Executive Summary for August 10, 2018
In our weekly roundup, an innovative way to fight algae smothering coral reefs, predicting where fishing vessels will go on the high seas and tracking coral history back to the Jurassic.
Executive Summaries
Executive Summary for August 3, 2018
In our weekly news roundup, scientists find that degrading ocean plastics emit greenhouse gases, an environmental group sues to protect critically endangered orcas and an 87-year-old sea temperature record is shattered in San Diego.
Executive Summary for July 27, 2018
In our weekly news roundup, scientists find that only 13 percent of the ocean remains “wilderness,” a U.S. court orders a seafood ban to protect an endangered porpoise and researchers produce a map of red flags for seafood supply chains.
Executive Summary for July 20, 2018
In our weekly roundup, we report on news that deep coral reefs may not be “refuges” for shallow reefs as hoped and a new robotic device that can help scientists study deep-sea jellyfish.
Executive Summary for July 13, 2018
In our weekly news roundup, we report on the United Nations’ recent biennial assessment of global fish stocks, Starbucks’ announcement that it’s getting rid of plastic straws and a decision by major krill fishing companies to avoid a sensitive region in Antarctica.
Executive Summary for July 6, 2018
In this week’s roundup, we report on a call to reconsider the future of oil rigs in the North Sea, the increasing struggle to fight coastal “dead zones” as seas warm and how European firms are profiting from U.S. offshore wind energy plans.
Executive Summary for June 29, 2018
In our weekly roundup, we report on a conservation win for Belize’s coral reef system, the effects of warming in the Arctic and two new studies that revisit the ecological consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Executive Summary for June 22, 2018
In our weekly roundup, we report on President Trump’s new ocean order, the effect of China’s plastic recycling import ban and new protections for deep-sea corals.
Executive Summary for June 15, 2018
In our weekly roundup, we report on the pace of ocean deoxygenation, an investigation into seafood mislabeling and debates about the sustainability of forage fish.
Executive Summary for June 8, 2018
In our weekly news roundup, we report on momentum to eliminate plastic waste, a new study showing that high seas fishing is largely unprofitable, and a creative experiment from Microsoft to build its latest data center underwater.
Executive Summary for June 1, 2018
In our weekly summary, we report on the European Commission’s proposed plastics law, the death toll from Japan’s whale hunts and the International Maritime Organization’s interest in regulating autonomous ships.
Executive Summary for May 25, 2018
In this week’s update, we report on progress for U.S. offshore wind, a push to ban reef-harming sunscreens and new marine protections in the Philippines.
Executive Summary for May 18, 2018
In this week’s news roundup, we report on the challenges for the next generation of coral scientists, changes ahead for North American fisheries and a funding boost for Saildrone, the California-based manufacturer of autonomous ocean drones.
Executive Summary for May 11, 2018
In this week’s roundup, we report on progress toward protecting the Gulf of Mexico’s corals, a new insight into what is killing great white sharks and a study that shows how warm oceans fuel intense Atlantic hurricanes.
Executive Summary for May 4, 2018
In our weekly news roundup, we report on why Hawaii is banning some sunscreens to save corals, the world’s first floating nuclear power plant and a new study measuring global beach erosion.
Executive Summary for April 27, 2018
In this week’s roundup, we write about the status of President Trump’s NOAA nominee, a new study showing surprising levels of plastic pollution in Arctic sea ice, and the world’s longest penguin dives.
Executive Summary for April 20, 2018
In this week’s summary, we report on several large marine species moving north as waters warm, a new discovery that could help recycle more plastic and a surprising analysis that shows not all ocean news coverage is ‘doom and gloom.’
Executive Summary for April 13, 2018
In this week’s news roundup, we report on the negotiations to cut shipping industry carbon emissions, the increasing frequency of marine heat waves, and a study that finds anemone-dwelling fish will face trouble as oceans warm.
Executive Summary for April 6, 2018
In our weekly summary, we report on the value of coral reefs in protecting coasts, a new method of underwater navigation and predictions for ice-free Arctic summers.
Executive Summary for March 30, 2018
In this week’s roundup, we report on a lawsuit challenging a marine monument created by President Obama, a new out-there idea to save parts of the Great Barrier Reef, and a study that looks at how commercially important fish could shrink in size as waters warm.
