Posts Tagged ‘marine conservation’
Sharks Are in Trouble … Without Them, Whole Ecosystems May Disappear
(Part 1 of 2) by Alexandra Smith, Blue Parks Intern Featured Picture: Carcharhinus longimanus © IUCN Photo Library ©Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch Imagine an ocean without sharks-it’s not too far-fetched. A recent study found that in the last 50 years, populations of 18 shark and ray species (called elasmobranchs) have declined by a staggering 70%, and half…
Read MoreMagnetic Signatures & Singing Stages: the mysterious connection between whales, sharks, and seamounts
By Morgane Bouvet, Seamounts Intern Many of our blogs are now available for listening! Tune in weekly for the audio experience. On the bottom of the deep ocean lie seamounts, massive underwater volcanoes that are largely unexplored, and generally absent of marine protections or management. Most seamounts are located in areas beyond national jurisdiction; also…
Read MoreTen Triumphs from 2020
In a year of bleak headlines, here are our favorite newsworthy highlights to rekindle your hope for the ocean in 2021 No doubt about it: this has been a year of exhausting news. From the ongoing global pandemic to nerve-wracking threats to marine protections both globally (such as the Chinese fishing fleet amassed just outside…
Read MoreWorking to Ensure Effective Marine Conservation at the 6th International Marine Conservation Congress
Science advances and good ideas spread in the scientific community when members get together at conferences. Marine Conservation Institute’s team of scientists recently attended , virtually that is, the 6th International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC6). They played a very busy role co-hosting a two-day workshop, organizing a symposium viewed by over 100 people and giving…
Read MoreSharks, Ships, and Unsheltered Seas – In the Galapagos Islands, Shark Week magnifies the looming threat of international fishing fleets.
In the Galapagos Islands, Shark Week magnifies the looming threat of international fishing fleets. A High Seas Treaty might help to create marine protected areas that could protect shark habitat across international borders.
Read MoreClimate, Biodiversity, and Oceans: They’re All Connected
In a world that grows ever warmer and ever more degraded by human activities, scientists and policy makers have watched with unease as the triple crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and the decline of ocean health have reinforced each other in a downward spiral. Each of the three crises makes the other two worse.…
Read MoreNorth Atlantic Right Whales Move One Step Closer to Extinction as Trump Dismantles Protections
Earlier this month, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced that the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) was moved from Endangered to Critically Endangered status on the IUCN Red List.[1] Less than 250 mature whales remain after a decade of continual population decline, with particularly elevated deaths since 2017. These extra…
Read MoreSafeguarding California Seamounts for Generations and Generations to Come
In episode 2 of our California Seamounts Series, viewers experience the rough topography of the seamounts and the incredible marine life that lives there. Like the Sierra Mountains, the seamounts have steep cliffs, valleys, deep gorges, and broad plateaus. These seamounts are havens for life from their base to summit. Scientists believe that seamount…
Read MoreThe California Seamount Series!
Featured Picture: A Dumbo octopus (Grimpoteuthis sp.) swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. Photo credit: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research. Today, we release the first in a series of short videos and multi-media stories about a unique place in U.S. oceans — huge underwater mountains, called seamounts. Rising from the deep, dark seafloor…
Read MoreCalling on Marine Scientists to Support Protecting at least 30% of the Ocean by 2030 (30×30)
By Lance Morgan, President at Marine Conservation Institute There is growing scientific evidence and support for protecting at least 30% of the planet. The 2019 report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) highlights the dire future of biodiversity on our planet if we do not act decisively now. Seagrass beds,…
Read More