oceans

One of the oldest and least explored habitats on Earth is due to be explored by Greenpeace and the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS).

The Mingulay coral reef complex lies off the west of Scotland in about 150 metres of water and, despite the fact that it may have existed for thousands of years, scientists know little about it or the wildlife it supports.

Secret plans by the South Korean Government to build a whale and dolphin meat processing factory, despite an international ban on whaling, have been exposed today (7 April) by Greenpeace.

The factory is planned to be built in the very city that will host this year's meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), the body set up to halt the loss of whale populations. Historically known as the 'City of Whales', the south-east port of Ulsan will host the IWC meeting in June.

Dead dolphins bearing the scars of a final struggle in large fishing nets were today (31 March) delivered simultaneously to French government offices in Paris and London. The deliveries came as Greenpeace renewed calls for a total ban on pair trawling - a form of fishing which is estimated to kill thousands of dolphins in the Channel every year.

In London, Greenpeace activists delivered the frozen dolphins to the French Embassy in Knightsbridge. The dolphins were left on the steps to the building. In Paris, the dolphins were delivered to the office of the Fisheries Minister.

Cornwall based artist Kurt Jackson has added his voice to those calling for an end to pair trawling for sea bass - which is killing thousands of dolphins in the Channel every year.

Jackson joined the crew of Greenpeace's flagship Esperanza last week to lend his support to their campaign. As a resident of west Cornwall he regularly sees the end results of the fishery - dead dolphins washed up on Cornish beaches.

Greenpeace's flagship the Esperanza left Falmouth on the 17 February to campaign for a total ban on pair trawling for sea bass in the Channel. Since then the onboard team have been gathering evidence of the impacts of pair trawling and taking direct action to stop pair trawlers from operating. The crew have also collected dead dolphins from the sea for later delivery to the Institute of Zoology for full post mortem.

Results from a study of common dolphin numbers in the English Channel during winter months have caused renewed concern for the future survival of these animals. WDCS, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, and Greenpeace are calling for a ban on sea bass 'pair trawling' in the Channel.

In a new report, researchers from WDCS have given a provisional estimate of 9,700 common dolphins in part of the Channel that overlaps the main fishing ground last winter when the survey was conducted.