Oceans

Oceanshttps://www.conservation.org/OceansClimate ChangeBiodiversityScienceFinance and Tech urn:uuid:53303513-e1be-47e0-b67f-831bfbb4d736https://www.conservation.org/blog/what-on-earth-is-coral-bleaching OceansWhat on Earth is ‘coral bleaching’?Climate change is happening. And it’s placing the world’s reefs in peril. What can be done?Tue, 23 Sep 2025 13:42:12 ZEditor’s note: From “blue carbon” to “ecosystem services,” environmental jargon is everywhere. Conservation International looks to make sense of it in an explainer series we’re calling “What on Earth?"In this installment, we explore coral bleaching, a crisis impacting the world’s reefs.I keep seeing headlines about coral reefs dying. What’s happening?Climate change is happening. And it’s placing the world’s reefs in peril.In Western Australia, scientists recently reported the worst coral bleaching ever seen, with some reefs losing up to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/aug/12/was-longest-and-most-intense-marine-heatwave-killed-coral-across-1500km-stretch" target="_blank">90 percent</a> of their coral after a long, intense marine heatwave. At the same time, the Great Barrier Reef suffered its <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/australias-great-barrier-reef-suffers-record-coral-decline-following-mass-2025-08-05/?utm_" target="_blank">sharpest coral decline</a> in nearly 40 years, as once-colorful corals turned white and brittle. These disasters are part of a global bleaching crisis that has now affected more than <a href="https://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/satellite/research/coral_bleaching_report.php#:~:text=From%201%20January%202023%20to,is%20the%20biggest%20to%20date." target="_blank">80 percent</a> of reefs around the world.Why does heat cause corals to bleach?Well, remember, corals aren’t just colorful rocks — they’re living things, made of hundreds or thousands of individual animals called polyps. Each polyp is only a few millimeters across and is shaped a bit like a miniature sea anemone.Like most animals, they’re sensitive to big temperature swings. But there’s a strange twist behind the bleaching: Polyps host even tinier organisms inside them — microscopic algae that use sunlight to make food. The algae feed the corals, while the corals give the algae nutrients and shelter.But when the ocean gets too hot, the coral becomes stressed and <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/coral_bleach.html#:~:text=When%20corals%20are%20stressed%20by,are%20due%20to%20warm%20water." target="_blank">ejects the algae</a>. Without the algae, the coral turns ghostly white — i.e. bleaching. If the heat lasts too long, the coral starves and dies.<img src="https://d2iwpl8k086uu2.cloudfront.net/images/default-source/vault-images-s3/ci_51154529_full.jpg?sfvrsn=db2fd521_3" alt="" sf-size="5463967" />© Keith A. EllenbogenDead coral in the Pacific Ocean.What happens to the reef after corals bleach?When a coral bleaches, the polyps inside are either starving or already dead. What’s left behind is a kind of skeleton — the stony structures it built while alive. At first glance, a tourist visiting a famous reef may not even notice the difference, with all the branching structures still in place. But without the living coral, it’s a graveyard.But wait. Coral reefs are home to lots of fish. What happens to all of them?When reefs crumble, vibrant ecosystems vanish with them.In their healthy state, reefs are absolutely teeming with life. Scientists estimate that <a href="https://www.epa.gov/coral-reefs/basic-information-about-coral-reefs#:~:text=geologic%20'mesas'.-,Why%20are%20Coral%20Reefs%20Important?,point%20in%20their%20life%20cycle." target="_blank">a quarter</a> of all marine species depend on reefs at some point in their lives — from schools of colorful fish to vibrant invertebrates, sea turtles, eels, sharks and mantas.Take the reef away, and you lose that abundance. That’s bad for nature, but it’s also bad for people.<img src="https://www.conservation.org/images/default-source/default-album/ci_360048696aa4db3d-4d4e-4268-83fa-d1fff3e2e01b.jpg?sfvrsn=b54cb089_3" alt="" sf-size="14602638" />© Rodolphe Holler Coral reefs support a diversity of marine life.What do coral reefs have to do with people?A lot, actually. For one thing, reefs support fisheries that feed <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/how-are-fisheries-and-coral-reefs-connected" target="_blank">hundreds of millions of people</a> around the world. Many coastal communities rely on reef fish as their main source of protein.Reefs also act like natural seawalls. Their limestone structures break up waves before they hit the shore, helping to protect coastlines from erosion and storm surges. Without them, coastal flooding would be far worse.So, what in the world do we do about it?Look, it’s simple: we have to stop heating the planet.Even a small rise in the Earth’s average temperature makes the oceans much hotter, pushing corals past their limit. Scientists say that in a world warmed by about 1.5 degrees Celsius (nearly 3 degrees Fahrenheit), some reefs might still survive. But at 2 degrees — just a little hotter — 99 percent of reefs would <a href="https://phys.org/news/2025-06-hotter-future-coral-reefs-die.html#:~:text=At%201.5C%20of%20warming,that%20number%20rises%20to%2099%25." target="_blank">likely die off</a>.<img src="https://www.conservation.org/images/default-source/default-album/ci_52477372_full.jpg?sfvrsn=f1b31dac_3" alt="" sf-size="14416197" />© Cristina Mittermeier/sealegacyEven a small increase in temperature can be catastrophic for coral reefs.Excuse me? If it gets hot enough pretty much all reefs could vanish?It’s heartbreaking, but yes.Corals living deeper in the ocean, at cooler depths, are definitely far less likely to bleach than those along the coast. However, they aren’t <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/little-relief-deep-heat-stressed-corals" target="_blank">immune to it</a> and (sorry, more bad news here) they face other urgent threats, like <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/in-high-seas-scientists-see-a-lifeline-for-coral-reefs">deep-sea mining</a>.While remote reefs look very different from their colorful shallow-water counterparts, they are still critical refuges for marine life.In 2024, a Conservation International-funded <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/deep-sea-expedition-reveals-over-100-new-species-in-the-pacific">deep-sea expedition</a> off the coasts of Chile and Peru uncovered a treasure trove of biodiversity (including more than 100 species likely new to science). It’s just one of the many deep sea, coral-laden ecosystems rarely glimpsed by humans — but potentially threatened by heat stress and mining.For years, Conservation International advocated for the recently ratified <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/landmark-high-seas-treaty-reaches-major-milestone">high seas treaty</a>, which will help establish new marine protected areas to shield international waters — and the corals they house — from increasing threats.<img src="https://www.conservation.org/images/default-source/default-album/ci_40916749_full.jpg?sfvrsn=ebfb2494_3" alt="" sf-size="1992790" />© NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research A garden of coral in the Pacific Ocean 2,465 meters (8,090 feet) below the surface.How do we hold the line for coral reefs while the world sorts out climate change?Protecting existing reefs from overfishing and pollution keeps them healthy, while restoration projects can nurse damaged corals back to life.Conservation International is at the forefront of these efforts in the heart of the Asia Pacific’s Coral Triangle — the most <a href="https://www.conservation.org/asia-pacific/blog/a-dose-of-coral-positivity">biodiverse marine region on Earth</a>. Earlier this year, the initiative scored a major win when the government of Indonesia announced a deal to redirect more than US$35 million it owes the United States into coral conservation.This “<a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/landmark-debt-swap-to-protect-indonesias-coral-reefs">debt-for-nature</a>” swap will fund restoration in two key areas of the Coral Triangle: the Bird’s Head and Lesser Sunda-Banda seascapes. Together, these areas harbor three-quarters of the world’s coral species and more than 3,000 kinds of fish, turtles, sharks, whales and dolphins.It’s a powerful reminder that while the threats are grave, healthy reefs — and the vibrant life they support — are still within our reach if we act now.Further reading:<ul><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/landmark-high-seas-treaty-reaches-major-milestone">Landmark high seas treaty crosses finish line</a></li><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/5-ways-the-ocean-keeps-our-climate-in-check">5 ways the ocean keeps our climate in check</a></li><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/5-things-you-didn-t-know-about-sea-level-rise">5 things you didn't know about sea-level rise</a></li></ul>Will McCarry is the content director at Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this? <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act/subscribe">Sign up for email updates</a>. Also, <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act">please consider supporting our critical work</a>. urn:uuid:83bad940-0ffe-46b0-89b4-e012ec84dcb4https://www.conservation.org/blog/landmark-high-seas-treaty-reaches-major-milestone OceansLandmark high seas treaty crosses finish lineAfter decades of negotiation, the high seas treaty is finally reality. The historic agreement will pave the way to protect international waters which face numerous threats.Sat, 20 Sep 2025 13:11:33 Z<div>After decades of negotiation, the <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/why-a-new-treaty-to-protect-the-high-seas-is-a-game-changer">high seas treaty</a> is finally reality.First adopted by the United Nations in 2023, the treaty was officially ratified by the required 60 countries on Friday. This historic agreement will pave the way to protect international waters — Earth’s least-governed ecosystems — which face numerous threats from <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/news-spotlight-how-many-fish-in-the-sea-less-than-we-thought">overfishing</a>, <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/disaster-deferred-deep-sea-mining-talks-postponed">deep sea mining</a>, <a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/ocean-impacts" target="_blank">climate change</a> and <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/27052025/todays-climate-plastic-pollution-seabird-health-ocean/" target="_blank">pollution</a>.“This is a major win for our oceans and all of us who depend on them,” said Monica Medina, Arnhold Fellow at Conservation International. “The high seas belong both to no one and all of us. We have the rare chance to stop the loss of nature before we lose it forever.”The high seas — waters beyond any nation’s jurisdiction — cover nearly two-thirds of Earth’s ocean, yet only <a href="https://mpatlas.org/countries/HS" target="_blank">1 percent</a> is protected. This vast and largely unexplored expanse holds more than <a href="https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2018/06/07/5-surprising-stats-show-why-high-seas-need-protection" target="_blank">90 percent</a> of ocean habitat and some of the planet’s richest <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/in-high-seas-scientists-see-a-lifeline-for-coral-reefs">biodiversity</a>.The treaty enshrines the belief that there are areas of the ocean that we must protect as a human race to survive, Medina said.“People need a healthy ocean, our way of life depends on it,” she said. “The high seas regulate currents and help keep ocean temperatures in balance — and may even hold the cures to human diseases,” she said. “It is entirely possible to balance their protection with their ability to provide for our way of life.”Now that the agreement has been ratified by 60 countries, it will become binding in 120 days. It will enable the creation of marine protected areas in waters beyond national jurisdictions, guarantee environmental impact assessments of activities like fishing and deep sea mining and ensure <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/high-seas-treaty-a-long-time-coming">scientific discoveries</a> from the high seas are equitably shared among countries.The high seas treaty has been years in the making, going all the way back to the <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/law-of-sea-convention" target="_blank">1982 UN Law of the Sea Convention</a>. And it comes at a critical juncture: Without the high seas, it would be <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/to-protect-high-seas-take-heed-of-climate-change">virtually impossible</a> for nations to meet their goal of protecting 30 percent of the planet’s seas by the year 2030.Conservation International, a founding member of the <a href="https://www.bluenaturealliance.org/" target="_blank">Blue Nature Alliance</a> and the <a href="https://www.coralreefshighseas.org/" target="_blank">Coral Reefs of the High Seas Coalition</a>, has supported the treaty’s ratification and implementation, as well as helped shape how it can be put into practice, including identifying priority areas for protection.One of these areas is the <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/deep-sea-expedition-reveals-over-100-new-species-in-the-pacific">Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges</a>, a series of deep-sea mountain ranges off the coasts of Peru and Chile — a key migration corridor for sharks, whales and turtles, and home to reef-building corals, which support thriving underwater gardens. These waters also hold deep cultural significance: Polynesian voyagers crisscrossed them for thousands of years as they explored from the West Pacific to Rapa Nui — the Indigenous name for Easter Island.According to Medina, this historic moment is also when the hard, but necessary work begins.