Top Mongabay beach reads for the 'dog days' of summer

The name Mongabay derives from a tropical island off the coast of Madagascar, so we wanted to share some relaxing ‘beach reads’ for some easy reading, whether you are on holidays or not.
The ‘dog days’ are that time each year when Sirius, the Dog Star, rises just before the sun, and ranges from July 3 to August 11. It also coincides with beach time holidays for many residents of the Northern Hemisphere.
Here are a few top ‘beach reads’ our editors at Mongabay bureaus around the world suggest for our readers. Many more relaxing, good news stories can be found at our page that aggregates them all.

The ‘dog days’ are that time each year when Sirius, the Dog Star, rises just before the sun, and ranges from July 3 to August 11. It also coincides with beach time holidays for many residents of the Northern Hemisphere, so here are a few ‘beach reads’ our editors at Mongabay bureaus around the world suggest.

Many more relaxing, good news stories can be found at our page that collects them, here.

Canada passes ‘Free Willy’ bill to ban captivity of all whales and dolphins

On June 10, Canada’s House of Commons passed a bill that bans the practice of keeping cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) in captivity in the country. Bill S-203 also prohibits breeding of the animals and collecting reproductive materials from them. The only exceptions to these provisions will be in cases of rescues and rehabilitation, licensed scientific research, or “in the best interests of the cetacean’s welfare.” See here to continue reading about this good news for cetaceans.

A killer whale, or orca, “porpoising” in the Hood Canal waterway, south of the Salish Sea in the U.S. state of Washington. Image by Minette Layne via Wikimedia Commons CC 2.0.

U.S. Virgin Islands bans coral-damaging sunscreens

On June 25, lawmakers in the U.S. Virgin Islands voted to ban common chemical sunscreen ingredients that can damage coral reefs, joining a handful of other jurisdictions around the world pioneering action on harmful sunscreens. It will be the first such ban to take effect in the United States: Hawaii and Key West, FL have approved bans on sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate that come into force in 2021. Read more about these sunscreens and what’s being done internationally, here.

A small coral appears on a reef in the U.S. Virgin Islands. In the Virgin Islands and the rest of the Caribbean, threats to coral ecosystems include climate change, storms, pollution, tourism, and fishing. Image courtesy of NOAA’s National Ocean Service via Wikimedia Commons.

Where do fish go to enjoy a day at the spa?

Mongabay-India writer Sejal Mehta explains that coral reefs host cleaning stations, places where animals get rid of parasites from their bodies with help from ‘cleaner’ fish and shrimp. Cleaning stations provide a vital service in keeping animals, and the reefs, disease-free. These stations have provided important documentation on the behavior of species using them, including amazing examples of symbiosis within and between animal kingdoms, plus the activity is delightful to watch. Navigate here to watch a video and see more photos and information.

Surgeonfish collect on a deep cleaning station to be attended by cleaners. They take turns to get cleaned and will often change from their dark colors to a light blue in a matter of seconds. This is thought to help communicate the desire to be cleaned as well as to make skin parasites more easily visible to the cleaner wrasse. Photo by Umeed Mistry.

Indonesia trains its citizens to deal with sea-mammal strandings

The waters around Indonesia serve as both a habitat and an important migratory route for dozens of species of whales, dolphins and porpoises. These cetaceans, however, are sometimes stranded on Indonesian beaches, alive but unable to return to deeper waters themselves. The government has begun to establish a network of first responders equipped with the knowledge and training to deal with problem. Find out more here.

A pod of sperm whales was stranded on a beach in Sumatra’s Aceh province. Photo courtesy of WWF-Indonesia.

Belize to nearly triple the area conserved by marine protected areas

The government of Belize has approved a plan to expand its marine areas designated as no-take zones from 4.5 percent to 11.6 percent of its total waters. Much of the expansion will cover deep-sea areas at depths ranging from 200 to 3,000 meters (660 to 9,850 feet), currently underrepresented in Belize’s system of marine protected areas, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society. See more information here about this good news for ocean health.