January 5

A ship spills oil, a president creates an environmental monument and high prices for tuna.

Sat, Jan 05 2013 at 6:00 AM

Jan. 5, 1993: In the midst of a fierce winter storm, the tanker M/V Braer runs aground in the Shetland Islands, north of Scotland. The Braer spills 85,000 tons, or about 650,000 barrels of oil, some of which reaches the rocky inlets and shoreline of the Shetlands.

Jan. 5, 2006: Citing a failure to halt illegal trading in beluga caviar, the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) bans all trading in the increasingly endangered export from the Caspian Sea. The ban is lifted a year later.

Jan. 5, 2009: U.S. President George W. Bush creates the Marianas Marine National Monument, protecting millions of acres of unique marine habitat, including elaborate coral structures and the Marianas Trench, the deepest ocean area in the world.

Jan. 5, 2010: The BBC reports that a 232-kilogram (511 pounds) bluefin tuna brings a record price at the Tokyo Fish Market. The fish, prized for sushi from its belly meat but increasingly endangered, sells for ¥16.3 million, or $175,000.

Photo: Jean Kenyon, NOAA/AP

This feature is compiled by Peter Dykstra, an MNN contributor and publisher of Environmental Health News and The Daily Climate.

The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.

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