“For the first time, the high seas are on the map for protection,” she said. “What comes next is up to us all — and the ocean’s future is brighter for it.”Further reading:<ul><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/high-seas-treaty-a-long-time-coming">High seas treaty ‘a long time coming’</a></li><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/why-a-new-treaty-to-protect-the-high-seas-is-a-game-changer">Why a new treaty to protect the high seas is a ‘game-changer’</a></li><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/to-protect-high-seas-take-heed-of-climate-change">Experts: To protect high seas, take heed of climate change</a></li></ul>Mary Kate McCoy is a staff writer at Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this? <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act/subscribe">Sign up for email updates</a>. Also, <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act">please consider supporting our critical work</a>.</div>urn:uuid:9a76869b-bd71-4a05-a5d1-2e7b1797b1b9https://www.conservation.org/blog/5-ways-the-ocean-keeps-our-climate-in-check Oceans5 ways the ocean keeps our climate in checkThe ocean is engine of all life on Earth, but human-driven climate change is pushing it past its limits. Here are five ways the ocean keeps our climate in check — and what can be done to help.Mon, 08 Sep 2025 14:17:33 Z<div>The ocean is more than a backdrop for sunsets and surf — it’s the origin and engine of all life on Earth, responsible for regulating our climate, absorbing heat, circulating currents and producing oxygen.But human-driven climate change is pushing the ocean past its limits. As waters heat up and currents shift, a delicate balance is starting to wobble — with consequences that reach far beyond the waves.Here are five ways the ocean keeps our climate in check — and what we can do to help keep these systems running.<h2>1. It soaks up heat.</h2>The ocean is Earth’s ultimate climate buffer. Since the 1970s, it has absorbed more than <a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/ocean-warming/?intent=121" target="_blank">90 percent</a> of the extra heat trapped by greenhouse gases, along with <a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/ocean" target="_blank">about a third</a> of all human-driven carbon emissions since the Industrial Revolution. Imagine how much hotter the planet would be if all of that heat were in the atmosphere.But the ocean can’t keep absorbing unlimited heat. As humans pump more carbon into the atmosphere, ocean temperatures are continuing to rise, straining the systems that have kept Earth’s climate stable. In fact, as waters continue to warm, they’re beginning to actually release carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere — turning this crucial buffer into a potential amplifier of climate change.Only by cutting emissions now and protecting nature can we begin to ease this pressure and keep the ocean working in our favor.Further reading: <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/heal-our-planet-protecting-nature-for-climate">Heal our planet: Protecting nature for climate</a><img src="https://www.conservation.org/images/default-source/default-album/ci_58605586.jpg?sfvrsn=c34684a0_4" alt="ci_58605586" sf-size="6573006" />© Comstock Images<h2>2. It shapes climate shocks on land.</h2>What happens in the ocean shapes how climate change is felt on land. This is because virtually every drop of rain begins in the ocean. The ocean holds about <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/water-science-school/science/how-much-water-there-earth#:~:text=About%2071%20percent%20of%20the,in%20you%20and%20your%20dog." target="_blank">97 percent</a> of all the water on Earth, making it the primary source for evaporation into the atmosphere. This constant exchange between sea and sky fuels storms, fills rivers and sustains the freshwater systems that all life depends on.But warming oceans are <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/chapter/chapter-8/?utm_" target="_blank">shifting this ancient rhythm</a>. Hotter seas speed up evaporation, sending more moisture into the atmosphere — which means heavier downpours in some regions and longer dry spells in others. From the <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/can-mongolia-s-oldest-traditions-survive-a-changing-climate">Mongolian steppe</a> to the <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/in-the-fight-to-save-a-unique-desert-tradition-meets-innovation">shrublands of southern Africa</a> and the <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/amid-seismic-change-race-is-on-to-revive-earth-s-third-pole">mangrove forests of India</a>, the climate shocks on land often have their roots in record ocean heat.<h2>3. It keeps global temperatures in balance.</h2>Ocean currents act like a giant conveyor belt, carrying warm water from the tropics toward the poles and sending colder water back again. This steady circulation evens out temperatures across the globe, making much of the planet habitable. Without it, the equator would be far hotter, the poles even colder, and life as we know it would look very different.One of the most important currents is the Gulf Stream, which transports warm water from the tropics to the North Atlantic, regulating the climate of Western Europe. But as melting ice sheets pour fresh water into the sea, that delicate balance of heat and salinity is being disrupted — pushing the system toward a <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-atmosphere/slowdown-of-the-motion-of-the-ocean/" target="_blank">critical tipping point</a>.We know it can happen: Around 13,000 years ago, a shutdown of the Gulf Stream plunged Europe into a sudden ice age. Today, scientists warn that human-caused climate change could trigger a similar collapse <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/gulf-stream-could-collapse-lifetime-warn-eu-wopke-hoekstra/" target="_blank">within our lifetime</a>.Further reading: <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/5-things-you-didn-t-know-about-sea-level-rise">5 things you didn’t know about sea-level rise</a><img src="https://www.conservation.org/images/default-source/default-album/ci_38570359.jpg?sfvrsn=87a76b83_4" alt="ci_38570359" sf-size="4352260" />© Levi S. Norton<h2>4. It produces oxygen.</h2>The ocean is full of tiny marine plants known as phytoplankton that are responsible for generating about <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/ocean-oxygen.html" target="_blank">half of the world’s oxygen supply</a>.This isn’t a new role. Billions of years ago, microscopic organisms in the ocean began releasing oxygen, gradually transforming Earth’s atmosphere into one that could support complex life. Without them, neither humans nor many of the species we know today would exist. Now, that life-support system is under pressure. Rising ocean temperatures and acidification are threatening species of plankton, which are also the base of the marine food web. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-025-02718-y?utm_" target="_blank">Heatwaves</a> can trigger massive die-offs, while <a href="https://news.mit.edu/2015/ocean-acidification-phytoplankton-0720?" target="_blank">excess carbon</a> in the water makes it harder for plankton and other marine life to thrive. If these organisms disappear, the effects on the food web ripple all the way up — through marine ecosystems, into human economies and even into the air we breathe.Luckily, science shows that healthy and diverse ecosystems are <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250820000805.htm?" target="_blank">more resilient</a> and tend to recover better from climate stressors like heatwaves and acidification. Through the <a href="https://www.conservation.org/projects/blue-nature-alliance">Blue Nature Alliance</a>, Conservation International and partners have launched an unprecedented effort to double the amount of ocean area under protection — from the glacial waters of Antarctica’s Southern Ocean to the teeming tropical shores of Costa Rica.<h2>5. It locks away carbon in coastal ecosystems</h2>Where land meets sea, coastal ecosystems like mangroves, seagrass meadows and tidal marshes act as powerful carbon sinks. They absorb massive amounts of carbon from the atmosphere and lock it away in waterlogged soils, keeping it out of the air and slowing climate change. These “<a href="https://www.conservation.org/projects/our-blue-carbon-program">blue carbon</a>” ecosystems also protect coastlines from storm surges and sea-level rise, support fisheries and sustain livelihoods for local communities.<div data-sf-ec-immutable="" contenteditable="false" style="width:600px;height:340px;display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;" class="-align-center"><div data-sf-disable-link-event=""><iframe width="600" height="340" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/b9DZMpift_E?si=6ieh8ABV_XTf8Gby" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></div>In Costa Rica — a country whose ocean territory is ten times larger than its landmass — Conservation International is helping develop the world’s first national blueprint for mangrove protection and management.This “<a href="https://www.conservation.org/costa-rica/en/resources">national blue carbon strategy</a>” is guiding restoration in places like the Gulf of Nicoya, on the country’s Pacific coast. Years ago, huge swaths of mangroves were cleared to make way for sugar plantations and shrimp farms. To bring them back, Conservation International and the local community are digging channels — by hand — to restore the natural flow of tidal water. The idea is that by creating the right ecological conditions, the mangroves will come back on their own. The approach is catching on — Mexico has already <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/to-save-a-dying-forest-this-town-dug-in">taken note</a>.<img sf-custom-thumbnail="true" src="https://www.conservation.org/images/default-source/non-vault-images/costarica_islachira_franciscoazofeifa_2023_i.jpg?sfvrsn=346a54e2_3" sf-constrain-proportions="true" width="844" alt="" sf-size="33618662" />© Francisco AzofeifaCommunity members dig channels by hand to restore the natural flow of water.In the Gulf of Nicoya, mangroves provide roughly US$40,747 per hectare annually in combined benefits: food, coastal protection and climate regulation. As climate change accelerates, these coastal forests are more important than ever, giving communities a fighting chance.Want to support work that protects oceans, coastlines and the people who depend on them? <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act">Here’s one way</a>.Further reading:<ul><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/5-things-you-didn-t-know-about-sea-level-rise">5 things you didn’t know about sea-level rise</a></li><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/to-save-a-dying-forest-this-town-dug-in">To save a dying forest, this town dug in</a></li><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/news-spotlight-climate-change-is-coming-for-pacific-tuna">Climate change is coming for Pacific tuna</a></li></ul>Will McCarry is the content director at Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this? <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act/subscribe">Sign up for email updates</a>. Also, <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act">please consider supporting our critical work</a>.</div>urn:uuid:66fd152d-74a5-43c9-a1d6-3d0121ee8716https://www.conservation.org/blog/is-there-a-better-way-to-farm-shrimp-a-new-project-says-yes OceansIs there a better way to farm shrimp? A new project says yesThe world’s appetite for shrimp has surged — and environmental destruction has followed in its wake. A new program from Conservation International has a solution.Thu, 24 Jul 2025 15:35:52 Z<div>The shrimp on your plate has a story.Over the past three decades, the world’s appetite for shrimp has surged — <a href="https://www.fao.org/fishery/en/fishstat" target="_blank">almost tenfold</a>. Wild shrimp stocks alone can’t keep up with this demand, so farming shrimp has filled the gap.But this rapid growth has come at a heavy cost. Mangrove forests — which shelter life along many of the world’s tropical coasts and <a href="https://www.conservation.org/priorities/mangroves">absorb gobs of climate-warming carbon</a> — have been cleared to make way for shrimp farms.The carbon footprint of this devastation is enormous: A <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/surf-and-turf-can-have-carbon-footprint-of-cross-country-road-trip-study">2017 study</a> found that the climate impact of a steak and shrimp dinner — were it to come from shrimp farms and pasture formerly occupied by mangroves — is the same as driving a small car across the continental United States.Now, in the coastal village of Lalombi in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, a new chapter to the story is unfolding — one that includes more shrimp and more mangroves.This June brought the first harvest of shrimp raised using a new “<a href="https://www.conservation.org/docs/default-source/publication-pdfs/climatesmartshrimp_fact_sheet_200309.pdf?sfvrsn=30cea3b4_2">Climate Smart Shrimp</a>” approach pioneered by Conservation International.