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Displaying items by tag: Costa Rica

#Capsize - Three people are reported dead after a tourist catamaran capsized off Costa Rica, as the Guardian reports.

The incident, which occurred yesterday (8 January) some nine miles off the Central American country's Pacific coast, is thought to have claimed the lives of a Briton, an American and a Canadian.

Survivors from the boat, carrying nearly 100 tourists and 10 crew on a day trip to Tortuga Island, say it was swamped by strong waves that quickly filled the vessel with water.

The Guardian has more on the story HERE.

Published in News Update

#MarineScience - With world hunger set to be a hot button issue at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland this summer, the Guardian reports on one possible solution to the problem of food scarcity in the developing world in the form of marine agriculture.

Water scarcity is "the most severe impediment to increasing food production and security", particularly in regions like the Sahel in West Africa, where irrigation is not a practical option and dry seasons often ruin traditional rain-fed harvests.

But water scientist Ricardo Radulovich of the University of Costa Rica posits a novel approach - take advantage of Africa's lakes, many of which cover a large surface area, by using the water surface to grow crops and farm fish.

A prototype project in Nicaragua has produced crops of fruit and vegetables on floating rafts which can be made cheaply from various everyday materials.

Radulovich and his team also talk up the benefits of cultivating water-borne plants normally considered weeds, such as water hyacinth, to encourage biodiversity and attract bigger fish to areas with poor numbers.

The Guardian has much more on the story HERE.

Published in Marine Science

Marine Wildlife Around Ireland One of the greatest memories of any day spent boating around the Irish coast is an encounter with marine wildlife.  It's a thrill for young and old to witness seabirds, seals, dolphins and whales right there in their own habitat. As boaters fortunate enough to have experienced it will testify even spotting a distant dorsal fin can be the highlight of any day afloat.  Was that a porpoise? Was it a whale? No matter how brief the glimpse it's a privilege to share the seas with Irish marine wildlife.

Thanks to the location of our beautiful little island, perched in the North Atlantic Ocean there appears to be no shortage of marine life to observe.

From whales to dolphins, seals, sharks and other ocean animals this page documents the most interesting accounts of marine wildlife around our shores. We're keen to receive your observations, your photos, links and youtube clips.

Boaters have a unique perspective and all those who go afloat, from inshore kayaking to offshore yacht racing that what they encounter can be of real value to specialist organisations such as the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) who compile a list of sightings and strandings. The IWDG knowledge base has increased over the past 21 years thanks in part at least to the observations of sailors, anglers, kayakers and boaters.

Thanks to the IWDG work we now know we share the seas with dozens of species who also call Ireland home. Here's the current list: Atlantic white-sided dolphin, beluga whale, blue whale, bottlenose dolphin, common dolphin, Cuvier's beaked whale, false killer whale, fin whale, Gervais' beaked whale, harbour porpoise, humpback whale, killer whale, minke whale, northern bottlenose whale, northern right whale, pilot whale, pygmy sperm whale, Risso's dolphin, sei whale, Sowerby's beaked whale, sperm whale, striped dolphin, True's beaked whale and white-beaked dolphin.

But as impressive as the species list is the IWDG believe there are still gaps in our knowledge. Next time you are out on the ocean waves keep a sharp look out!