Published by Ocean Conservancy If you’re like me, you love the ocean—and especially adore the animals that call the ocean home like sea otters and beluga whales! Even if you and I never see them in person—it’s still really important to me that they’re protected. This week, Senate confirmation hearings begin for two people who will […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Photo Credit: NOAA Fisheries As Arctic sea ice continues to melt, the Bering Sea—including the narrow Bering Strait—is experiencing more and more ship traffic. As ship traffic increases, so too do the risks, including oil spills, vessel strikes on marine mammals, air pollution, discharge of wastes into the water, and production of […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy It’s a new year, and I resolve to continue championing for ocean conservation in 2017—no matter how the tides may change in Washington, D.C. Will you help me? This week, Rex Tillerson, nominee for Secretary of State, will begin Senate confirmation hearings. As Mr. Tillerson is questioned by senators about his qualifications […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy In recent months, two young sperm whales stranded themselves along the coast of Louisiana. These events highlight the importance for quality health and diagnostic information for the marine mammals in the Gulf of Mexico. What could kill one of the greatest predators to ever exist on earth? These animals are harmed by […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy It’s 2017, and a suite of new standards and practices are now in place for vessels operating in Arctic and Antarctic waters. The new set of rules—called the Polar Code—is designed to increase ship safety and environmental protection in high-latitude waters. Adopted by a specialized agency of the United Nations called the […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy When it comes to iconic ocean animals, seabirds are often overlooked. But seabirds, or birds that make their living primarily from the ocean, are a crucial part of marine ecosystems. From the tiny least storm petrel to the massive wandering albatross, seabirds consume an estimated 7% of ocean productivity and are an […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Apparently, there has been some recent confusion about the difference between dolphins and sharks. Here at Ocean Conservancy, we were eager to dive in and help clear up the misunderstanding! The debate launched unexpectedly into the public eye when a contestant on this week’s episode of The Bachelor wore a “dolphin costume” […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy For many of us, the ocean is a place of hope—it inspires us and supports us and in turn, we work hard to protect it. 2016 has been quite a year, full of ups and downs. But when it comes to the ocean, 2016 was a year of fantastic victories that remind […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy The 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico revealed a challenge with the way scientific monitoring information is shared and stored. At the time, the scientific records of monitoring efforts in the Gulf of Mexico was dispersed across many entities from universities, natural resource management agencies, private industries […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Today the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council approved their updated comprehensive plan to restore the Gulf after the BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster. The updated plan includes small yet very important changes that echo the comments from tens of thousands of people like you from across the Gulf of Mexico. You’ll recall […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy How often have you gotten information you can really use from a friend, neighbor or family member? The kind that makes you say, “Ohhhhh…. That is SO helpful!” The key to these “aha moments” is often simply being well-connected with others having the same experience. Yesterday a new initiative launched that will […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy In the month since the election, I have had so many questions. What will it be like to work at an ocean nonprofit under the new Administration? Will we be able to move forward towards sustainable ocean policies or will we spend the next few years fighting? Or both? We simply don’t […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Celebrate with me—I have some incredibly exciting news! President Obama just declared important protections for the northern Bering Sea and the Bering Strait by establishing the Northern Bering Sea Climate Resilience Area. The Northern Bering Sea and Bering Strait is like no place on Earth. It is home to indigenous communities who […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy This piece was written by Mike Martinsen, Co-founder and Co-president of Montauk Shellfish Company Inc. For forty years, I have worked as a bayman in New York’s rich waters. You could find me bullraking hard clams, sail dredging oysters, dredging bay scallops and potting lobster. I have earned a living from these […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Ocean Conservancy congratulates the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic for finalizing the first regional ocean plans in the nation. From Virginia to Maine, state and regional ocean users, decision-makers, tribes and the fisheries management councils came together to plan for the future of the ocean in a coordinated way. These plans are the culmination […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Ocean Conservancy congratulates the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic for finalizing the first smart ocean plans in the United States. As they move into implementation, we look forward to continuing our work in the regions to help coastal communities and our ocean continue to thrive! This process has come full-circle since 2004 when a […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy There’s no doubt about it: ocean plastic pollution is a big problem. An estimated eight million metric tons of plastic waste flow from land into the ocean every year, meaning that by 2025 there could be one ton of plastic for every three tons of fish! And there’s much more to the problem […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy This post originally appeared on National Geographic’s Ocean Views blog. During this bruising presidential campaign, there was an eerie sense that we had moved into a post-truth world, with fake news circulating on Facebook and the veracity of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump continually called into question. In fact, Oxford Dictionaries just declared “post-truth” its […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Over the past several weeks, Ocean Conservancy has received a wave of 2016 International Coastal Cleanup data. Thanks to volunteers from Idaho to Indonesia, data from the 2016 ICC and the Clean Swell app are pouring into our new ocean trash database. The trash by the numbers provides us with a year-by-year […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy The following message is from Janis Searles Jones, President, and Andreas Merkl, CEO. This has been such a great year for the ocean, and I have you to thank for it. Protecting the ocean is a BIG job, and we can’t do it without people like you. You’ve put in so much effort all […]