“The equation is simple,” said Dane Klinger, who leads the organization’s Climate Smart Shrimp program. “We’re helping farmers grow more shrimp on less land, so that they can return the rest of their farms back to mangroves. It’s a shift that we think could disrupt the entire industry to make it not just more sustainable, but more productive and profitable, too.”For years, shrimp farms followed a familiar pattern: Clear the mangroves, dig the ponds and harvest what you can.But as global demand for shrimp has grown, many farmers have pushed their farms to the limit to produce more in the same space. This comes with risks: Crowded ponds can increase disease outbreaks, while runoff pollutes waterways and damages delicate coastal ecosystems. A “boom-and-bust” cycle begins, forcing farmers to abandon or rotate ponds frequently, driving expansion into the few remaining mangroves left.<img src="https://d2iwpl8k086uu2.cloudfront.net/images/default-source/non-vault-images-s3/mangrove-restoration-credit-viga-ananda-wicaksono.jpg?sfvrsn=4f712f3b_3" alt="" sf-size="3854595" />© Viga Ananda WicaksonoYoung mangroves emerge in restored mangrove habitat.In Lalombi, that pattern is shifting.Backed by Conservation International’s local affiliate, Konservasi Indonesia, the Indonesia-based start-up <a href="https://www.jala.tech" target="_blank">JALA</a> purchased a shrimp farm in Lalombi that had previously been abandoned, low-productivity shrimp ponds. Here, they’ve adopted a more efficient farming model that responsibly boosts production while shrinking the climate footprint of the ponds.“We’ve made a lot of changes,” said Aryo Wiryawan, founder of JALA. “We’re preparing our ponds more carefully, using better tools to monitor shrimp health, and managing waste more effectively. All of this has helped improve survival rates and allowed us to raise more shrimp in the same space.”The farmers are paying close attention to everything from how much feed the shrimp receive to the temperature, oxygen levels and salinity of the water — all key to creating the right conditions for healthy growth. Some ponds use aerators to boost oxygen levels or automated feeders to optimize nutrition. Pond liners, often made of plastic or concrete, help provide farmers more control over the environment.These approaches appear to be paying off. The first harvest at the Lalombi farm brought in 52 tons per hectare — well above average.“With better survival rates and healthier shrimp, the income per cycle has increased,” Wiryawan said. “This early trajectory suggests that the Climate Smart Shrimp approach — combining smart tech, regenerative practices and better farm management — can deliver both ecological and economic benefits.”And in spaces no longer needed for ponds, mangroves are being restored, one sapling at a time. Early signs suggest it’s working.Mariska Astrid, a researcher at Indonesia’s <a href="https://www.brin.go.id/en" target="_blank">National Research and Innovation Agency</a>, helped survey the water quality at the Lalombi farm and the surrounding mangrove areas to assess their natural filtration role.<img src="https://d2iwpl8k086uu2.cloudfront.net/images/default-source/non-vault-images-s3/monitoring-css-credit-ki-comms.jpg?sfvrsn=814e7915_3" alt="" sf-size="769953" />© Konservasi IndonesiaScientists from Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency collect water samples during the harvest to assess water quality in the shrimp ponds and restored mangrove habitat.“Previously, wastewater from shrimp ponds was foamy due to high chemical and phosphorus content,” Astrid said. “After passing through the wastewater treatment system and natural mangrove filtration, the foam disappeared, and the water became clear — safe for discharge into the sea.”It’s a small but promising sign for Indonesia — one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth, but one with one of the world’s highest deforestation rates.<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25001608" target="_blank"> Significant portions </a>of the mangroves on Sulawesi have been damaged or destroyed since the 1980s. Over time, these coastlines once cleared for shrimp could become a renewed haven for native wildlife — from darting schools of fish to mudskippers, fiddler crabs, herons and kingfishers.“Every shrimp on your plate has a story,” Wiryawan said. “It’s connected to a community, an ecosystem and a farmer trying to make the right choices. What you eat matters — it can drive real change.”<hr />Conservation International has now turned its attention to scaling climate smart shrimp by attracting more investment in the model. A recent grant from Convergence will enable Conservation International and partners to design and raise a loan fund to finance adoption of climate smart shrimp practices across Indonesia.This project was made possible through the generous support of the Caterpillar Foundation. Since its founding in 1952, Caterpillar Foundation has helped improve the lives of people around the world by investing in the skills people need to join the modern workforce, and the natural and vital infrastructure they rely upon.Will McCarry is the content director at Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this? <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act/subscribe">Sign up for email updates.</a> Also, <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act">please consider supporting our critical work</a>.</div>urn:uuid:0158cdfe-f30c-43e7-b216-8abbb6de98c6https://www.conservation.org/blog/5-things-you-didn-t-know-about-sea-level-rise OceansScience5 things you didn’t know about sea-level riseIt’s indisputable: Around the world, seas are rising at a faster rate than at any time in recorded history. But there’s more to this story than you might realize.Thu, 10 Jul 2025 13:40:38 ZIt’s indisputable: Around the world, seas are rising at a faster rate than at any time in recorded history. On average, sea levels are <a href="https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-sea-level" target="_blank">up to 9 inches</a> higher than they were in the late 1800s — and climate change is to blame.But there’s more to this story than you might realize. Here are a few facts about sea-level rise that you might not know.<h2>1. It’s not just the melting ice.</h2>Most of us know that rising global temperatures are melting glaciers and ice sheets, causing seas to rise. But that’s only part of the picture. There’s another, less visible driver: a process called <a href="https://sealevel.nasa.gov/understanding-sea-level/global-sea-level/thermal-expansion/" target="_blank">thermal expansion</a>. As the ocean absorbs heat, its molecules move faster and spread out, making the ocean swell in size even though no extra water is added.This phenomenon was behind nearly <a href="https://earth.org/sea-level-rise/" target="_blank">three-quarters</a> of sea-level rise during the 20th century. And between <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/explainer-how-climate-change-is-accelerating-sea-level-rise/" target="_blank">1993 and 2010</a>, ocean warming caused about a third of the total rise we saw during that time.So yes, melting ice matters. But the oceans themselves are also swelling with heat.<img src="https://www.conservation.org/images/default-source/nature-is-speaking-2/iceberg.jpg?sfvrsn=663e2d1c_10" alt="" sf-size="63992801" />© Andrew Luyten<h2>2. Seas aren’t rising at the same pace around the world.</h2>It might seem like all the oceans would rise evenly — after all, they’re connected like one giant bathtub.Of course, your bathtub probably doesn’t have shifting currents and stormy weather, which influence how ocean water moves — and where it ends up.But the biggest factor by far is <a href="https://sealevel.nasa.gov/faq/9/are-sea-levels-rising-the-same-all-over-the-world-as-if-were-filling-a-giant-bathtub/" target="_blank">gravity</a>, which has some unexpected pull:Earth’s mass isn’t spread out evenly. Big features — like mountain ranges, dense rock and especially ice sheets — create stronger gravitational pulls. Ice sheets, in particular, are so heavy they actually draw ocean water toward them, raising sea levels in nearby regions.But when those ice sheets melt, they lose mass — and their gravitational pull weakens. The water that was once drawn in starts to move away. Ironically, this means places close to melting ice, like Greenland or Antarctica, may see sea levels drop — while places farther away, like the U.S. East Coast, end up with more of that water and higher seas.<img src="https://www.conservation.org/images/default-source/default-album/ci_84781277.jpg?sfvrsn=84097562_2" alt="ci_84781277" sf-size="2259244" />© robertharding / Alamy Stock Photo<h2>3. Some islands are in trouble — but not for the reason you might think.</h2>In the western Pacific, sea levels are rising <a href="https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/climate-change-transforms-pacific-islands" target="_blank">two to three times higher</a> than the global average.But <a href="https://e360.yale.edu/features/as-seas-rise-tropical-pacific-islands-face-a-perfect-storm" target="_blank">experts say</a> some Pacific islands won’t become unlivable because they’re underwater — they’ll run out of fresh water first.Water is scarce on many low-lying Pacific islands to begin with. Most rely on a razor-thin “<a href="https://www.papahanaumokuakea.gov/monument_features/physical_fresh_water_lens.html" target="_blank">lens</a>” of fresh water trapped underground beneath the island. This freshwater literally floats on top of salty seawater — sometimes it’s just a few inches thick.But as seas rise, they push up the salty water beneath the island, squeezing and flooding this fragile lens. Saltwater can seep into wells or break through the surface, making the island’s water too salty to drink.Scientists believe this will happen long before these islands are actually submerged. A <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aap9741" target="_blank">U.S. military-funded study</a> found that more than 1,000 low-lying islands could become uninhabitable by 2050 — not from flooding, but from thirst.Pacific Island countries know what’s coming and <a href="https://gem.spc.int/updates/blog/blog-post/2024/02/pacific-island-countries-come-together-to-discuss-water-scarcity-0#:~:text=Water%20is%20essential%20for%20life,(or%20Water%20Scarcity%20project)." target="_blank">are taking actions</a> to prepare themselves and improve their water security. But it’s a race against time.<h2>4. Seas could rise too fast for mangrove forests to keep up.</h2>Mangrove forests are tough. They thrive where few trees can — right at the ocean’s edge, rooted in salty water and soft mud. They buffer coastlines from storms, shelter marine life and store massive amounts of carbon in their tangled roots.But even mangroves can’t take everything the sea throws at them.<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-025-02242-z" target="_blank">Recent research</a> shows that in some parts of the world, seas may be rising faster than mangroves can adapt. These forests usually survive by trapping sediment in their roots and building themselves upward — or slowly creeping inland. But when the water rises too quickly, or when development blocks their path, mangroves can drown.Without space to move or time to grow, even these salt-tolerant survivors may be overwhelmed.<img src="https://www.conservation.org/images/default-source/default-album/ci_60738511.jpg?sfvrsn=4b206b94_12" alt="Red mangrove displaying impressive arching root system" sf-size="11311177" />© Jeff Yonover <hr />Further reading: <a href="https://www.conservation.org/stories/mangroves-facts">11 facts you need to know about mangroves</a><hr /><h2>5. We can’t stop sea-level rise entirely — but we can shape what happens next.</h2>Some sea-level rise is now locked in. Even if we stopped burning fossil fuels tomorrow, the oceans will <a href="https://earth.gov/sealevel/about-sea-level-change/future-sea-level/the-basics" target="_blank">keep rising for centuries</a> due to the heat already stored in the system.But what we do today still matters. Cutting emissions, protecting coastal ecosystems like mangroves, and giving communities time and resources to adapt can mean the difference between manageable impacts — and devastating ones.Want to support work that protects coastlines and the people who depend on them? <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act">Here’s one way</a>.Will McCarry is the content director at Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this?<a href="https://www.conservation.org/act/subscribe"> Sign up for email updates.</a> Also, <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act">please consider supporting our critical work</a>. urn:uuid:59b69093-c5dd-49b3-bd88-4ea02d54a311https://www.conservation.org/blog/in-treasured-islands-indonesia-halts-mining OceansIndonesia halts mining in treasured islandsA jewel of the “Coral Triangle” just got a reprieve as Indonesia announced it revoked the mining permits of four companies operating in one of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems on Earth.Wed, 11 Jun 2025 17:40:49 ZA jewel of the “<a href="https://www.conservation.org/projects/coral-triangle-initiative">Coral Triangle</a>” just got a reprieve.The government of Indonesia announced this week that it had revoked the mining permits of four companies operating in Raja Ampat — an island chain in the country’s eastern province of West Papua, and one of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems on Earth.Facing public pressure, the government cited violations of environmental regulations for the move. Conservationists had warned that mining posed a serious threat to the region’s coral reefs and marine life.