Oceans

Explainer

Overfishing Harms the Environment. Is There a Way Out?

Commercial fishing is destroying ecosystems around the world. Is anything being done about it?

Climate•10 min read

Solutions

Fishing the Ocean’s Twilight Zone Comes at a High Cost

Though there is no moratorium, fishing the mesopelagic layer remains out of bounds.

Climate•7 min read

Solutions

Overfishing Threatens More Than Ocean Life. It’s Also Fueling Emissions.

Just by ending the practice of overfishing, we could store the same amount of carbon as 6.5 million acres of forest each year.

Climate•5 min read

Explainer

How Ocean Pollution Affects Humans and Marine Life Alike

Humans who eat seafood are also eating their own waste.

Climate•8 min read

Explainer

The Problem of Bycatch and How It Harms Marine Life, Explained

Commercial fishing decimates coral reefs and endangered species alike — but can it be stopped?

Climate•9 min read

Explainer

Whale Hunting Still Exists in 3 Countries, but It Is Declining

Despite decreasing demand for whale meat and dwindling populations, the hunt for whales continues.

Climate•10 min read

Reported

Iceland Decides Not to Ban Whaling After All, Despite “Horrific” Methods

Iceland's government has declined to ban whaling, putting it at odds with advocates and public opinion.

Climate•5 min read

Reported

Seafood Is Extremely Vulnerable to Climate Change, Study Finds

Over 90 percent of food harvested from marine and freshwater environments is at risk, challenging the idea that “blue food” is more sustainable.

Climate•5 min read

Reported

Industrial Fishing Harms More Than Just Marine Life

From dwindling fish to decimated communities in the Global South, nothing about the growing demand for seafood is sustainable.

Climate•5 min read

Reported

Offshore Wind Isn’t to Blame for Whale Deaths

Dominion Energy is working with federal agencies and marine life advocates to ensure offshore wind doesn’t harm vulnerable right whales.

Climate•8 min read

Reported

How to Save the North Atlantic Right Whale

There are ways to reduce risk to dwindling right whale populations, but only if lawmakers and industry have the will to take action.

Climate•4 min read

Reported

High Seas Treaty: 5 Pressing Issues Facing the World’s Oceans

Almost 200 nations have pledged to protect the high seas — but what does that mean for world oceans and the so-called blue food economy?

Climate•6 min read

Explainer

How Many Sharks Are Killed Each Year?

Around 100 million sharks are killed each year across the globe, often for their fins and cartilage.

Climate•7 min read

Reported

Besieged by Sargassum, Caribbean Islanders Are Looking for Solutions

Sargassum provides habitat for hundreds of species and food for turtles. But when it chokes the coastline, it’s a sea-life killer that smothers shallow-water habitats.

Climate•4 min read

Analysis

Danger Looms Where Toxic Algae Blooms

Animal agriculture is the primary source of nutrient pollution to Great Lakes waters. Yet billions spent on clean up strategies aren't working.

Climate•19 min read

Analysis

Overfishing Urgently Needs Reeling in to Cope With Climate Change

Researchers say officials must do more to curb overfishing, including curtailing industrial fishing to protect marine life.

Climate•6 min read

Reported

The Oceans Are Under Attack. What Can We Do to Protect Them?

Even the most protected parts of the ocean “allow for some degree of extractive use, and some are even completely open to commercial fisheries.”

Climate•7 min read

Perspective

Saving the Planet While Ignoring Two-Thirds of It

While most of the climate crisis attention is focused on land, many of the best fixes lie in the oceans. Perhaps it's time to think of the oceans in a…

Climate•6 min read

Analysis

Consumers Play Critical Role in Protecting the Oceans

Over 20 ocean conservation and animal welfare organizations have signed an open letter urging consumers to focus on improving aquatic animal welfare and preserving marine ecosystems.

Climate•9 min read

Explainer

The Number One Threat to Marine Animals

Human activity is threatening marine animals' way of life. Instead of asking ourselves how we can fish more sustainably, we should ask what we need to do to ensure their…

Climate•12 min read

Explainer

How the Hunt for Shark Fins Is Endangering the Oceans

The shark fin trade claims the lives of 73 million sharks per year. What exactly is shark finning, and why does is it pose such a danger to the oceans?

Climate•9 min read

Perspective

Seaspiracy Co-Star Jonathan Balcombe Gives His Take on the Film

Jonathan Balcombe, Ph.D., author of What a Fish Knows and Super Fly and co-star of the controversial new Netflix documentary, Seaspiracy, shares his thoughts on the film.

Climate•1 min read

Perspective

Seaspiracy: What the Fishing Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know

Before audiences had gotten a chance to see the new documentary, the fishing industry was already dismissing it as “vegan propaganda.” Remind us again who the propagandists are?

Climate•6 min read

Perspective

The Challenges of Reporting at Sea

We spoke with Pulitzer Prize winner Ian Urbina and investigators Lex Rigby and Pete Paxton about their experience documenting the commercial fishing industry.

Climate•2 min read

Perspective

We Need to Protect Marine Life Before It Disappears

Seas and oceans cover 71 percent of the world’s surface and provide diverse habitats for a variety of marine life. Protecting them is essential for the future of life on…

Climate•15 min read

Perspective

A Conservationist’s Guide to Protecting the Oceans

Humans are the major driver of biodiversity collapse in the oceans. Stronger radar, bigger nets, and faster ships have allowed fishing vessels to plunder the oceans with remarkable efficiency.

Climate•6 min read

Perspective

The Coasts Are Disappearing. We Need to Protect Them for Everyone.

Climate change is causing sea levels to rise and coasts to disappear. Can we protect these vital ecosystems for humans and other animals at the same time?

Climate•5 min read

Reported

Human Consumption Isn’t the Only Threat to Marine Life

Animal species are facing one of the greatest threats to their existence: Human activity leading to the inevitable presence of microplastics in the world’s oceans.

Climate•5 min read

Reported

Right Whales Are Adapting to Warmer Waters

In the midst of some really bad climate news, here's a story about animals adapting to the changing climate. North Atlantic right whales are summering hundreds of miles further north…

Climate•1 min read

Perspective

Read This Book: Eye of the Shoal by Helen Scales

The average seafloor is about 12,000 feet below the surface. That’s 90 to 99% of Earth’s livable space, underwater. Diving even deep into the biosphere, Helen Scales’ Eye of the Shoal:…

Climate•1 min read

Analysis

65% of Earth Is Unexplored

The extent of human impact on these underwater ecosystems is impressive. Still, we've only mapped 5 percent of the world's seafloor in any detail. Excluding dry land, that leaves about…

Climate•1 min read