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Excerpted from an article by Deborah Netburn in the Los Angeles Times:

Across the ocean, an enormous number of animals hide in the deep, dark waters during the day, and then swim upward during the cover of night to take advantage of the food generated in the sunlit part of the ocean.

The partners of the European Smart Submarine Robots Working in Co-operative Networks Project (SWARMs) organized the first demonstration of the project, with the participation of PLOCAN as a partner, in Mangalia, Romania, between the 3rd and the 11th of July.

Arctic ice loss could lead to harsher winters and stormier weather in Europe because of its impact on Atlantic Ocean currents, warn the authors of a new study led by the University of Southampton.

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Maple reached the Northwest Passage 3 August 2017, during their historic voyage accompanied by the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Sir Wilfrid Laurier and crew underway in the Amundsen Gulf, Canada.

Scientists are trying a new, interactive way to understand ocean current data with the help of high-resolution global ocean simulations. In the part of the global visualization shown, the Loop Current, the origin of the Gulf Stream, features prominently. Surface water speeds are shown ranging from 0 meters per second (dark blue) to 1.25 meters per second (cyan). The video is running at one simulation day per second.

Commercial fishermen may be able to catch more of the profitable fish they want with marine reserves than without them, according to a study in the journal PNAS led by the University of California, Davis. Using marine reserves as a management tool could also help the recently rebounded West Coast groundfish fishery sustain itself, the study notes.

Later this month, the Department of Commerce will sift through public comments on whether 11 marine monuments and sanctuaries are to be opened up for oil and gas exploration.

On the night of 3 August 2017, two ships collided south of Hong Kong in the approach waters to the Pearl River Delta. According to information obtained from the Tradewinds News, the Japanese GMS chemical tanker Global Apollon and the Pacific International Lines containership Kota Ganteng had a collision, but details remain slim. The Kota Ganteng containership has since sailed onwards to Singapore. The Global Apollon remains at anchor in the waters near the Chinese Guishan Islands just to the South West of Hong Kong's Soko Islands.

A British report looking at the impact of climate change on Jersey's sea levels and coastline was published  3 August 2017.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has signed an agreement with Martin County, Florida, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District (Corps) authorizing the use of sand from federal waters as part of a hurricane and storm damage reduction project for Hutchinson Island, Martin County, Florida. Benefits from the beach nourishment are expected to reduce erosion along Hutchinson Island, and restore the beach profile following damages from Hurricane Matthew in October 2016.

According to an article by Mia Rabson in The Canadian Press, the Supreme Court of Canada has unanimously ruled that the National Energy Board (NEB) failed to properly consulting Inuit and didn’t adequately assess the impact on treaty and Indigenous rights of a proposed oil and gas exploration project before approving it in 2014.

Three key Senior Executive positions were posted on usajobs.gov on 7 August 2017.

The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) seeks qualified candidates to serve as National Policy Director, Mexico Oceans, Environmental Defense Fund de Mexico Oceans Program, Sustainable Fisheries Project in Mexico City, Mexico.

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement announced a solicitation for Proposed Safety and Technology Verification Research Projects on July 26, 2017. The projects are related to renewable energy in the Outer Continental Shelf.

The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) is currently seeking individuals with pertinent, demonstrated expertise to serve as Review Editors for the Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4).

Proposals are solicited to support needs of the marine seismic research community that are currently provided by the specialized seismic research vessel R/V Marcus G. Langseth. The vessel is owned by the National Science Foundation and operated by the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University (LDEO).

The FORESEA (Funding Ocean Renewable Energy through Strategic European Action) programme has opened its third call for support package applications. Support packages will help commercialize offshore renewable energy technologies by giving free access to FORESEA’s network of test sites. The call is open to technologies ready to deploy and complete testing before 2019. The call runs until 29 September 2017.

TCarta Marine has made the world’s most dynamic environments easier to monitor and manage with the introduction of its new multi-scale shoreline products. Offered in GIS-ready vector format, shoreline data sets are derived from satellite imagery and accurately delineate mean sea level for the land-water interface at coastal areas around the world.

SeaRobotics Corporation (SeaRobotics) has delivered two complete autonomous 2.5 m unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) to a government hydrographic service. These USVs, built by SeaRobotics, are complete hydrographic systems, including multibeam echo sounders, support sensors, a cast winch, deployment carts, and road trailers.

Environmental conditions are changing leading to significant shifts in algal populations. An example of this is the noticeable worldwide increase in Harmful Algal Blooms, primarily cyanobacteria. Identifying algal groups within a total phytoplankton population is critical as some groups can be toxic, affecting public health and economies. Turner Designs is excited to introduce products facilitating increased understanding of the composition of algae populations.

In 2016, 23 million salmon died from a Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) at a farm in Chile. The economic cost of that die-off is estimated to have been $800 million. The impact of such mortality events is serious, but one international seafood company is employing cutting-edge technology to expand monitoring, stay ahead of HABs, and keep their fish stocks healthy.

According to the Container Recycling Institute, 100.7 billion plastic beverage bottles were sold in the U.S. in 2014, or 315 bottles per person. With more than 8 million tons of plastic dumped into our oceans every year, that makes reusable water bottles one of the most impactful actions any individual can take.

Don’t let the name fool you. The Oil Response Cleanup Apparatus (ORCA) can also be used for cleaning up plastics.

Eight writers, radio, and multimedia science journalists from the U.S., Canada, England, and India have been selected to participate in the competitive Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Ocean Science Journalism Fellowship program.

Okeanus Science & Technology, LLC (Okeanus) has acquired the business assets of DT Marine Products, Inc. (DT Marine) of Houston, TX. The acquisition will allow Okeanus to offer for sale or rental DT’s full catalog of marine and oceanographic winches to customers around the world. It will also give Okeanus a new presence in Houston, expanding the company’s capabilities in the Gulf of Mexico region and complementing its existing offices in Houma, LA and Redmond, WA.

On 25 July 2017, the international consortium behind Pacific Northwest LNG announced it was shelving its controversial $36-billion liquefied natural gas export megaproject in the Skeena River estuary.

The América Movil (AMX-1) Submarine Fiber Optic Cable System traverses approximately 15,900 km (9,879.8 mi) of seafloor connecting Florida to the Caribbean, Mexico, and South America. CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. (CSA) provided comprehensive permit consulting services as the Permitting Agent for América Movil in support of permit acquisition for the Jacksonville and Hollywood, Florida landings as well as permit compliance assistance for landings in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

This high-level summary regarding the current state of the unmanned maritime industry for the 2nd quarter (April-May-June 2017) is provided to ECO readers for free. A full market update, including extensive analysis and links to sources is offered four times a year to subscribers via UVS Consulting.

TDI-Brooks International, Inc. has been awarded a contract for a study entitled “Deepwater Atlantic Habitats II: Continued Atlantic Research and Exploration in Deepwater Ecosystems with Focus on Coral, Canyon and Seep Communities.”