“We welcome the government’s decision,” said Meizani Irmadhiany, who leads Konservasi Indonesia — the Indonesian affiliate of Conservation International — in a statement published this week. “This is a crucial step in ensuring that areas with high ecological value like Raja Ampat remain protected from potentially destructive activities.“The biodiversity and natural beauty of Raja Ampat are global assets that cannot be replaced.”The seas around Raja Ampat are widely considered to be the <a href="https://www.conservation.org/places/birds-head-seascape">epicenter of global marine biodiversity</a>, hosting about three-fourths of all known hard coral species, along with large populations of sharks and manta rays.Yet the specter of destructive nickel mining has loomed, and last year, scientists researching the habits of reef mantas sounded the alarm.<a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/study-mining-could-disrupt-manta-superhighway">Their study found</a> that the Raja Ampat archipelago is the only place on Earth where populations of these mantas are growing — and cautioned that mining could imperil a critical manta habitat just outside the region’s marine protected areas.“We’re very concerned about the potential for nickel mining,” said Mark Erdmann, a Conservation International marine biologist and study co-author, in 2024. If mining companies begin open-pit mining on the small island of Kawe, he warned, “every rain will produce muddy runoff that will flow straight into the ocean. And that will be disastrous for manta rays.”<hr /><ul><li>Further reading: <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/study-mining-could-disrupt-manta-superhighway">Study: Mining could disrupt manta ‘superhighway’</a></li></ul><hr />It would also be disastrous for the economy, according to Konservasi Indonesia.In a recent study, Konservasi Indonesia found that fish that regularly spawn near mining sites could abandon those areas if disturbed. For example, skipjack tuna, which are abundant in eastern Indonesian waters, use Raja Ampat as a migration route.“If marine ecosystems in Raja Ampat are damaged, tuna populations in Indonesian waters will decline,” said Victor Nikijuluw, a marine expert at Konservasi Indonesia.Tuna is a major economic driver for Indonesia, which in 2021 netted nearly $1.5 billion in revenues from tuna fisheries.The threat from unsustainable mining, Nikijuluw added, would also severely jeopardize another major economic engine: tourism.Charismatic marine species that are popular with dive tourists — sharks, manta rays and sea turtles — are plentiful in Raja Ampat, he said, but mining would affect them all.“These large species, like whale sharks and other sharks, only appear where there are small fish,” he said. “If the environment is damaged — plankton gone, water polluted, small fish depleted — then the large fish will disappear, too.”The decision to revoke the mining permits shows that the government is thinking long-term,  Irmadhiany said.“Every policy concerning Raja Ampat must be grounded in sustainability and long-term protection, not short-term economic interests. This is a moment to show that Indonesia can lead in global marine conservation.”Bruno Vander Velde is the managing director of storytelling at Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this? <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act/subscribe">Sign up for email updates</a>. Also, <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act">please consider supporting our critical work</a>.urn:uuid:74b266c0-5e6a-49dc-a631-10c6605d90echttps://www.conservation.org/blog/high-seas-treaty-a-long-time-coming OceansHigh seas treaty ‘a long time coming’UN gathering boosts hopes for sealing deal to protect open ocean, Conservation International expert says.Tue, 10 Jun 2025 00:14:51 Z<div>Most of the ocean belongs to no one — but is the responsibility of everyone.Nearly two-thirds of Earth’s seas lie beyond the jurisdiction of any nation, and in these “high seas” are a bounty: more than <a href="https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2018/06/07/5-surprising-stats-show-why-high-seas-need-protection" target="_blank">90 percent</a> of ocean habitat and some of the highest reservoirs of <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/in-high-seas-scientists-see-a-lifeline-for-coral-reefs">biodiversity</a> on the planet.Yet only about <a href="https://mpatlas.org/countries/HS" target="_blank">1 percent of the high seas</a> are currently protected, despite threats from overfishing, plastic pollution and climate change — with seabed mining looming in the near future.A landmark United Nations <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/why-a-new-treaty-to-protect-the-high-seas-is-a-game-changer">treaty to protect the high seas</a> aims to change that — it just has to be ratified by countries. First adopted in 2023, the high seas treaty opens the door to marine protected areas in the waters beyond national jurisdictions. Only 31 nations have ratified so far so it has yet to go into effect.Global leaders will gather for the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) in France this week, and ocean advocates hope it will provide momentum to reach the 60 countries needed to ratify the treaty.Monica Medina, Arnhold Fellow at Conservation International, recently spoke with Conservation News about this decades-in-the-making treaty, and what is at stake.Conservation News: Let’s start with some scene setting — why is the high seas treaty historic?Monica Medina: The high seas make up nearly half of the planet’s surface — yet only a sliver of that vast and largely unexplored expanse has been protected. And since no country controls these waters — it can be like the Wild West out there. That’s why the high seas treaty is so critical — it’s meant to step up and fill that void.And it’s been years in the making, going all the way back to the 1982 <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/law-of-sea-convention" target="_blank">UN Law of the Sea Convention</a>. Also known as the Law of the Sea Treaty, it’s viewed as the “constitution” of the ocean, and it enshrines the belief that there are areas of the ocean that we must protect as a human race to survive.And it couldn’t come at a more important time as isolationist thinking is on the rise and multilateralism is under question. This week’s UNOC is a crucial moment for the world to step up and say, yes, we are still working together and this is a priority.Where does the treaty stand ahead of UNOC?MM: So far, approximately <a href="https://highseasalliance.org/treaty-ratification/" target="_blank">30 countries</a> have ratified the treaty, so we’re about halfway there. It’s a bit of a disappointment that we’re not further along, but I am optimistic that events like UNOC will give us momentum. In just the last two months leading up to the conference, 10 new countries have signed on. And I expect more will announce ratification while we are at the conference.Unsurprisingly, it takes time to ratify a treaty, which is a legally binding agreement. Because the high seas exist outside of any one country’s jurisdiction, that’s necessary as all countries need to agree to it. Without that support, marine protected areas in the high seas run the risk of becoming “paper parks” without any real enforcement or protection.Two things give me hope that it will enter into force soon. For one, on the first day the treaty was open for signature with the intent to ratify, nearly 100 countries signed up immediately. And, the first preparatory session for implementing the treaty has already taken place, where representatives have hashed out details like potential areas to target for protection and how to approach funding.There are several other important environmental meetings coming up this year, including COP30 in Brazil. These events are pressure points that create deadlines for countries to step up and get the job done.What’s at stake?MM: Dr. Jane Lubchenko, a renowned marine biologist and former head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), wisely said that oceans are too big to ignore. In the past, we often thought of them as giant, vast places that could never be overexploited. Look at the headlines today about <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/news-spotlight-how-many-fish-in-the-sea-less-than-we-thought">plummeting fish populations</a>, <a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/ocean-impacts" target="_blank">climate change</a> and <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/27052025/todays-climate-plastic-pollution-seabird-health-ocean/" target="_blank">runaway plastic pollution</a> and it’s crystal clear: they're not limitless.Protected areas are our best tool to restore and defend oceans. In fact, we can’t reach our global goal of <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/countries-agreed-to-protect-30-of-the-planet-now-what">“30 by 30</a>”— which nearly every country on Earth, excluding the United States, has agreed to — to protect 30 percent of the planet’s land and seas <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/to-protect-high-seas-take-heed-of-climate-change">without the high seas</a>. It's really important to target places that still haven't had the heavy footprint of human impact and try and hold on to them. Many of those places are in the high seas — and they’re under threat from illegal fishing and the potential for mining precious metals on the seafloor, at great harm to the environment.Less talked about, but also important is the bioprospecting angle of the treaty. What does that mean? It’s essentially about the organisms in the high seas and their potential for scientific breakthroughs — whether that’s developing a plastic replacement or new medical drugs that save lives. We are only just beginning to figure out how to realize this part of the treaty, but it ensures that these new genetic discoveries will be cataloged and shared across the globe so the whole world can benefit because what lies in the high seas belongs to everyone and is the common heritage of mankind.What’s next?MM: Once the treaty is ratified, a 120-day countdown to it taking effect begins. Within a year, the first meeting of the UN Conference of the Parties will take place, where countries will agree to measures to protect the high seas, like marine protected areas and how to fund these efforts.Conservation International has been focused on supporting the treaty’s ratification and implementation and how to put this legal framework into practice as a founding member of the <a href="https://www.bluenaturealliance.org/" target="_blank">Blue Nature Alliance</a>.We are also leaders of the <a href="https://www.coralreefshighseas.org/" target="_blank">Coral Reefs of the High Seas Coalition</a>, which has already identified several high seas areas as priorities for protection. One of these is the <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/deep-sea-expedition-reveals-over-100-new-species-in-the-pacific">Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges</a>, a series of deep-sea mountain ranges off the coasts of Peru and Chile. It’s a migration corridor for sharks, whales and turtles — and home to reef-building corals, which support thriving underwater gardens. Moreover, these waters have deep cultural significance: Polynesian voyagers crisscrossed them for thousands of years as they explored from the West Pacific to Rapa Nui.The high seas treaty has been a long time coming — we are so close to it becoming a reality. I’m hopeful that this conference gives us the boost we need to cross the finish line and get to work.Mary Kate McCoy is a staff writer at Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this? <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act/subscribe">Sign up for email updates</a>. Also, <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act">please consider supporting our critical work</a>.</div>urn:uuid:f4140fba-9591-4982-82ba-bc569a403173https://www.conservation.org/blog/news-spotlight-can-atolls-survive-sea-level-rise BiodiversityOceansNews spotlight: Can atolls survive sea-level rise?Across the Indian and Pacific oceans, tiny atolls are facing an existential crisis. But not all islands are equally vulnerable — it comes down to ecosystem health.Wed, 21 May 2025 13:18:12 Z<div>Across the Indian and Pacific oceans, tiny atolls — islands formed atop ancient coral reefs — are facing an existential crisis.