Positive ocean news: April '25 edition

30 Apr 2025

6 minute read

Looking for a splash of optimism? Check out the latest good news stories for our seas with this round-up.

Colossal squid filmed in natural habitat for first time

A baby colossal squid in the deep sea

Credit: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute

100 years after being identified and formally named, the colossal squid has been seen, and filmed, alive in the deep sea for the first time ever.

The baby colossal squid was recorded at a depth of 600 metres near the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean by biologists on an expedition searching for new marine life.

Growing up to seven metres in length and 500 kilograms in weight, the Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni is the heaviest known invertebrate. However, the squid spotted by the researchers measured just 30cm.

Kat Bolstad, an Auckland University of Technology biologist who helped confirm the squid’s identity, said, “We get to introduce the live colossal squid to the world as this beautiful, little, delicate animal. [The find] highlights the magnificence of a lot of deep-sea creatures without some of that monster hype.”

Plastic pollution on Australian coast drops by almost 40%

A crushed plastic bottle with its lid still attached laying on the shoreline

Credit: Canetti via Shutterstock

The amount of plastic waste littering the coastline of Australia’s major cities has dropped by more than a third (39%) in the past decade, as a result of policies to tackle the issue, local clean-up campaigns and public education.

The study, conducted across the metropolitan areas of Hobart, Newcastle, Perth, Port Augusta, the Sunshine Coast, and Alice Springs, also found that the number of sites where no debris was found has increased by 16%.

Australia has committed to phase out problematic and unnecessary plastics by 2025 and recycle or reuse all plastic waste by 2040 and has implemented several measures in recent years to achieve this, such as Deposit Return Schemes and bans on single-use plastics.

Dr Denise Hardesty, who co-authored the study, said, “It's exciting to see a significant decrease in plastic pollution as people around the country are becoming more aware of the harmful effects of plastic waste on people, communities and wildlife.”

Study shines light on cuttlefish’s camouflage technique

A cuttlefish swimming around Chesil Beach, England

Credit: Cathy Lewis

A new study has revealed how cuttlefish camouflage themselves when capturing prey, helping scientists understand more about the fascinating creatures. Although it’s well known that cuttlefish use their colour-changing skin to pass flashing stripes along their bodies just before they approach prey, the study’s findings explain why this is.

Rather the previously accepted theory that the cuttlefish ‘hypnotise’ their prey with their flashing skin, it’s revealed that the display is designed to overwhelm prey’s visual system, making them unable to detect the incoming predator.

Cuttlefish can produce at least three different types of displays when hunting, illustrating how skilled and clever the creatures are. The study’s research team from the University of Bristol and partners will now set out to explore how they choose which to use.

New process helping to identify and prevent illegal seafood entering the USA

Fishing boats in Folkestone Harbour UK Tim M

Fishing boats in Folkestone Harbour, England

Credit: Tim M via Shutterstock

Researchers have developed a new technology which offers a real-time solution to detect illegally trafficked seafood being imported into the United State of America.

The device uses genetic markers to detect various fish species and can detect more than 100, including tuna, shark, and eel, within hours. It is currently being piloted by the NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement, where it would take officers up to two weeks to carry out the process manually.

This helps tackle illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing by preventing illegal seafood products from entering the country. During a week-long trial of the device last year, it detected more than 27 tonnes of fish identified as illegally harvested, prohibited in trade, and listed in the annexes of the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species.

It’s hoped the device will be made widely available and piloting is to be rolled out to other major ports throughout the year.

40 seals helped at new rehabilitation centre

Two seals swimming in the water around Lundy Island, England

Credit: Cathy Lewis

Within eight weeks of opening, the North East Seal Triage (NEST) unit in Northumberland, England, has helped rescue and rehabilitate around 40 seals that became injured, such as entanglement in fishing gear.

A partnership between the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) and Robson & Prescott Vets, the NEST unit offers a safe environment for injured seals to be assessed and triaged. The team then work to treat the animals or stabilise them before they’re sent on for full rehabilitation.

Although the facility has been busier than predicted since opening, with the grey seal birthing season in full swing, the team has successfully treated most of the seals brought in, with some to receive further rehab.

Beach clean removes 70 years of waste

A scheme to clean up a former colliery landfill in Lynemouth, Northumberland, has been completed, with 70-years’ worth of industrial waste removed from the area.

1,000 tonnes of material was removed and 95,000 tonnes of colliery soil processed, with rocks, bricks and stones extracted to refill where excavations took place and help restore the land’s profile.

Gareth Farrier, Northern region director at BAM Nuttall, which cleared the material, said the coastline had been transformed into "a safer and cleaner environment – one that the local community and wildlife can once again enjoy."

New Zealand islands join island-ocean rewilding project

bay of New Zealand islands with greenery and sea

The Bay of Islands in New Zealand

Credit: Linde Lanjouw

The Maukahuka (Auckland), Rakiura (Stewart), and the Chatham Islands have joined the Island-Ocean Connection Challenge (IOCC), which aims to restore and rewild 40 globally significant island-ocean ecosystems by 2030. This brings the total of island-ocean ecosystem restoration projects in the IOCC to 20 – halfway to its goal.

New Zealand’s projects aim to remove invasive species such as cats, mice, and wild pigs to safeguard the islands’ native wildlife and improve their climate resilience. They will be among the most complex and large-scale conservation projects in the country, with the New Zealand government already investing $54 million so far.

Penny Nelson, New Zealand’s Department of Conservation’s director general, said, “By joining the IOCC, we are amplifying New Zealand’s ground-breaking island conservation work on the world stage. These islands are living remnants of a prehistoric world, and restoring them will create critical safe havens for species found nowhere else.”

First sighting of right whales in Bahamas

Two North Atlantic right whales were seen swimming in the Bahamas – the first time the species has been recorded in the country’s waters.

The critically endangered whales, of which only 342 still remain, are typically found off the Boston coast of the US, 1,240 miles away. The two whales were identified as females, named Koala and Curlew, that were seen in the Gulf of Mexico earlier this year – which is also outside their normal range.

North Atlantic right whales in Bahamas from above

A bird's eye shot of the two North Atlantic right whales seen in Bahamas

Credit: Jero Prieto, Pelagic Life

The pair have been recorded swimming together for several months, which is unusual as North Atlantic right whales usually only stick together if they’re mother and calf.

It’s unknown why Koala and Curlew ventured so far out of range. Philip Hamilton, a senior scientist at the Anderson Cabot Center which identified the whales, said, “What inspired them to make this journey will likely remain a mystery.”