Posts Tagged ‘Ocean 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 MoreMystery in The Deep: How Models Can Help Us Understand the Full Impact of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Featured Picture: A host of squat lobsters and brittle stars adorn a large pair of Paramuricea corals at a depth of 3,200 feet in the Gulf of Mexico. Photo courtesy of Ocean Exploration Trust and ECOGIG. By Samuel Georgian, Marine Biogeographer at Marine Conservation Institute Given the depth of the spill, it should not be surprising…
Read MoreWho Needs the Deep-Sea, Anyway?
Featured Picture: Life is both weird and beautiful in the deep ocean. Here, a Schaefer’s Anglerfish (Sladenia shaefersi) uses modified fins to walk along the seafloor in search of prey. Photo courtesy of NOAA. By Samuel Georgian, Marine Biogeographer at Marine Conservation Institute The deep sea is so remote that many people are completely unaware of…
Read MoreMalpelo: A Blue Park Exploding with Life
Featured Picture: Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary. Photo courtesy of Ramón Pulido. By Sebastian Nicholls, Blue Parks Ambassador. Surrounded by mangroves that grow on low-lying islands and the mainland coast, the Port of Buenaventura bustles with activity—it’s a gateway to that largest of oceans, the Pacific, and the diverse wildlife that calls the Colombian Pacific…
Read More20 Ocean Places for Your 2020 Bucket List
To get 2020 off to a bang we thought we would provide you with some suggestions of places that you should know more about. These are some of the very best protected areas in the ocean or areas deserving stronger protection. They all need your support. Not every place thrives with human access, and some…
Read MoreHow Marine Protected Areas are Safeguarding Our Ocean’s Vulnerable Top Predators
By GLORES Science Intern, Abbie Dosell Sharks are an essential part of marine ecosystems, asserting top-down control that maintains ecosystem balance. However, these beloved predators are consistently threatened by fisheries bycatch, pollution, habitat loss and shark finning. Shark finning alone is estimated to be responsible for the deaths of 73 million sharks annually. Sharks and…
Read MoreGLORES Partner Spotlight: Global Ocean Trust
We are thrilled to shine this week’s Global Ocean Refuge System (GLORES) Partner Spotlight on Global Ocean Trust! Global Ocean Trust (GOT) focuses on finding innovative finance mechanisms for better ocean governance and promotes science-based solutions to ocean issues. GOT works through international partnerships to establish marine protected areas representing diverse ecosystems around the globe. GOT helps…
Read MoreScaling Up the Blue Economy and Breaking Down Barriers to Ocean Conservation
I had the great pleasure of participating in The Economist’s World Ocean Summit earlier this month with nearly 400 other ocean stakeholders and conservation leaders. The meeting, billed as an opportunity to learn more about commitments made by businesses and governments to advance the “Blue Economy”, was a chance to check in on progress made…
Read MoreThe Global Wave Conference Inspires New Ocean Messages
The 5th Global Wave Conference in Santa Cruz united diverse groups in the ocean conservation community around a common objective, “to inspire, to inform, and to equip for action.” Speakers at the Save the Waves and Surfrider led event engaged many ocean issues, from plastic pollution to climate change impacts, with a focus on awareness raising…
Read MoreMarine Conservation Institute Announces Ocean Experts Joining the Global Ocean Refuge System Science Council
Seattle, WA—April 19, 2017—Marine Conservation Institute announced today the members of the Global Ocean Refuge System (GLORES) Science Council. The interdisciplinary Science Council is comprised of 23 renowned marine scientists with broad geographic and technical expertise in marine protected areas (MPAs). The Science Council will be responsible for maintaining science-based criteria for Global Ocean Refuges…
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