<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/may/20/sea-level-rise-migration" target="_blank">Unchecked sea-level rise</a> could all but wipe them out in the coming century.Rising seas have already made their mark on these islands, having forced the relocation of some South Pacific villages, and even claiming two small islands in Kiribati.But not all islands are equally vulnerable, reports Lisa S. Gardiner for <a href="https://e360.yale.edu/features/atolls-restoration-sea-level-rise" target="_blank">Yale Environment 360</a> — in fact, scientists are finding that the ability of islands to persist depends on ecosystem health: “To protect islands most at risk of disappearing,” Gardiner writes, “some researchers now propose using nature-based solutions — like restoring and protecting coral reefs and native forests — to boost their odds of survival.”Critical to the effort to save these islands is, well, bird poop. Seabirds’ droppings help boost coral growth and can create sediment that over time adds to the islands’ soil. The problem, though, is that most atolls now have little habitat for nesting seabirds, as many of the islands’ native broadleaf forests have been lost, swept aside for a lucrative invader: coconut trees.Coconuts were introduced to the islands in the 1800s as a cash crop. Humans love coconuts, but birds don’t, finding it difficult to nest in their single-trunk trees, Gardiner writes. Another island invader — rats — is the bane of seabird nests, and any effort to help the islands has to focus on them, too.In some places, scientists are doing just that. Gardiner reports:Conservationists working to restore ecosystems and enhance resilience at Tetiaroa Atoll, in French Polynesia, are also aiming to bring back seabirds, says Frank Murphy, director of programs at the Tetiaroa Society. So far, rats have been eradicated on all but one small island, and there are plans to eliminate 80 to 90 percent of the coconut palms.With the rats gone, island wildlife is starting to change. “We’re getting birds nesting in places where they hadn’t nested before,” says Murphy. Coconut crabs are now abundant, and there has been a huge increase in the number of young sea turtles, which had in the past risked being eaten by rats as they emerged from nests.Time will tell if even healthy atolls can withstand the sea-level rise to come. Researchers, at the least, are determined to give them a fighting chance.Read the full story <a href="https://e360.yale.edu/features/atolls-restoration-sea-level-rise" target="_blank">here</a>.Bruno Vander Velde is the managing director of storytelling at Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this? Sign up for email updates. Also, please consider supporting our critical work.</div>urn:uuid:28c61732-680f-4039-a2bb-511318bb135chttps://www.conservation.org/blog/an-overlooked-climate-ally-is-in-deep-trouble OceansAn overlooked climate ally is in deep troubleUnderwater and out of sight, the world’s seagrasses are under threat. A new study says failure to protect them will come at a steep cost — in more ways than one.Tue, 06 May 2025 12:00:25 Z<div>Underwater and out of sight, one of humanity’s most effective weapons against climate change is struggling.According to a new study, failure to protect the world’s seagrasses will come at a steep cost — in more ways than one.Protecting the world’s seagrasses could avert climate damages valued at over US$ 200 billion by preventing the release of 1.2 billion tons of carbon pollution — an amount equivalent to the annual carbon footprint of 100 million homes in the United States.“Seagrass meadows are not just important for marine biodiversity — they are a critical piece of the climate puzzle,” said Johannes Krause, the study’s lead author and assistant professor at Florida International University. “If we don’t act now, we risk losing these ecosystems and compounding the effects of climate damage. It’s time to prioritize seagrasses.”Combining research from roughly 3,240 sites across 61 countries, the study, led by Conservation International and Florida International University, is the most comprehensive look to date at the amount of carbon stored by the world’s seagrasses.Critically, the study shows, not all seagrass is created equal when it comes to carbon storage.“There is huge diversity in seagrass ecosystems,” Krause said. “Those that are tall, with long leaves and deep root systems store much more carbon than other, smaller varieties.”<img src="https://d2iwpl8k086uu2.cloudfront.net/images/default-source/vault-images-s3/ci_25082322.jpeg?sfvrsn=4dd2c023_18" alt="" sf-size="12832008" />© Joanne-WestonA seagrass bed in Honduras.While the study finds the amount of carbon held by seagrasses globally is on average lower than previous estimates, it is a more accurate and detailed account, he said, and can help target priority areas with varieties of seagrass that capture the most carbon.Seagrass meadows in the tropical Atlantic, the Mediterranean and southern Africa hold the highest carbon stocks, up to nearly four times as much carbon as the global average for seagrasses. A single hectare (2.5 acres) of seagrass in these regions can store the equivalent of the annual emissions of up to 22 cars.“Our pool of data is more robust than ever, giving us a much clearer picture of what seagrass is capable of,” Krause said. “By breaking it down into different species in different regions, we can now target our efforts for the most effective action.”As a climate ally, seagrasses are often overlooked — literally. Growing below the water’s surface, seagrasses are often difficult to study, and as a result, difficult to target for protection, he said.Researchers estimate that vegetated coastal ecosystems including seagrasses cover only 2 percent of the ocean floor, but account for <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2023/11/21/what-you-need-to-know-about-blue-carbon" target="_blank">50 percent of the carbon storage</a>. Yet because seagrasses are so difficult to study, scientists still don’t have a complete understanding of how much exists in the world.Seagrass’ benefits extend far beyond carbon: They help protect coastal communities from erosion, improve water quality and provide habitat and food for fish and other marine life.But the threats to seagrasses are just as numerous. Agricultural runoff can choke out seagrass, while giving rise to algae that block out sunlight. Deforestation and erosion near coastal areas lead to excessive amounts of sediment that can smother seagrasses. And destructive fishing practices like bottom trawling can rip up seagrasses by their roots.“Unfortunately, seagrasses are bound to the ocean floor,” Krause said. “They can't just move when a threat arrives; they're really sensitive to whatever comes their way.”Conserving seagrass is one of the most cost-effective and powerful actions against climate change, said Emily Pidgeon, study co-author and Conservation International’s Vice President for Ocean Science.“The vital role seagrass meadows play not only in carbon storage, but also in protecting coastal communities, is abundantly clear,” she said. “With the right policies and investments, we can protect these underwater treasures and the climate benefits they provide.”Policies like managing water quality and preventing habitat destruction in coastal areas go a long way in protecting seagrass, Pidgeon said. But it’s critical to move quickly.Countries must include seagrass protection in plans to tackle climate change, she said, as well as embrace financial opportunities for protection, such as <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/what-on-earth-is-a-carbon-offset">carbon markets</a>, which provide financial incentives in return for the protection of the carbon stored by trees and mangroves.“Seagrass is underrepresented in <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/in-colombia-a-new-way-to-protect-mangroves-takes-root">carbon financing initiatives</a> compared to other coastal ecosystems, like mangroves,” Pigeon said. “Not only will investing in global seagrass conservation unlock its carbon storage potential, it will also support fisheries, coastal erosion protection and improve water quality — safeguarding our planet and coastal ecosystems for humanity.” Further reading:<ul><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/in-colombia-a-new-way-to-protect-mangroves-takes-root">In Colombia, a new way to protect mangroves takes root</a></li><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/what-on-earth-is-blue-carbon">What on Earth is ‘blue carbon’?</a></li></ul>Mary Kate McCoy is a staff writer at Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this? <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act/subscribe">Sign up for email updates</a>. Also, <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act">please consider supporting our critical work</a>.</div>urn:uuid:c27c4bfa-0e8c-44ea-ae28-131035072c93https://www.conservation.org/blog/invasive-fish-Hawaii-shoe-leather OceansIn Hawai‘i, new effort to bring invasive species to heelIf you can’t beat ’em, wear ’em? Conservation International, designers turn fish into fashion.Mon, 14 Apr 2025 12:09:20 ZOff the coast of Hawai‘i, an unwelcome guest crowds the waters, devouring creatures that cross its path.How to stop them?A new effort wants to put them on your feet.Measuring barely a foot long (30 centimeters), lemon yellow with electric-blue stripes, ta’ape doesn’t look like much of a threat, yet it travels in the thousands, a moving wall of fish in Hawai‘i’s waters.For decades, the invasive species has feasted on native fish — and fishermen’s wallets.Now, Conservation International-Hawai‘i and P448, a luxury Italian shoe brand, have teamed up to tackle the issue — creating a shoe that uses ta’ape fish leather in the design.While fish leather has found its way <a href="https://hakaimagazine.com/features/the-art-of-turning-fish-into-leather/" target="_blank">into the fashion world</a>, this is new territory for ta’ape, said Jhana Young, who leads Conservation International's work on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy_5b86uB8s&t=41s" target="_blank">the project</a> in Hawai‘i.“Rewiring how we think about invasive species and turning them into leather flips the script and helps protect our reefs and uplift local communities,” she said. “This is the kind of creative strategy we need in the conservation world now.”Invasive species are a <a href="https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/subject/economic-and-social-impacts" target="_blank">scourge the world over</a>, but Hawai‘i holds a bleak distinction: It is known as the invasive species capital of the world. More than <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/in-hawaii-invasive-fish-finds-a-new-foe-chefs">5,000 non-native plants</a> and animals cost the state <a href="https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/news/2018-12-12/costs-from-invasive-species-already-in-millions-expected-to-grow" target="_blank">tens of millions</a> of dollars each year.With 10 million annual visitors to Hawai‘i, invasive species can arrive to the islands in a host of ways, from the ballast water of ships to the wheel wells of airplanes. They also arrive through imported goods like Christmas trees.Others, like ta’ape, were purposefully introduced. Back in the 1950s, the state government brought them to O’ahu from the South Pacific as part of an effort to bolster local fisheries. Ta’ape, which thrives in a range of different marine environments, from shallow reefs to deepwater, and has no natural predators in Hawai‘i, quickly exploded in number.Fishing is the best way to eliminate the species, Young said, which means it has to be a profitable and worthwhile endeavor for fishermen to target ta’ape.Last summer, P448 sourced 2,000 ta’ape skins from fishermen on the island of Moloka’i for the collection — the first time ta’ape skins have been tanned at a commercial scale. Those skins have since been transformed into nearly 900 pairs of shoes.Preparing the fish skins for leather-making is a delicate process, said Young. In the heat and humidity of Hawai‘i, there’s a limited time window for exposing the skins to the elements before the quality begins to drop.Leather-making is typically an environmentally damaging process, using toxic chemicals like <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S030147972100236X#:~:text=Environmental%20pollution%20due%20to%20chromium,depend%20mainly%20on%20its%20speciation." target="_blank">chromium</a> and massive amounts of water. Aquaborne, the tannery company processing the ta’ape, uses eco-friendly materials and processes, including no heavy metal or chromium use, and 80 percent less water and energy compared with traditional tanning processes.“Leather is a widely used textile, but it comes at a steep environmental cost,” Young said. “Fish leather can be a more sustainable alternative and due to its crosshatched fiber structure, it’s actually stronger than cow leather when you compare it by thickness.”This shoe collection builds on years of hard work to combat ta’ape destruction in Hawai‘i, Young said.Since 2019, Conservation International-Hawai‘i has partnered with <a href="https://www.chefhui.com/sustainable-seafood" target="_blank">local nonprofit Chef Hui</a> to work with fishermen, chefs and influencers to encourage people to <a href="https://www.conservation.org/hawaii/what-is-the-ta'ape">eat ta’ape</a>. Once known as a rubbish fish, the effort set out to change perspectives and persuade people to see ta’ape as an opportunity, rather than a burden.“Thankfully, they taste really good,” Young said. “Chefs in Hawai‘i have really embraced it and helped put it on the map as a great fish to eat.”Since the program started, annual harvests of ta’ape have increased 90 percent, its market value has increased by 168 percent, and the amount of ta’ape released back into the ocean has dropped by more than 200 percent — which means fishermen are increasingly seeing their value.With the shoe collection, the program reached a new milestone — now, every part of ta’ape can be used.After the skins are removed, the meat is donated to local families and to people in need in the community. The fish bones are then used on a local farm, and the remainder of the fish is donated to researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to study the life cycle of ta’ape.