Several major marine protected areas (MPAs) are coming into effect around the world in 2026, marking significant progress toward international targets for ocean protection. New or expanding reserves in French Polynesia, Chile, Greece and New Zealand together represent millions of square kilometres of ocean receiving stronger conservation status.

The wreck of the iron steamship City of Hobart has been identified off the Gippsland coast in Victoria, Australia, resolving a maritime mystery that endured for more than a century. Technical divers from Southern Ocean Exploration (SOE) confirmed the wreck’s identity after revisiting a site detected during offshore wind-farm seabed surveys.

The discovery followed years of intermittent search efforts by researchers and divers seeking to locate the long-lost vessel.

Cleaner wrasse, small reef fish known for removing parasites from other fish, continue to challenge assumptions about fish intelligence. A new study, published in Scientific Reports, revisits earlier mirror experiments and provides new insights into how these fish interpret their reflections.

Scientists studying marine mammals off the Pacific coast of North America have observed an unusual interaction between two highly intelligent predators: killer whales and dolphins apparently hunting together.

The observations were recorded in British Columbia waters, where researchers documented groups of fish-eating resident orcas moving alongside Pacific white-sided dolphins during salmon hunts.

Researchers studying killer whales in the North Pacific have uncovered evidence suggesting that orcas may occasionally prey on other orcas, a behaviour rarely documented among the ocean’s top predators.

The clues come from two severed dorsal fins discovered on Bering Island in Russia’s Commander Islands. The fins bore clear tooth marks and other signs of feeding damage, indicating they may have been torn from killer whales and partially consumed.

Scientists have discovered evidence that orcas may eavesdrop on dolphins, potentially using the sounds produced during dolphin echolocation to help locate prey. The finding adds a new dimension to how marine predators may exploit the acoustic landscape of the ocean.

New measures aimed at protecting historic shipwrecks along England’s southwest coast are being introduced as authorities seek to address the growing problem of heritage crime at sea.

The initiative builds on guidance developed by Historic England and partner organisations to improve how agencies detect and respond to illegal activity on underwater heritage sites.

A proposed amendment in the United Kingdom’s Armed Forces Bill 2026 could expand legal protection for military shipwrecks in British waters, potentially affecting how divers explore many historic wreck sites around the UK coast.

The proposal, contained in Clause 47 of the bill, would amend the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 to include vessels that sank while in military service, extending legal safeguards that currently apply only to specifically designated wrecks.

A 14th-century shipwreck discovered in Singapore waters has revealed one of the largest known cargoes of Yuan-dynasty ceramics ever recovered from a wreck site. The find sheds new light on the role of early Singapore—then known as Temasek—in the maritime trade networks linking China and Southeast Asia in the fourteenth century.

The first Lisbon Underwater Film Festival (LUFF) has made a notable debut, positioning itself as a new gathering point for underwater filmmakers, explorers and ocean advocates. Held from 13–15 February 2026 at Lisbon’s historic Cinema São Jorge, the festival presented a diverse programme of films celebrating the ocean through storytelling, science and visual art.

Organisers say the event aims to bridge the worlds of filmmaking, marine science and conservation while bringing underwater cinema to a wider public audience.