200 years ago, people discovered Antarctica – and promptly began profiting by slaughtering some of its animals to near extinction
For 200 years, a small number of countries have exploited the marine wildlife of Antarctica, often with devastating impact on their populations.
Nov. 13, 2020 • ~8 min
climate-change 1960s china extinction fisheries antarctica russia fishing south-korea japan blood germany whales chile unilever sea-ice southern-ocean norway environmental-movement whaling great-britain international-whaling-commission antarctic-krill margarine holland public-attitudes resource-extraction antarctic-peninsula
Expanding marine protected areas by 5% could boost fish yields by 20% – but there's a catch
Most existing MPAs are in distant and largely empty waters. Expanding them where it counts will meet a lot of resistance.
Oct. 27, 2020 • ~7 min
fisheries overfishing fishing marine-protected-areas marine-conservation fish-stocks
Restoring seagrasses can bring coastal bays back to life
Healthy seagrasses form underwater meadows teeming with fish and shellfish. A successful large-scale restoration project in Virginia could become a model for reseeding damaged seagrass beds worldwide.
Oct. 20, 2020 • ~11 min
climate-change ecology fisheries water-pollution coasts ecosystem-services coastal-development oceans atlantic-ocean virginia seagrass ecological-restoration seagrass-meadows
When dams cause more problems than they solve, removing them can pay off for people and nature
Thousands of dams across the US are aging and overdue for maintenance. Taking them down can revive rivers, restore fish runs and create new opportunities for tourism and outdoor activities.
May 29, 2020 • ~9 min
climate-change water flooding fisheries dams rivers ecosystem-recovery california maine hydropower
Coastal fish populations didn't crash after the Deepwater Horizon spill – why not?
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill caused widespread damage in the Gulf of Mexico, but some parts of this complex ecosystem fared better than others.
April 16, 2020 • ~9 min
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Scientists have found oil from the Deepwater Horizon blowout in fishes' livers and on the deep ocean floor
The Deepwater Horizon oil disaster catalyzed a decade of research on oil contamination in the Gulf of Mexico, from surface waters to the seabed, with surprising findings.
April 13, 2020 • ~10 min
fisheries water-pollution marine-biology deepwater-horizon gulf-of-mexico bp-oil-spill marine-science marine-snow hydrocarbons
Tagging data show that blue sharks are true globalists
You won't see a blue shark near the beach, but thanks to 50 years of tagging data, scientists are learning about their wide-ranging lives at sea.
March 24, 2020 • ~5 min
fisheries sharks noaa oceans marine-biology tagging significant-figures
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