Posts Tagged ‘United States’
UPDATE: Florida Keys and Oculina Coral Reefs
Florida’s abundant and diverse marine life – snappers, groupers, sharks, marlin, sea turtles, manatees – and special habitats like the Florida Keys coral reefs have made it an important destination for millions of visitors and new residents for decades. But these rich marine and coastal ecosystems are fraying at the edges or in sharp decline…
Read MoreFirst Time That 50 Largest US Marine Protected Areas Assessed for Effectiveness Using Rigorous Scientific Criteria; Almost 100% of US MPA ‘Eggs’ Are in One Basket in the Central Pacific
Effective Marine Conservation in US Is Not Representative; Most Regions Have Close to Zero Area Effectively Protected [Seattle, Washington, USA, May 18, 2022] One way humanity can harness the ocean to fight climate change and reverse the ongoing crisis in biodiversity and loss of species –though not the only way- is to establish effective marine…
Read MoreThe U.S. Wants to Save 30% of the Ocean. But Real Conservation Will Take More than Numbers—Here’s How
How to address catastrophic climate disruption? How to approach our treatment of nature? These are important choices that the US faces. For over 150 years, American conservation efforts have seesawed between strict protection of unique, natural places and an approach that can be summarized as ‘multiple use’ or ‘sustainable use’. Thinkers and conservationists like Henry…
Read MoreThe Geographic Range of Sea Otters and The Future of Populations Along the California Coast
Blog by: Annette Lee, Development and Communications Intern Featured Image: Morgan Rector Brief Overview of the Sea Otter Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are a charismatic marine species that are among some of the smallest marine mammals but have a larger body size when compared to their fresh-water dwelling relatives, the river otters. Sea otters are known for their incredibly dense…
Read MoreHope on the Horizon in the High Seas
Blog by: Emily Nocito, MS – Blue Parks Intern In September 2019 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, painting a picture of calamity on the horizon. This report, composed of over 100 scientists from 30+ countries, tackled a variety of issues…
Read MoreCan Divers be Conservationists? This SCUBA instructor is on a mission to bridge ocean protection and recreation
Blog by: Caitlin McCall, Blue Parks Ambassador Blue Parks Ambassadors are ocean champions across the world and diverse spheres who care deeply about safeguarding life in the sea. They help us build support for Blue Parks by communicating the value of these special places for revitalizing the health of the ocean. Here, ambassador Caitlin McCall…
Read MoreHow Fishing Communities Use Locally Managed Marine Areas to Combat the Effects of Climate Change
Blog by: Arianna Trapp, Blue Parks Science Intern Featured Image: Fishing in Fiji by Tom Vierus Most large, well-known marine protected areas (MPAs) are located in developed, financially stable countries where central governance and ample budgets for management are common. However, the top-down, centrally managed structure of many of these MPAs doesn’t work everywhere, particularly…
Read MoreAre Fish Aggregating Devices just a FAD?
Blog by: Lindsay Brubaker, Blue Parks Science Intern Featured Image: A view from below of a fish aggregating device (FAD). Wade Fairey Fish Aggregating Devices—called FADs—result in five times more bycatch than other fishing methods, and lost FADs become ghost gear, costing millions of dollars in cleanup efforts in fragile ecosystems. These floating ocean objects…
Read MoreA Blue Park in a Changing Climate: New studies explore the successes and challenges of managing the Channel Islands MPAs in the face of a warming ocean
By Eleri Griffiths, Blue Parks Intern Featured Image: The Channel Islands MPA network is located in the Southern California Bight off the coast of southern California. It covers over 3,800 km2 of coastal and ocean waters and includes seagrass beds, kelp forests and coral gardens. The islands’ sandy beaches and rock formations are home to…
Read MoreMarine Conservation Institute Releases SeaStates US 2017
Our Marine Protection Atlas (MPAtlas.org) team has released its annual review of US marine protection levels for 2017. They update the SeaStates US report annually to ensure it is the most rigorous, quantitative, and topical accounting of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the waters of US coastal states and territories. First published in 2013, the reports…
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