Posts by Matt Coomer
Giving Thanks
Thank you for supporting our ocean protection work! This year has been filled with exciting marine conservation updates and progress to be grateful for. Though threats like overfishing and marine debris persist, the world is more engaged than ever with finding solutions. Thanks to you, each of our projects continues growing with this sea change…
Read MoreSeamounts medicine? Why your next antibiotic may come from the deep sea.
Feature pic: Octocoral, sponge, and feather star on the Davidson Seamount, by NOAA / MBARI. Our ocean is filled with amazing creatures, big and small. Most of its life is actually far smaller than we can see: there are millions of microscopic animals, plants, and more thriving in our ocean. Human lives may directly depend on these…
Read MoreHigh Seas History in the Making
Feature Pic: Elias Levy World leaders may soon make history for ocean wildlife. After more than a decade of halting progress, a UN Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) is convening for the next 10 days to negotiate a treaty to protect biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ), also known as the high seas. An agreement would…
Read MoreThe Summer Ocean Party Makes a Splash
Thank you to everyone that supported our first-ever Summer Ocean Party with Marine Applied Research and Exploration (MARE) and Cordell Marine Sanctuary Foundation, the evening was a great success! The focus of the party was our long-standing work to stop bottom trawling and protect deep-sea corals and sponges. They are some of the oldest living animals…
Read MoreSix Amazing Shark Species You Can See in GLORES Award-Winners Malpelo and Tubbataha
Feature Photo: Santiago Estrada, courtesy of Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia For 30 years, Shark Week has garnered widespread attention for its focus on our ocean’s most iconic predators. Though its programming can be more sensational than science based, Shark Week brings these incredible animals home for millions of Americans. And sharks need our attention…
Read MoreFighting for America’s Ocean Wonders
Happy Fourth of July! It’s amazing to think that when Katherine Lee Bates first wrote “America the Beautiful” in 1893, with its gorgeous celebration of our country from sea to shining sea, few of America’s ocean wonders were known and none were protected. Thankfully, we’ve come a long way. Since the 1990s, all but…
Read MoreWorld Oceans Month: Honoring Our Blue Home
Healthy oceans sustain us. When we’re not near the ocean or watching a vivid nature documentary, it can be easy to forget that. It’s all too easy to move through everyday life and miss that the ocean fills our lungs and spirit. From the clean water we drink to the stable climate we depend on,…
Read More“A Beautiful Gem in the South Pacific”: Scientists on Rose Atoll
Rose Atoll is a pink jewel on the South Pacific blue horizon. Though its emergent reefs and islands cover just around 20 acres, it carries meaning well beyond what we see: as the southernmost point in the U.S. through American Samoa, as the centerpiece of a federally-protected Marine National Monument and National Wildlife Refuge, and…
Read More5 Reasons Seamounts Matter
Seamounts are underwater mountains that rise from the seabed. Because most of the world’s seafloor is a muddy plain, seamounts are special deep-sea features that support unique creatures. Seamounts can arise along mid-ocean ridges, as isolated landmarks, or as volcanoes in chains and clusters. Off California, several seamounts were ancient islands that only went under…
Read MoreCelebrating Ocean Protection Progress
Today, let’s celebrate the progress that has been made to protect our oceans. The world has come a long way and, though more work is needed to reach conservation targets and ensure long-term ocean health, momentum is on our side. With groups like Sin Azul No Hay Verde and heads of state at major conferences advancing…
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