Published by Ocean Conservancy By now it’s not news that plastics are rapidly entering our ocean. In fact, an estimated 8 million metric tons of plastic waste flows into our ocean every year, threatening marine ecosystems and the animals, people and communities that depend on them. For more than 30 years, Ocean Conservancy has been at the […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy On October 21st, 1972, the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) passed in the United States Congress and was signed into law to help establish and implement better protections for the marine mammals that call U.S. waters home. From whales to sea lions to dolphins and more, this critical law proved a game-changer […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Late Sunday night, just before the midnight deadline, Governor Jerry Brown continued his and California’s leadership on the ocean and climate by signing Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de Leon’s parks and water bond, SB 5. This is a key step toward protecting our ocean, as the governor’s signature means that the […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy We’re thrilled that “2045: The Gulf Restored” won first-place winner at Harte of the Gulf film competition! The competition, hosted by at the Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi, seeks to engage the Gulf of Mexico community through education and film and to showcase the work of local […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Yesterday, we celebrated Alaska Day by taking a moment to appreciate the wonders of Alaska. Today, we’ll zoom in on the Arctic portion of Alaska—a region that hosts superbly adapted wildlife, sustainable fisheries and vibrant Alaska native communities. Many of you live far from the Arctic, but no matter where we live, […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy This is a series by Joi Danielson, Senior Fellow at Ocean Conservancy, on her time in the field in Indonesia researching solutions to marine debris. We hear the slow chanting start. It’s time for Friday afternoon prayers. We pull the car over and half the group goes to temple while the other […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy From the rainforests of the panhandle to the remote and rocky Aleutians to the icy waters of the North Slope, most Alaskans see their waters as abundant in beauty, fish, birds and animals. When I asked an Iñupiaq Elder from Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow) how he saw the sea ice off the shore, […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Earlier this week, President Donald Trump announced his pick to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): Barry Myers. Myers, currently the CEO of AccuWeather, has spent nearly forty years in the private weather industry, but the stakes at NOAA are different. As the head of an agency committed to “science, […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy A group of international Arctic scientists telling us we need to slow down, do more research, and put in place some precautionary rules should get our attention. More than 2,000 scientists, mostly from Arctic countries, did this five years ago in an open letter to Arctic nations. They pointed out that it […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy The Ocean Conservancy team couldn’t be more excited about all of the great announcements coming out of the Our Ocean Conference here in Malta, and I wanted to share the great news with you right away. Thanks to your support, we’re leaving the conference today with not one, but two HUGE announcements! […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Documents, available below, show they’re risking fishermen’s livelihoods 17_ShowCause_ExhibitA 60 17_ShowCause_ExhibitA 61-62 17_ShowCause_ExhibitA 63-64 Back in June, political appointees in the Department of Commerce issued a short-sighted decision to let private recreational fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico overfish red snapper, breaking the law that keeps fishermen from catching so many fish […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Did you know October 8th is World Octopus Day? In celebration of these mysterious, sometimes cute and sometimes slightly creepy cephalopods, there are a few things about the octopus that you should probably know—and some of them may shock you. © Natalie Bondarenko There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy The following is a guest blog from Dr. Chelsea Rochman, who is currently an Assistant Professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto. Lately, there has been a lot of news about marine debris, specifically plastic, being discovered in remote corners of the Earth. Plastics have been found near the […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy The concept of ocean planning has been around for many years, both here at home and internationally. In the U.S., we have started to see theory move into practice over the past decade. At its core, ocean planning is about shared data, local engagement and innovative management principles so that diverse groups […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy We are celebrating the life of a true ocean hero, Tony Amos, who died last month after a recent diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Tony dedicated his life to the animals and beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, and left an impression on many of us here—myself included. The first time I met […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy A few months ago, I stated the obvious in an article for Greenbiz: non-governmental organizations (NGOs) alone will not turn the tide on ocean trash. Ocean Conservancy has always believed in strength in numbers when it comes to our International Coastal Cleanup. A few days ago, hundreds of thousands of volunteers dedicated their […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Tomorrow, I and several members of the Ocean Conservancy team will be landing in Malta for the fourth Our Ocean conference. This is my first time attending this renowned event and I’m thrilled — it’s that feeling of pride and excitement that comes when you know you are about to do something […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy When you think of the North Pole—you immediately have visions of snow, ice, polar bears and the Northern Lights…and let’s be honest, Santa Claus! The last thing you’d imagine is trash or debris near the North Pole. But, news reports last week highlighted the growing problem of marine debris—reaching the far corners […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy One thing I love about the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) is the way it brings people together and inspires environmental stewardship well past any single-day effort of collecting trash. Ultimately, the ICC is about people and community. And a great example of this is the partnership we’ve formed with Bank of America […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy On September 13, the National Snow and Ice Data Center reported that Arctic sea ice extent had settled at 1.79 million square miles. It was the eighth lowest annual minimum in a 38-year satellite record. With the Arctic heating at twice the rate of the rest of the planet, the alarming loss […]