“The shoe collection is really a culmination of everything that we’ve built over more than a decade,” Young said. “Not only can we eat them to beat them, we can wear them and apply this idea of using an invasive species for the benefit of our society. This is just the tip of the iceberg.”The ta’ape shoes are available for purchase <a href="https://us.p448.com/collections/taape?country=KM" target="_blank">here</a>.For more:<ul><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/in-hawaii-invasive-fish-finds-a-new-foe-chefs">In Hawai‘i, invasive fish finds a new foe: chefs</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zt92FpenlM&list=PL5WqtuU6JrnWnnCJVXV3waQIirCwypGNy&index=8&t=1s" target="_blank">Watch: The Ta’ape Project</a></li></ul>Mary Kate McCoy is a staff writer at Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this? <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act/subscribe">Sign up for email updates</a>. Also, <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act">please consider supporting our critical work. </a>urn:uuid:c196a750-fb08-44ff-9212-7ceb4470430ehttps://www.conservation.org/blog/as-ghost-junk-haunts-the-sea-mermaids-are-fighting-back OceansAs ghost junk haunts the sea, ‘mermaids’ are fighting backPiece by piece, a Conservation International training program is chipping away at a silent threat to the ocean.Tue, 18 Mar 2025 16:31:56 ZSitting on the side of a small boat off the coast of Baja California, suited up in diving gear, a group of 10 women prepared to descend into the chilly waters.Their mission? Remove as much “ghost gear” as possible.Abandoned fishing lines, nets and traps are a pervasive and <a href="https://www.marineconservation.org.au/the-impact-of-ghost-nets-on-ocean-wildlife/" target="_blank">deadly</a> threat to the world’s oceans, smothering coral reefs and ensnaring marine animals. According to one estimate, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/faf.12407" target="_blank">nearly a third</a> of fishing lines are lost or discarded at sea. <a href="https://iwc.int/management-and-conservation/entanglement" target="_blank">Experts estimate</a> that more than 300,000 whales and dolphins die each year after getting tangled in them.The women — fisherwomen, wives of fishermen, a lifeguard, marine biologist and an artist among them — call themselves “Sirenas (mermaids) de Mexico,” and they are determined to protect the ocean, strengthen their communities and break barriers in the seafood industry.“Our community depends on the sea; any activity that benefits the sea, benefits our future,” said Hañela Ancona Balam, a reef monitoring diver and member of the Sirenas. “We know that women of the sea have always been there; now we are demonstrating that we are capable of more than just frying fish. We can do all the activities that men can do at sea, and now we are proving it.”<img src="https://d2iwpl8k086uu2.cloudfront.net/images/default-source/non-vault-images-s3/_dsc0580.jpg?sfvrsn=9e167e85_1" alt="" sf-size="9809506" />© Isai Dominguez/Conservation International Several of the Sirenas prepare to dive for ghost gear. A third of fishing lines and 6% of nets are lost to the sea, where they smother coral and entangle wildlife.The Sirenas recently met on Isla Natividad for a weeklong training session to learn to clean up ghost gear. Led by Edgardo Ochoa, global marine and diving safety officer at Conservation International, along with Conservation International-México and the local marine and diving organization COBI, the training leads them through dive safety practices, underwater signals and how to safely cut, lift and remove ghost gear at depths of up to 18 meters (60 feet).“A lot of pride and emotions went into our work that week,” Ochoa said. “It was inspiring to see these women from different backgrounds come together with the same goal and to hear them planning for the future.”While the main goal was learning the ropes to ghost gear removal, the group was able to remove two [abandoned] lobster traps, as well as a massive assembly of ropes and traps — despite battling cold waters and tough conditions.<img src="https://d2iwpl8k086uu2.cloudfront.net/images/default-source/non-vault-images-s3/_dsc0714.jpg?sfvrsn=96c79e22_1" alt="" sf-size="7681875" />© Isai Dominguez/Conservation International The Sirenas scooped up two abandoned lobster traps during their training.For the women, their motivations for participating in the training were personal.Carmina Salinas, a local marine biologist, was reminded of her father, who taught her to love the ocean.“The ocean is like my dad’s hug … every time I submerge in the water, it’s like having that part of him with me,” she said. “He and my grandfather would tell me that the ocean used to provide much more. Now, our task is to preserve what is left, as well as try to rescue what we have lost.”<div data-sf-ec-immutable="" contenteditable="false" style="width:620px;height:360px;display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;" class="-align-center"><div data-sf-disable-link-event=""><iframe width="620" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GFlSCYK7Nwo?si=R1I6zltv-9EGsZao" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></div>Ochoa, who has been pulling out <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/where-ghost-gear-haunts-seas-divers-unite-to-clean-up">abandoned fishing gear</a> for nearly two decades, has certified roughly 100 divers around the world in the last five years. He’s keen to point out that he doesn’t measure success by the amount of trash cleaned up, but by the number of “ghost-gear” divers he certifies.He likens it to a “pay-it-forward” kind of approach — the more people he trains, the more people who can chip away at this problem, wherever they are in the world.The approach is already paying off.Just two days after completing the training, Diana Garcia, one of the Sirenas, helped remove nearly 900 kilograms (2,000 pounds) of ghost gear and debris in the waters near her community, Bahia Kino, on the Gulf of California coast.<img sf-custom-thumbnail="true" src="https://d2iwpl8k086uu2.cloudfront.net/images/default-source/non-vault-images-s3/diana-i.jpg?sfvrsn=8248c0d6_1" style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;" sf-constrain-proportions="true" class="-align-center" width="350" alt="" sf-size="100" /> Sirena Diana Garcia cleaned up a web of fish nets and other trash near her home after completing the training. Photo courtesy of Garcia.Ghost gear haunts every corner of the ocean. Spreading on tides and currents, it knows no borders. While estimates suggest ghost gear accounts for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/06/dumped-fishing-gear-is-biggest-plastic-polluter-in-ocean-finds-report" target="_blank" style="font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;white-space:inherit;">10 percent</a> of the waste floating in the ocean, Ochoa said it’s almost impossible to know the true impacts, because abandoned nets and gear typically come from illegal or unregulated fishing vessels and are therefore unreported. Not only are there more fishermen at sea because of <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/gallery/chart-detail/?chartId=108936#:~:text=Growth%20in%20fresh%20and%20frozen,almost%2080%20percent%20in%202021." target="_blank">growing demand</a> for fish, fishermen today use nylon fishing lines and nets that last virtually forever compared with the silk or cotton nets of the past. For coastal communities, the effects can be crushing: Ships getting stuck in nets, microplastics ingested by fish and unsightly plastic waste that can drive tourists away.Despite the daunting task ahead, the Sirenas see opportunity — and hold a newfound confidence to take on the challenge.“This training has shown me that I can expand my skill set and make a difference,” Salinas said. “We must share our knowledge and manage our fishing sites without harming the ecosystem. If you can dream it, you can accomplish it — there are no barriers or limits; every little step you take towards accomplishing your dream is a victory.”Ochoa will host another training session in May on the Yucatan coast. <img src="https://d2iwpl8k086uu2.cloudfront.net/images/default-source/non-vault-images-s3/_dsc0890.jpg?sfvrsn=3db179a4_1" alt="" sf-size="11199099" />© Isai Dominguez/Conservation InternationalThe Sirenas recovered a massive tangle of fishing rope during their training. As demand for fish has skyrocketed, so has ghost gear.Further reading:<ul><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/where-ghost-gear-haunts-seas-divers-unite-to-clean-up">Where 'ghost gear' haunts the seas, divers unite to clean up</a></li><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/like-to-dive-new-course-will-train-you-to-be-a-ghostbuster-of-the-sea">Like to dive? New course will train you to be a ‘ghostbuster’ of the sea</a></li><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/off-panamas-coast-divers-resurrect-a-ghost-of-the-deep">Off Panama’s coast, divers resurrect a ‘ghost’ of the deep</a></li></ul>Mary Kate McCoy is a staff writer at Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this? <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act/subscribe">Sign up for email updates</a>. Also, <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act">please consider supporting our critical work</a>. urn:uuid:220d1aa0-4c74-4308-bf72-07f34f5ce31ahttps://www.conservation.org/blog/climate-change-charts-a-dangerous-course-for-the-worlds-largest-fish OceansClimate ChangeClimate change charts a dangerous course for the world's largest fishA Conservation International scientist shares what can be done to prevent an ‘outright alarming’ future for whale sharks.Wed, 20 Nov 2024 16:38:59 ZWarmer oceans are putting two giants of the sea on a collision course. Even at the size of a school bus, whale sharks — the world’s largest fish — are no match for cargo ships in busy shipping lanes: When the two collide, the sharks always lose.And unfortunately, climate change will make deadly encounters more common, according to a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-024-02129-5#:~:text=Climate%2Ddriven%20global%20redistribution%20of,from%20shipping%20%7C%20Nature%20Climate%20Change" target="_blank">new study</a>.“Whale sharks' risk of being struck by these massive ships could increase dramatically if fossil fuel use continues to run wild — driving climate change and making our oceans <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01573-1">hotter than ever</a>,” said Conservation International marine biologist Mark Erdmann, a co-author of the study. “We already know these collisions are likely behind many whale shark deaths — these new findings are outright alarming for the future of the species.”Researchers used <a href="https://www.conservation.org/projects/whale-shark-tracker">satellite data</a> to track 348 whale sharks over 15 years. They then overlaid the sharks’ movements with global climate models and shipping routes to predict whether the gentle giants’ search for cooler waters would lead to more or fewer collisions.The study, published in Nature Climate Change, found that in every future climate scenario, the risk of fatal collisions rises: If greenhouse gas emissions surge unabated, that risk could increase by up to 43 percent by 2100. <img src="https://d2iwpl8k086uu2.cloudfront.net/images/default-source/non-vault-images-s3/20230320-084309_dsc03229.jpg?sfvrsn=edef8f34_3" alt="" sf-size="62911583" />© Mark Erdmann The reasons behind whale sharks' dramatic decline stumped researchers for years.  Whale sharks are among the marine species <a href="https://www.scrippsnews.com/science-and-tech/animals-and-insects/climate-change-threatens-endangered-whale-sharks" target="_blank">most vulnerable</a> to climate change. They are currently found in tropical to temperate waters, but their range is expected to shift up to 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) toward the North and South Poles as they seek cooler waters. The study identified coastal areas near the western United States, Sierra Leone and the eastern China Sea as future collision hotspots, as whale sharks are likely to migrate to those waters — which are also some of the world’s busiest shipping routes. The study’s results offer other insights into whale sharks, whose populations have struggled in recent decades. Erdmann said the findings are helping scientists piece together what’s behind their decline — and what the future may hold for this endangered species. <h2>Where did all the whale sharks go? </h2>Over the past 75 years, whale shark populations have declined by more than <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/19488/2365291">50 percent</a>. Overfishing, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s, is largely to blame. Whale sharks were prized for their meat in some Asian countries, even nicknamed “<a href="https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Rhincodon_typus/" target="_blank">tofu shark</a>” because of their spongy white flesh. Yet by the early 2000s, many countries recognized whale sharks’ economic value in generating <a href="https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/fact-sheets/2012/02/07/whale-sharks#:~:text=Whale%20shark%20(Rhincodon%20typus)&text=In%20regions%20where%20whale%20sharks,%2447.5%20million%20worldwide%20each%20year.">ecotourism</a>, prompting many places to crack down on unsustainable fishing and create explicit protections for whale sharks. One study found that whale shark tourism in Ningaloo, Western Australia, was worth US$ 19 million per year, while another study valued whale shark tourism to Isla Mujeres, Mexico, at US$ 14 million annually. Today, whale sharks are protected in nearly every country within their range. Yet despite decades of protection, their populations continue to decline. “Scientists were scratching their heads wondering what the heck was going on,” Erdmann said. “That’s when we began to suspect that something more insidious was going on that we weren’t seeing.” A breakthrough came in 2022, when a <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2117440119">study</a> from Erdmann and his colleagues confirmed what other scientists had begun to suspect: Whale sharks were regularly crossing paths with ships — with deadly results. That study found a 92 percent overlap between whale shark routes and shipping lanes. It revealed that a quarter of the whale sharks tracked by satellites stopped transmitting signals when they entered the busiest shipping areas. “Satellite tags would be happily pinging on whale sharks — then they would swim into a shipping lane and suddenly they’re gone,” Erdmann said. “Those ships move at high speeds and can be the size of a football field. It’s likely they’re mowing over whale sharks without even knowing it.” Though collisions happen with other species, such as whales and dolphins, whale sharks are uniquely vulnerable, he said: They’re slow and they like to linger near the surface to feed on plankton.