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Welcome to the archives of Oceans Deeply. While we paused regular publication of the site on September 1, 2018, we are happy to serve as an ongoing public resource on ocean health and economy. We hope you’ll enjoy the reporting and analysis that was produced by our dedicated community of editors and contributors.
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Read features, analysis and in-depth coverage from Oceans Deeply correspondents, including stories about coral reefs, climate change, biodiversity, the economy, innovation and policy issues.
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In June, an expedition set off to explore a poorly understood region of the deep sea near the coasts of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. NOAA expedition coordinator Kasey Cantwell describes the discoveries that surprised scientists.
Farmed Atlantic salmon don’t fare well in the wild. That’s a problem when they escape their pens and breed with vulnerable Atlantic salmon populations, spreading their genes. Scientists are now urging aquaculture companies to consider raising fish that won’t reproduce.
NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch is in the midst of a global project to collect data and assess damage from marine heatwaves that devastated coral reefs worldwide. Scientists hope the data will improve future forecasts, helping ecologists take action before temperature spikes.
As the United Nations prepares to begin negotiations next month on a high seas biodiversity treaty, some scientists and advocates say a spate of recent research supports banning commercial fishing in international waters to protect remote ecosystems.
A 19-year-long study on the impact of bleaching and cyclones on a section of the Great Barrier Reef underscores the challenges of determining what a healthy coral ecosystem looks like in an era of rapidly accelerating climate change.
An extensive survey of the Great Barrier Reef finds that a spike in ocean temperatures in 2016 led to a fall in populations of parrotfish, which keep corals healthy and help them recover from bleaching events by eating harmful algae.
Residents of Skibbereen fear the industrial facility would foul their air and water while adding to ocean plastic pollution. The plant is part of a global plastic factory-building boom driven by cheap natural gas.
A new study finds that industrial fishing vessels flying the flags of wealthy nations are catching the majority of the world’s fish, adding to a growing discussion over how food security and sustainable fishing are connected.
New research shows that snails that prey on coral play a bigger role than realized in coral health. But the good news is that reducing fishing can help keep snail populations in check.
Last year, a bold initiative set out to locate coral reefs most likely to survive global warming. That turned out to be far easier said than done – but now scientists hope the results will rally attention to regions where there’s hope to save crucial marine ecosystems.
Faced with a 2020 deadline, the International Seabed Authority has a daunting challenge in completing regulations that will fulfill its mandate to allow the mining of deep-sea ecosystems for minerals while protecting unique marine habitats.
With one of the ocean’s iconic predators globally threatened, a shark tagging program off the shores of Long Island is an effort to understand behaviors of young in a marine region where their numbers may be increasing.
The Taiwanese government is starting to listen to its critics as it works to improve monitoring of conditions for foreign workers on its large long-distance tuna fishing fleet. But local and international labor advocates say reforms aren’t happening quickly enough.
When glossing over who marine plastic pollution really will affect by averaging risk, we may ignore harms to vulnerable populations, says Max Liboiron, a researcher who runs the Civic Laboratory for Environmental Action Research in Canada.
As the International Seabed Authority meets to debate environmental regulations for the extraction of minerals from fragile ocean habitats, the debate grows between nations and corporations favoring mining and scientists concerned about irreversible impacts.
Near the coast of Japan, the annual spawning ritual of the normally elusive deep-sea creatures attracts the attention of fishers and scientists. Despite years of study, no one fully understands how or why they bioluminesce.
As foreign-owned fishmeal factories proliferate in West Africa to supply feed for overseas aquaculture operations, prices for a key staple of the local diet are skyrocketing and Gambian fishers find it increasingly hard to compete against industrialized trawlers.
With data from 1,800 tropical coral reefs, new research weighs in on an ongoing conservation debate: whether it’s better to preserve marine areas that are still pristine or those that need the most protection.
Bermuda is home to one of the highest-latitude coral reefs in the world, and scientists there are working to decode the keys to its health as climate change devastates reefs elsewhere.
In the wake of catastrophic bleaching events, scientists find that coral cover on the world’s biggest reef system is near record lows, while other research shows recovery will be “slow and painful” as only a tiny number of coral larvae are repopulating devastated reefs.
As sea ice disappears and more ships ply routes like the Northwest Passage in the late summer, better safety and conservation measures will be needed to protect marine mammals, scientists say.
Researchers say the effects of more frequent and intense weather would hit hardest in developing countries that rely on fishing for livelihoods and sustenance. But few have studied the potential catastrophic impacts on global fisheries – or the potential solutions.
In a lab, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy recently produced 5g of yellowcake from uranium collected from the ocean. Scientists hope to test the technology in the Gulf of Mexico next – but it is still far from being commercially viable.
Researchers hope tagging efforts will yield new insights into mantas’ life cycle and behavior, including their migration from what could be the first confirmed nursery for juveniles in the Gulf of Mexico.
A hotly debated study that found a big decline in fish populations over the past decade comes as the government proposes to open up some marine protected areas to recreational and commercial fishing.
In India’s Gulf of Mannar, more than a decade of efforts have spurred a slow recovery of coral reefs that protect the coast and feed communities. But climate change has reversed that success.
Researchers studied more than 200 tropical reefs and found that few will grow fast enough to keep pace with higher water levels due to climate change. This means the reefs won’t be able to break destructive waves that can wreak havoc on coastal communities.
Fair trade doesn’t always mean fair transport, unions say, as the International Labour Organization debates a minimum wage increase for the shipping industry. Better treatment of workers could also have environmental benefits, they argue.
Researchers have found that the top layer of coral reefs prevents $4 billion in flood damage annually by breaking up waves that propel destructive storm surges. As storms increase in frequency and force, reefs play a crucial role in protecting coastal property.
Global Fishing Watch is using satellites to monitor brightly lit fishing vessels at night, adding to its ability to monitor a growing portion of the world’s commercial fleet. The goal: to help crack down on illegal fishing and make seafood more sustainable.
On the Greek isle of Santorini, fishers, divers, scientists, government officials and environmentalists have devised their own plan to preserve the marine ecology of the waters surrounding an island dependent on fishing and tourism.
Utila, a Honduran island in the Caribbean Sea, is transforming the plastic trash that washes up on its beaches into material used to build roads, an increasingly popular use for marine pollution.
Thousands of people are expected to attend the March for the Ocean in Washington, D.C., this Saturday to draw attention to offshore drilling, plastic pollution and other issues in advance of the November election.
As fishers on Wasini Island began seeing the effects of coral ecosystem degradation, including declining catches, they revived an age-old tradition of conservation to replant and protect their reef.
Put your tray tables and seat backs in an upright position and prepare to go plastic-free. Alaska Airlines becomes the first U.S. carrier to replace plastic stir straws on its flights with sustainable alternatives, as the campaign against single-use plastic grows.
The Carnegie Airborne Observatory spent 16 days flying over a region devastated by hurricanes, using advanced tools to discover the extent of coral reef cover and assess its condition. The data will help with coral restoration efforts.
Coastal predators are increasingly living in habitats beyond their traditional niches – a sign, a new paper argues, that they may be more resilient than thought.
Regions of the world where scientists have struggled to collect data on ocean health due to geopolitical and safety concerns are becoming accessible by stealthy, seafaring robots.
A lawsuit challenging the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument could undo a decade of ocean protections. But environmentalists say the Trump administration – which is defending the monument in court – is the bigger threat to the unique ecosystem.
As a mysterious but persistent pathogen threatens the last remaining healthy coral ecosystem in the continental United States, researchers are struggling to understand how the disease spreads and to devise ways to stop it.
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