Published by Ocean Conservancy Regular readers of this blog know a modest, but important piece of legislation—the Save Our Seas (SOS) Act—has been slowly making its way through the legislative process. Well, I’m happy to share the great news that the SOS Act has been enacted into law! Congress recently cleared the final version of the […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy This week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a jaw-dropping report that laid bare the choices that we must make to ensure a livable and equitable future in the face of climate change. Make no mistake: climate change is here now—we are living with it as more powerful hurricanes, worsening […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Chef Tim McKee is the winner of the 2009 James Beard award for Best Chef in the Midwest and currently partners with sustainable seafood wholesaler The Fish Guys Inc., among other ventures. © Kevin Kramer, The Growler What does sustainable seafood mean? I learned nine years ago when I opened the restaurant Sea […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy To mark National Hispanic Heritage Month, we celebrate Hispanic and Latinx champions from the worlds of science, advocacy and government who are making a difference for our ocean and beyond. This month and all year round, Ocean Conservancy is thankful for the dedication, passion and commitment of leaders like: Carlos Del Castillo […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy I think we can all agree that the ocean is home to some pretty amazing sea creatures. There are beluga whales—that can make facial expressions like humans. The mantis shrimp—that has a powerful punch equivalent to a .22-caliber bullet. But, in honor of World Octopus Day, we are focusing our attention to […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy If you thought ocean plastic pollution only affects the ocean once it enters the water…you thought wrong. A studied recently published in the scientific journal Biology Letters announced an alarming new finding: while microplastics themselves might not be ‘living,’ they’re now making their way out of the aquatic environments they’re polluting and […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Palm Beach County officials found traces of Red Tide on their beaches earlier this week, Miami-Dade and Broward Counties will conduct testing on their beaches, and the west coast of Florida is still awash in dead fish. Florida’s red tide crisis seems to be getting worse by the day, and it requires […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy If you’re a regular reader of our blog, you probably know that I work with an amazing group of driven, talented people who care deeply about the Arctic. In our line of work, we spend most of our time working on complex regulatory mechanisms to address a rapidly melting Arctic and the […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy We depend on our ocean for the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe. But beyond these vital resources, there exists a multitude of other reasons why we love the water, from the creatures who call it home to the shores we visit and explore. Marine debris […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito in the room” – the Dalai Lama Among the countless inspirations with which the Dalai Lama has enriched the world, this quote lives on my desk as a reminder of the impact that we can have […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy There are few systems more complex—and more beautiful—than our natural ecosystems. Each element is like a Jenga piece—together, the pieces fit together perfectly, but when your tower begins to wobble, it can be hard to determine exactly where the critical weak points are. And just like a game of Jenga, we often […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy The end of September does not just mark the end of summer—it is also the end of the federal fiscal year. Monday, October 1 is the first day of Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19), and for the ocean, that usually means new budgets for NOAA and other agencies that fund ocean management, research […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Alaska just announced a big step forward in leading the way to addressing the causes and effects of climate change. In Anchorage this week, the Climate Action for Alaska Leadership Team delivered its recommended Alaska Climate Policy and Action Plan to Governor Walker. The recommendations come after eight months of collaborative effort […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Following the D.C. government’s weather advisories ahead of Hurricane Florence earlier this month, Ocean Conservancy postponed our flagship International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) event to October. It’s hard to describe how disappointed we were that we couldn’t suit up in t-shirts and work gloves (or silly ocean costumes for that matter) to clean […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Summer is usually a quiet time of year in Washington, but it has been a busy three months for ocean planning and policy work since the Trump Administration released its ocean policy executive order back in June. Here are four issues we are closely tracking as part of the ocean policy: Regional […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Happy National Sea Otter Awareness Week! What better way to celebrate these slippery sea weasels than by basking in their adorableness and learning some fun facts about our furry friends! Awww, hugs from mom! © Jennifer Sol Baby sea otters, like this little pup, depend on their mom to hunt for food for […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy “Ocean! Climate! Action!” Scores of ocean and climate leaders chanted in unison with Dr. Jane Lubchenco (former NOAA Administrator and renowned ocean scientist) at Governor Jerry Brown’s Global Climate Action Summit last week in San Francisco. The energy in the room was palpable as the ocean finally claimed a starring role on […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy By now you’ve probably heard about ocean acidification’s effects on oysters, clams and corals. But you might not know that acidification could affect entire food aquatic webs. In estuaries, where oceans and rivers meet, animals in the water, on land and in the air depend on each other in complicated ways. As much […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy This blog was written by Charmaine Dahlenburg, Manager of the National Aquarium’s Chesapeake Bay Program. Estuaries are necessary for the health of people and the planet. They capture and filter stormwater runoff, reduce effects of flooding, prevent shoreline erosion and provide habitat for fish, birds, mammals and invertebrates. As our coastal populations […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy This blog was put together by Louie Porta and Susan Ruffo. Louie Porta is vice-president of operations for Oceans North. Susan Ruffo is Managing Director for International Initiatives for Ocean Conservancy. Canada’s G7 Presidency will conclude this week with a meeting of environment ministers in Halifax, Nova Scotia from September 19 to 21. […]