<img src="https://d2iwpl8k086uu2.cloudfront.net/images/default-source/non-vault-images-s3/20230319-080848_dsc01613.jpg?sfvrsn=52f79855_3" alt="" sf-size="35046385" />© Mark Erdmann Slow moving and surface feeders, whale sharks are uniquely vulnerable to collisions with large ships.<h2>A clear solution </h2>Thankfully, Erdmann said, there is a clear solution to the problem — and it’s already helping protect endangered whale species: Slow down. “If we can get industrial ships to slow down in areas with a high risk for collisions, we can make a big difference,” he said. “And we already have a template. It’s been done to protect whales for many years.” For example, in the United States, all vessels 65 feet or longer are required to slow down in some locations along the East Coast during certain times of year to lower the risk of collisions with the endangered <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/reducing-vessel-strikes-north-atlantic-right-whales#:~:text=PDF%2C%201197%20pages)-,Current%20Vessel%20Speed%20Restrictions,speed%20zone%2C%20and%20vessel%20type.">North Atlantic right whale</a>. The 2022 study found that restricting speeds to less than 10 knots (19 kilometers per hour) reduced the likelihood of whale shark fatalities by more than 50 percent. Researchers hope the findings from both studies will help enact similar policies to protect whale sharks, Erdmann said. Countries have the power to enforce speed limits in designated areas of their waters, Erdmann said. And in some cases, adjusting the location of the shipping lane by 10-15 kilometers (6-9 miles) could significantly reduce collisions. “This study is further proof that climate change can make human-caused problems even worse for wildlife,” he said. “We have the data and the tools to change the outcome. Now, we must act."<hr />Further reading:<ul><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/new-study-dives-into-whats-killing-the-worlds-largest-fish-and-more">New study dives into what's killing the world's largest fish</a></li><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/deep-dive-new-findings-from-our-whale-shark-watchers">Deep dive: New findings from our whale shark watchers</a></li></ul><hr />Mary Kate McCoy is a staff writer at Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this? <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act/subscribe">Sign up for email updates</a>. Also, <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act">please consider supporting our critical work</a>.urn:uuid:2b846b12-9b75-442e-9616-ee3ad709c887https://www.conservation.org/blog/why-a-new-treaty-to-protect-the-high-seas-is-a-game-changer OceansWhy a new treaty to protect the high seas is a ‘game-changer’Roughly two-thirds of the world’s oceans lie beyond national boundaries in an area known as the “high seas” — yet only about 1 percent of that largely unexplored expanse has been protected. Now, nearly 200 countries have agreed on the first-ever United Nations treaty to protect the high seas.Fri, 10 Mar 2023 17:35:16 Z<div>Roughly two-thirds of the world’s oceans lie beyond national boundaries in an area known as the “high seas” — yet only about <a href="https://mpatlas.org/countries/HS" target="_blank">1 percent </a>of that vast and largely unexplored expanse has been protected. Now, after two decades of planning, intense negotiations and a final 36-hour marathon session, countries have agreed on the first-ever United Nations treaty to protect the high seas.<a href="https://twitter.com/ashmcgovern?lang=en" target="_blank">Ashleigh McGovern</a>, who co-leads Conservation International’s Center for Oceans, explains why this treaty could help stem the biodiversity and climate crises — and what needs to happen before it can be implemented.Let’s start by talking about what the new treaty does and doesn’t do.The treaty provides the legal framework for countries to create marine protected areas and other area-based management in the high seas — these are basically huge expanses of water that are set aside for conservation. That’s never been possible before. The treaty also allows for environmental assessments to help evaluate the potential damage of commercial activities in the high seas, <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/3881027-the-deep-sea-must-be-protected-not-plundered/" target="_blank">like deep-sea mining</a>. And it enables developing countries to equitably benefit from newly discovered “marine genetic resources” — that’s material from marine life that’s valuable for scientific research. For example, recently compounds found in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2021.666664/full#:~:text=Rem" target="_blank">sponges</a> and <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-36106-x" target="_blank">sharks</a> — have been used in drugs to fight COVID-19.What it doesn’t do, at least not yet, is put any protected areas into place. Countries now need to finalize the language of the treaty and negotiators need to go back to their governments to formally adopt it. About 60 countries will need to ratify the treaty before it can go into force, and the hope is to fast-track this in the way that the Paris climate agreement’s ratification was fast-tracked back in 2016. What makes the treaty so significant?It’s a game-changer for the oceans. The high seas cover half the planet and until now were essentially the Wild West, with little oversight or regulation. That left a huge expanse of ocean vulnerable to overfishing, pollution and the impacts of climate change. The treaty is an important step toward achieving the global goal of protecting at least 30 percent of our oceans by 2030 — a commitment known as <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/cop15-reaches-ambitious-plan-for-nature-now-countries-must-accelerate-action">“30 by 30,”</a> which is seen as critical to confronting the <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/why-is-biodiversity-important">biodiversity crisis.</a> To reach it, we need to protect about 11 million square kilometers [4 million square miles] of ocean each year — that’s nearly the size of the United States and Mexico combined. Without this treaty, we didn’t have a fighting chance. Now we do.  This treaty also has implications for our climate. The ocean absorbs carbon and roughly <a href="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/ocean-heat-content-rises" target="_blank">90 percent</a> of the heat generated by fossil fuel emissions. It plays a critical role in regulating our climate and buffering against the worst impact of global heating. We know that reducing stresses from unsustainable human activities makes the ocean more <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/pdf/10.1073/pnas.1701262114" target="_blank">resilient</a> to climate change, and better able to cope with its impacts. What happens next?We’re really focused on supporting the treaty’s ratification and implementation — figuring out how to put this legal framework into practice. Conservation International is part of the <a href="https://www.highseasalliance.org/" target="_blank">High Seas Alliance</a>, a coalition that has worked for many years to provide advocacy, political outreach and technical policy contributions to the treaty process. Together we’ll be turning our attention to supporting the ratification process. We’re also a founding member of the <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/new-coalition-aims-to-help-protect-oceans-on-global-scale">Blue Nature Alliance</a>, which is working to <a href="https://www.conservation.org/projects/blue-nature-alliance">double the amount</a> of ocean area under conservation. Through that partnership, we’re committed to providing the technical and financial support that countries and communities need to create and manage protected areas in all five oceans – including the high seas. For example, we’ve identified several high-seas areas that are a priority for protection. One of these is the <a href="https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/3ef95c04c7f742d8bd7fbac2d0980440" target="_blank">Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges</a>, a series of deep-sea mountain ranges off the coasts of Peru and Chile. A couple of years ago a group of ocean experts, including one of our scientists, conducted the <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0253213" target="_blank">first-ever comprehensive survey </a>of this area and identified more than 120 species, many of which don’t live anywhere else on the planet. It’s a migration corridor for sharks, whales and turtles — and home to <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/in-high-seas-scientists-see-a-lifeline-for-coral-reefs">reef-building corals</a>, which support thriving underwater gardens. Moreover, these waters have <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5fdd14852071e510e61883b4/t/61b8ffa7f21d92043cd8548c/1639514078734/Maritime+cultural+heritage+of+the+Salas+y+Gomez+%26+Nazca+ridges+factsheet+%28English%29.pdf" target="_blank">deep cultural significance</a>: Polynesian voyagers crisscrossed them for thousands of years as they explored from the West Pacific to Rapa Nui.We’re just starting to explore the marine life in this remote area. Because commercial fishing has been limited and seabed mining exploration has not yet started, we have a window of opportunity to protect it. In December, Conservation International helped assemble a workshop together with the Chilean government, scientists and members of civil society to review research, identify knowledge gaps and create a shared plan for a marine protected area there.This high seas treaty has been a long time coming. For years, we’ve worked with partners to pave the way for it — and I’m incredibly hopeful that it will be ratified quickly so that we can protect as much ocean as we can, as quickly as we can. The wind is at our backs, the momentum is there; we have to put up our sails to catch the moment and get it done. Further reading:<ul><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/in-high-seas-scientists-see-a-lifeline-for-coral-reefs">In high seas, scientists see a lifeline for coral reefs </a></li><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/climate-crisis-pushing-oceans-to-the-brink-report-warns">Climate crisis pushing oceans to the brink, report warns</a> </li><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/in-the-high-seas-scientists-uncover-a-vortex-of-life">In the high seas, scientists uncover a ‘vortex of life’</a></li></ul>Vanessa Bauza is the editorial director at Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this? Sign up for email updates <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act/subscribe">here.</a> Donate to Conservation International <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act">here.</a></div>urn:uuid:e1ad4a32-19e4-47fd-a5df-128fdca8d906https://www.conservation.org/blog/news-spotlight-could-seaweed-be-our-new-big-climate-ally OceansClimate ChangeNews spotlight: Could seaweed be our new big climate ally?In case you missed it: A recent study reveals that underwater forests are much more prolific than previously thought — and may play a key role in stemming the climate crisis.Mon, 09 Jan 2023 17:45:55 Z<div>Kelp forests are one of the fastest growing ecosystems on Earth — yet because they thrive out of reach of mapping satellites, scientists’ understanding of them has been stymied, <a href="https://twitter.com/sherrifflucy" target="_blank">Lucy Sherriff</a> reported for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/02/kelp-seaweed-forests-research-climate-crisis?sf174215070=1" target="_blank">the Guardian</a>.