Marine Sanctuary

MPAs Could Help Oceans Recover

“We are at a point where we can choose between a legacy of a resilient and vibrant ocean or an irreversibly disrupted ocean,” Carlos Duarte, a marine biologists at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia and lead author of the new research, said in a statement.

Data Show Ocean Monuments Make a Positive Difference for Fishing

The commercial fishing industry had opposed the creation of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, saying that prohibiting commercial fishing in the two areas would cripple the industry. But according to Brad Sewell, oceans attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, two years after designating those protected areas, the numbers tell a different story.

U.S. Federal Budget Not Dolphin Friendly

Also, it seems like every consecutive generation is called upon to once again Save the Whales (and Flipper). Donald Trump’s budget would also eliminate the only independent federal agency dedicated solely to protecting our fellow mammals who live and dwell in and on the sea including: whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, sea lions, sea otters, manatees, walruses and polar bears.

Hippocratic Oath For Ocean Protections?

The marine environment globally is challenged by a number of factors, including environmental degradation, habitat destruction, overfishing, and climate change, so there is a real need for protection. Under the Convention on Biological Diversity, the international community has agreed that we will protect 10 percent of the oceans in marine protected areas by 2020.

Pollution reaches the Mariana Trench

The amphipods were contaminated with PCBs — polychlorinated biphenyls — toxic chemicals used for decades in industry, as well as other industrial pollutants known as persistent organic pollutants.

“Every sample we had,” Jamieson says, “had contaminants in it at very high or extraordinarily high levels.”

NOAA Nominates Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary

“There is tremendous potential for good here,” said Fred Collins, Administrator of the Northern
Chumash Tribal Council. “A Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary will preserve and recognize
the importance of our tribal history, safeguard our shared coastal resources, and open new doors
for research and economic growth. We hope to move forward to designation as soon as possible.”