Executive Summary for March 23, 2018
In our weekly news roundup, we report on activists pushing Starbucks to reduce plastic use, a marine heat wave that was deadly for seagrass and increasing conflicts in efforts to protect North Atlantic right whales.
Executive Summary for March 16, 2018
In this week’s roundup, we report on a real-life simulation of how coral reefs will handle climate change and look at the practice of fishing vessels turning off public tracking systems.
Executive Summary for March 9, 2018
In our weekly summary, we report on The Economist World Ocean Summit, a new economic analysis of offshore drilling and a study that shows how marine reserves help fishing.
Executive Summary for March 2, 2018
In our weekly summary, we report on new marine protected areas in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, some sad news for endangered North Atlantic right whales and a new study that calculates the millions of dollars saved when beaches are clean.
Executive Summary for February 23, 2018
In our weekly news summary, we report on the effectiveness of plastic bottle deposits, warming trends around the Galapagos Islands and the Trump administration’s upcoming oil and gas bonanza in the Gulf of Mexico.
Executive Summary for February 16, 2018
In our weekly summary, we report on an Antarctic mission to explore an ancient marine ecosystem, a long-term research study investigating the mysteries of blue whale songs and a legal victory for Arctic seals threatened by climate change.
Executive Summary for February 9, 2018
This week’s executive summary reports on January’s record low for polar sea ice, a new discovery of skates warming their eggs on hydrothermal vents and the shipping industry’s move to reduce air pollution.
Executive Summary for February 2, 2018
In this week’s news roundup, we report on a new tool to assess human rights abuses in fisheries, protections for sensitive deep sea corals from fishing and a study that shows why polar bear populations are rapidly declining.
Executive Summary for January 26, 2018
In this week’s roundup, we report on a hidden new virus found in seawater, controversy over the Australia government’s plan to address threats to the Great Barrier Reef and United States protections for two charismatic sea species.
Executive Summary for January 19, 2018
In our weekly news roundup, 2017 was the warmest year on record for the ocean, some big brands pledge to reduce plastic packaging and there’s a big oil slick spreading near China.
Executive Summary for January 12, 2018
In our weekly news summary, we report on a global survey of how people view the state of the ocean, Belize’s rejection of offshore drilling and a researchers who recreated an marine ecosystem in an aquarium tank.
Executive Summary for January 5, 2018
In our weekly news summary, we report on the Trump administration’s unprecedented offshore drilling proposal, a new historic temperature record of the global ocean and a project that aims to help scale-up coral restoration efforts.
Executive Summary for December 29, 2017
In this weekly roundup, we report on an important milestone for protecting biodiversity on the high seas, a Sea Shepherd campaign to save the endangered vaquita porpoise and the end to a long-running protest against British Columbia salmon farms.
Executive Summary for December 22, 2017
In this week’s roundup, we report on a case of scientific misconduct involving a high-profile plastic pollution study, a decision by Chile to limit bottom trawling, and a Greenpeace effort to pinpoint brands associated with beach litter.
Executive Summary for December 15, 2017
In this week’s roundup, we report on the latest warming trends in the Arctic, how efficiently one marine organism shreds up plastic bags, and a new U.S. effort to overcome technological barriers to offshore wind development.
Executive Summary for December 8, 2017
In our weekly roundup, we report on an international resolution to fight plastic pollution, new data that charts the rise of global aquaculture, and research showing marine mammals are probably more stressed out than you are.
Executive Summary for December 1, 2017
In our weekly roundup, we report on a call from the Sustainable Ocean Summit for the business community to be involved in ocean issues, plus the reasons why the U.S. lags behind in aquaculture. Also: a new species of fish that lives at the greatest depths ever recorded.
Executive Summary for November 24, 2017
In our weekly roundup, we report on the expected creation of the largest marine reserve in North America, an increase in fishing quotas for the prized Atlantic bluefin tuna and concerns that Brexit was oversold as an easy fix for U.K. coastal fishing communities.
Executive Summary for November 17, 2017
In our weekly roundup, we report on a big decision for a little fish in the Atlantic Ocean, why geoengineering could cause more hurricanes and what climate change means for the marine life of Pacific island nations.
Executive Summary for November 10, 2017
In our weekly roundup, we report on climate change’s threat to endangered North Atlantic right whales, Coca-Cola’s pledges to reduce plastic pollution and innovative ways to cope with jellyfish blooms.