Dear Deeply Readers,
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.
We continue to produce events and special projects while we explore where the on-site journalism goes next. If you’d like to reach us with feedback or ideas for collaboration you can do so at [email protected].
Exploring national and international efforts to protect broad swathes of the world’s oceans to preserve the biodiversity of the seas from overfishing, pollution and climate change.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
Jennifer McHenry PhD Student, Florida State University
Heather Welch Researcher in Ecosystem Dynamics, University of California
Marine mammals, sea turtles and other species don’t always stay within the boundaries of ocean reserves. Two scientists say marine preserves should be designed with enough flexibility to extend protections to where animals migrate.
Roberta Elias Deputy Director for Ocean Policy, World Wildlife Fund
Whitley Saumweber Ocean Policy Consultant
We must reorient our ocean management to adapt to new climate realities, say Whitley Saumweber, former ocean and coastal adviser to President Obama, and Roberta Elias of the World Wildlife Fund.
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.
A coalition hopes to achieve a network of marine protected areas in the vast Southern Ocean by 2020. Earle argues that the health of the planet itself is at stake.
Kimberley Davies Postdoctoral Research Associate, Dalhousie University
The need for new protections for North Atlantic right whales in Canada’s Gulf of St. Lawrence underscore these animals’ dire situation – and how little we still know about them.
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.
A 2016 expedition near Bermuda found new species and biological communities thriving on the seabed relatively near shore. Alex Rogers, science director of the Nekton Oxford Deep Ocean Exploration Institute, says the discovery shows how little we know about marine life.
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.
Scientists modeled projected increases in ocean temperatures through the end of the century and found that even the largest and well-protected marine reserves will not blunt the impact of climate change on biodiversity.
As the world’s marine ecosystems face increasing threats, scientists disagree on whether the trend toward huge, remote reserves is a promising new development or a worrisome distraction.
Environmentalists in Mexico have fought the recent relocation of a coral reef to make way for bigger ships in the Port of Veracruz. They worry about the ecosystem impacts of the port expansion and the precedent it sets for uprooting corals.
'Aulani Wilhelm Senior Vice President, Center for Oceans at Conservation International
Coral reefs are vital marine ecosystems, but time is running out to protect them from climate change. The only way to stave off a coral catastrophe, says ‘Aulani Wilhelm of Conservation International, is to scale up marine protected areas – and fast.
The Nature Conservancy’s Rob Weary explains how the group brokered an innovative financing deal that could serve as a model for ocean protection in island developing nations.
With more nations considering creating shark sanctuaries, new research shows that strict fishing bans can help predator populations recover rapidly, as has been the case on a remote Australian reef.
While changing ocean and sea ice conditions are hurting some of Antarctica’s Adelie penguins, a newly discovered “supercolony” of 1.5 million offers new information to guide marine conservation.
Sound not vision: Hydroacoustics allowed a single researcher to survey the fish population of a 17,600-acre preserve in Mexico in days. The technology could help small island states that are creating big marine protected areas but lack the resources to monitor them.
Oceans Deeply talks with three experts in the fields of marine conservation, aquaculture and shipping about the big issues on their plate for the coming year.
The ocean may cover more than 70 percent of the planet, but it doesn’t get covered nearly enough in the news. Oceans Deeply launched in June to help fill that gap. Catch up on our coverage during a busy year for ocean health.
The Revillagigedo Archipelago National Park puts 57,176 square miles of the Pacific Ocean off limits to commercial fishing – and comes with funding to enforce the ban. But patrolling an area the size of Illinois, which is rich in unique marine life, will be a challenge.
Jessica Meeuwig Marine Scientist
More than 1,200 scientists from 45 countries have signed a petition calling on the Australian government to reverse a proposal to allow commercial fishing in marine protected areas, calling the action scientifically flawed.
Conservationists are deploying ROVs to capture photos and videos of unknown deep-ocean animals off Southern California in an effort to build support to put 16,000 square miles of the seafloor off-limits to destructive fishing practices.
Scientists and policymakers say it’s not enough to create huge marine protected areas – ocean reserves must effectively limit fishing and other human activities to avoid becoming ‘paper parks.’
David Obura Adjunct Fellow, Global Change Institute
Kenya’s marine resources are declining, but they could be one of the nation’s most valuable assets as long as it follows through on its sustainable development commitments, writes David Obura of the University of Queensland.
As the International Seabed Authority moves to permit the mining of unique deep-sea habitats, calls grow for it to disclose secretive deliberations about the environmental consequences of extracting valuable minerals from the ocean floor.
Canada’s forthcoming Lancaster Sound conservation area would ban resource extraction while allowing local Inuit communities to benefit from hunting, fishing and tourism.
Scientist Tim O’Hara and an international research team made worldwide headlines when they returned from a deep-sea expedition with bizarre species that live at the bottom of the ocean off Australia.
Information on marine conditions is vital to ocean preservation efforts. A new study of five years of data collected by the Ocean Health Index reaches some surprising conclusions.
Andrew Sharpless Chief Executive Officer, Oceana
Oceana chief executive Andrew Sharpless says advocates need to pay close attention because lawmakers are quietly attempting to gut protections for marine ecosystems.
Jorge Alberto Angulo-Valdes Holds an Associated Faculty Position, CIM-UH
THE CONVERSATION: The two nations are separated by just 103 miles of ocean, but have been adversaries for almost 60 years. One researcher believes that cooperation between marine researchers in Cuba and the U.S. can help build a diplomatic bridge.
South Pacific nations that control large areas of the ocean are creating huge marine reserves to combat illegal fishing, protect coral reefs and ensure the survival of ancient cultures.
In the first of our new series “Ocean Elders,” celebrated oceanographer Sylvia Earle delivers an urgent message to the world about overfishing, climate change, pollution and other threats to the health of the ocean: Wake up and take action!
An international study finds that protecting huge swathes of the ocean offers the best chance to save coral reefs, marine life and coastal areas vital to human health from the impacts of global warming.
Martin Sommerkorn, who heads up the conservation arm of the World Wildlife Fund’s Arctic Program, says that while we may not know exactly how Arctic marine ecosystems will be altered with climate change, building linked networks of Marine Protected Areas can help them adapt to future climate change.
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