, the Balkan country had just one breeding pair of the eastern imperial species of raptor left. Now things are changing, thanks to the dogged work of conservationists

At the start of every spring, before the trees in northern Serbia begin to leaf out, ornithologists drive across the plains of Vojvodina. They check old nesting sites of eastern imperial eagles, scan solitary trees along field margins, and search for signs of new nests.

One in nine new homes in England built in areas of flood risk, study shows

admin — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:01:53 +0000

Figures from Aviva also show number of homes being built in risky areas is rising

One in nine new homes in England built between 2022 and 2024 were constructed in areas that could now be at risk of flooding, according to new data.

The figures show the number of homes being built in risky areas is on the rise – a previous analysis showed that between 2013 and 2022, one in 13 new homes were in potential flooding zones.

Bayer agrees to pay $7.25bn to settle Roundup weedkiller cancer lawsuits

admin — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 22:51:40 +0000

Thousands of lawsuits accuse the agrochemical maker of failing to warn people that its weedkiller could cause cancer

The agrochemical maker Bayer and attorneys for cancer patients announced a proposed $7.25bn settlement on Tuesday to resolve thousands of US lawsuits alleging the company failed to warn people that its popular weedkiller Roundup could cause cancer.

Gotta watch ‘em all? Pokémon-style app for birdwatching launches

admin — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 16:42:10 +0000

Users of Birdex get points for each bird they see and can compete with friends, with 200,000 sightings logged so far

A new app has launched that aims to gamify birdwatching by allowing people to collect digital cards of UK bird species whenever they record seeing one.

France issues red flood alerts after ‘exceptional’ rainfall

admin — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 12:23:26 +0000

Aftermath of Storm Nils causes chaos across country with flooding under way or expected on Garonne, Maine and Loire rivers

France has issued red alerts for flooding in three départements as the aftermath of Storm Nils causes chaos across the country.

Flood waters have inundated homes and isolated villages after the Garonne River overflowed its banks, with hydrologists warning that rain is falling on soils that have hit record-breaking levels of saturation.

‘It’s betrayal’: Shetland’s scallop fishers brace for arrival of UK’s largest salmon farm

admin — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 12:00:35 +0000

Huge project by Norwegian-owned Scottish Sea Farms gets go-ahead amid concerns over the environmental cost of fish farming and threat to traditional way of life

At Collafirth, north Shetland, Sydney Johnson is unloading two-dozen bags of scallops by throwing them over his head like medicine balls to the pier above. Johnson, who has just finished a 10-hour shift on his boat, the Golden Shore, is concerned that plans for a new salmon farm will put fishers like him and his two sons out of business.