“Most of the world’s seaweed forests are not even mapped, much less monitored,” marine ecologist Karen Filbee-Dexter told the Guardian. A <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abn2465" target="_blank">recent study</a>, led by an international group of scientists including Filbee-Dexter, reveals that underwater forests are much more prolific than previously thought, covering up to 7.2 million square kilometers (2.8 million square miles) — an area twice the size of India. The implications could be significant.Namely, Sherriff writes, the research helps scientists better understand the role kelp and other seaweed forests could play in stemming the climate crisis by absorbing planet-warming carbon dioxide from seawater and the atmosphere. <img src="https://www.conservation.org/images/default-source/temp/ci_81050092_large.jpg?sfvrsn=13ac7cec_1" alt="" sf-size="100" /><h6 style="text-align:right;">Kelp off the coast of Monterey, California. © Keith A. Ellenbogen</h6>By <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/geb.13515" target="_blank">at least one estimate</a>, kelp forests may store as much carbon as the Amazon rainforest. But there’s been <a href="https://theconversation.com/kelp-wont-help-why-seaweed-may-not-be-a-silver-bullet-for-carbon-storage-after-all-178018" target="_blank">scientific debate</a> on these forests’ long-term ability to sequester carbon because unlike other ecosystems that stash massive amounts of carbon — such as <a href="https://www.conservation.org/docs/default-source/publication-pdfs/cispata-bay-mangroves-2022-impact-report.pdf?sfvrsn=2b5b6f4d_3">mangroves</a> — kelp lacks root systems to lock carbon into the ground.Filbee-Dexter told the Guardian that the research was a “major step forward” in understanding seaweed’s role in mitigating climate change, “because it calculates the productivity – growth and carbon uptake – of the largest marine vegetated ecosystem.” In addition to absorbing massive amounts of carbon, kelp forests play an important role in marine ecosystems. Scientists have found that as grey whales migrate from Mexico to Alaska they use massive curtains of kelp as a haven from killer whales. And, kelp could even be a boon to food security: The study finds that given its rapid growth, seaweed, if properly harvested, could become a “very sustainable and nutrient-dense food source.”<img src="https://www.conservation.org/images/default-source/temp/ci_63379301_large.jpg?sfvrsn=e734c5_1" alt="" sf-size="100" /><h6 style="text-align:right;">Kelp forest off the coast of California. © Keith A. Ellenbogen</h6>Still, like <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/why-is-biodiversity-important">many biodiverse ecosystems</a>, underwater forests face unprecedented threats in the form of rising sea temperatures, pollution and invasive species. Climate change has created a dangerous domino effect, where one change in the ecosystem can set off a vicious cycle. Take Northern California’s coast where kelp has declined by 95 percent due to an explosion of sea urchins, which in turn was caused by the decline of their main predators, starfish, due to a disease tied to warming waters. Filbee-Dexter told the Guardian she hopes that “more awareness about these [underwater] forests will lead to more protection and restoration.”With the world’s oceans becoming <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/climate-crisis-pushing-oceans-to-the-brink-report-warns">hotter and more acidic</a>, the time to turn the tide is dwindling. Last month, the U.N. biodiversity summit, or COP15, <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/cop15-reaches-ambitious-plan-for-nature-now-countries-must-accelerate-action">reached a historic agreement</a> to protect 30 percent of terrestrial, inland water, coastal and marine ecosystems by 2030. The <a href="https://www.conservation.org/projects/blue-nature-alliance">Blue Nature Alliance</a>, a coalition co-lead by Conservation International, is supporting the global goal.Working alongside local communities, governments, Indigenous peoples and ocean experts, the alliance has engaged in advancing the conservation of more than 4.8 million square kilometers (1.9 million square miles) of ocean across Fiji, Antarctica’s Southern Ocean and Tristan da Cunha — the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world. In each of these places, the alliance collaborates with communities and governments to identify their conservation goals and help implement strategies to achieve them. Read the full story from the Guardian <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/02/kelp-seaweed-forests-research-climate-crisis?sf174215070=1" target="_blank">here</a>.Further reading: <ul><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/new-coalition-aims-to-help-protect-oceans-on-global-scale">New coalition aims to help protect oceans on global scale</a></li></ul></div>urn:uuid:2a5ed102-5ad7-4aa3-af07-da8fea59dd59https://www.conservation.org/blog/news-spotlight-what-happened-to-alaskas-snow-crabs-scientists-have-a-few-leads OceansClimate ChangeBiodiversityNews spotlight: What happened to Alaska’s snow crabs? Scientists have a few leads.Deep in the frigid east Bering Sea, snow crabs have historically flourished — supporting Alaska’s $160 million annual crabbing industry. Yet state officials recently sent shockwaves across the industry when they announced there would be no snow crab season this year for the first time.Tue, 25 Oct 2022 15:31:08 Z<div>Editor's note: News about conservation and the environment is made every day, but some of it can fly under the radar. In a recurring feature, Conservation News shares a recent news story that you should know about.Deep in the frigid east Bering Sea, snow crabs have historically flourished — supporting Alaska’s $160 million annual crabbing industry. Yet state officials recently sent shockwaves across the industry when they announced there would be no snow crab season this year for the first time — a big blow for commercial crabbers. The species’ population has dropped more than a staggering 80 percent, leaving officials with no choice but to call off the catch, <a href="https://twitter.com/EmmaSAanne" target="_blank">Emma Bryce</a> reported for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/20/billions-gone-whats-behind-the-disappearance-of-alaska-snow-crabs" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>.What’s behind the dramatic die-off? The theories all point in one direction: warming oceans. While the news that the snow crab population had lost billions of animals is shocking, the decline didn’t happen overnight, Erin Fedewa, research biologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), told The Guardian.In 2018, an unusually large snow crab population coincided with one of the warmest years on record in the Bering Sea. That lead the population of juvenile snow crabs to plumet in 2019, as they failed to mature in the warmer waters brought by a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-022-00461-2#:~:text=The%202019%E2%80%932021%20MHW%2C%20which,detected%20since%20the%20year%201982." target="_blank">climate change-driven heatwave</a>.By 2021, the NOAA survey was even bleaker. All ages of crabs had decreased.“I just remember being out on the boat and knowing that something was wrong,” Fedewa said. In locations researchers would typically find several thousand snow crabs, they were pulling in only a couple of hundred.Researchers suspect warming waters led to multiple challenges, causing the population to tumble from 11.7 billion in 2018 to 1.9 billion in 2022. Sea ice melt and warming waters have diminished the crabs’ cold-water habitat, triggering starvation, predation and potentially increased disease. Not only are the animals constrained by a smaller area with fewer resources, but the warmer water also increases the crabs’ metabolism — which requires them to consume more — and is more welcoming to predators like the Pacific cod.   While it will take further research to fully understand what is behind the snow crabs’ drastic decline, <a href="https://unfccc.int/topics/ocean" target="_blank">scientists have long known</a> that the ocean bears the brunt of global warming — absorbing about <a href="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/ocean-heat-content-rises" target="_blank">90 percent</a> of the heat generated by rising greenhouse gases. Communities that rely on oceans for their economies and livelihoods are <a href="https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/small-islands-large-oceans-voices-frontlines-climate-change" target="_blank">on the frontlines</a>. Pacific Island nations, for example, are heavily dependent on tuna, <a href="https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/102721466580391096-0070022016/original/PACIFICPOSSIBLETunaSummarypaper.pdf" target="_blank">contributing more than a third</a> of the global tuna catch. However, ocean warming is altering the habitats of the fish and causing them to move outside the jurisdictions of many of the Pacific Islands, creating an exodus that could cut the average catch by a staggering 20 percent, according to a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-021-00745-z" target="_blank">study</a> led by Conservation International scientist Johann Bell. <hr /> <ul><li>Further reading: <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/shifting-tuna-populations-could-trigger-climate-justice-issue-study">Shifting tuna populations could trigger ‘climate justice issue’: study</a> </li></ul> <hr />Revenue brought in by prized species like the snow crab and bigeye tuna is essential to local economies. For tuna, catch reductions could result in a collective loss of US$140 million per year by 2050 — costing some Pacific island nations’ up to 17 percent of their annual government revenue, according to the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-021-00745-z" target="_blank">study</a>. Yet these grim predictions are not set in stone. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-021-00745-z" target="_blank">Bell’s study</a> estimates that if countries around the world stick to their emissions reduction commitments  under the Paris Climate Agreement and limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the average tuna catch will decrease by only <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/shifting-tuna-populations-could-trigger-climate-justice-issue-study" target="_blank">3 percent</a>.It remains to be seen how cold-water species will fare, even if global temperature rise is limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius. In Alaska, the future of the snow crab industry is unclear. The collapse of the industry didn’t happen overnight, and neither will the recovery.  For their part, researchers in the Bering Sea are working on a stock rebuilding assessment, and continuing to study what is behind the crab’s collapse.Read the full story <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/20/billions-gone-whats-behind-the-disappearance-of-alaska-snow-crabs" target="_blank">here</a>.Further reading:<ul><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/what-on-earth-is-aquaculture">What on Earth is 'aquaculture'?</a></li></ul>Mary Kate McCoy is a staff writer at Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this? <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act/subscribe">Sign up for email updates</a>. Also, <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act">please consider supporting our critical work</a>.</div>urn:uuid:24a253a2-2ddf-43ff-b7e8-c0da25789b64https://www.conservation.org/blog/news-spotlight-sea-creatures-could-harbor-the-next-generation-of-medications-but-are-they-at-risk OceansBiodiversityNews spotlight: Sea creatures could harbor the next generation of medications, but are they at risk?In case you missed it: Scientists are sourcing new, lifesaving medications from the sea. But deep-sea mining explorations could risk critical marine ecosystems before their potential is understood.Mon, 12 Sep 2022 17:00:43 ZEditor's note: News about conservation and the environment is made every day, but some of it can fly under the radar. In a recurring feature, Conservation News shares a recent news story that you should know about.<a href="https://www.conservation.org/stories/forest-conservation-facts">Forests</a> have long yielded lifesaving medicines. From cancer drugs like vincristine to quinine for malaria, about <a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/un-desa-voice/things-you-need-to-know/2021/03" target="_blank">a quarter</a> of the medications used in developed countries are derived from plants — in developing countries, it can be as much as <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237010210_From_forest_to_pharmacy_plant-based_traditional_medicines_as_sources_for_novel_therapeutic_compounds" target="_blank">80 percent</a>.Increasingly, scientists are unlocking a new, natural medicine chest: the sea. Worldwide, 21 marine-derived medications have been approved for use — and a potent new antiviral sourced from a Mediterranean sea squirt is in clinical trials for treating COVID-19, <a href="https://twitter.com/stephstonesf" target="_blank">Stephanie Stone</a> reported for <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/hope-for-new-drugs-arises-from-the-sea/" target="_blank">Scientific American</a>.Sea squirts are members of a group of invertebrates known as <a href="https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/invertebrates/tunicates-not-so-spineless-invertebrates" target="_blank">tunicates</a>, which are the source of many pharmaceuticals derived from the sea — including the new antiviral, <a href="https://www.fiercebiotech.com/research/cancer-drug-extracted-from-sea-squirt-better-inhibits-covid-19-than-remdesivir-lab" target="_blank">plitidepsin</a>.These unassuming creatures feed on plankton, which they siphon through sieve-like structures. “Along with their food, they pull in viruses and other pathogens, so they need strong chemical defenses to fight off infectious organisms — and that makes them promising sources for medicines,” Stone wrote.There’s a twist, though. Over the past few decades, scientists have found that most of these defensive substances are produced by microbes that live symbiotically within the creatures' tissues, rather than by the invertebrates themselves.Though vastly understudied, <a href="https://hakaimagazine.com/features/a-cancer-quashing-microbe-emerges-from-the-deep/" target="_blank">marine microbes</a> could hold the key to new medicines. Stone writes that the pandemic has highlighted the need for “a deeper pool of drugs to treat emerging infectious diseases,” as well as a new drugs to counter growing microbial resistance to established antibiotics.But as scientists explore the potential of marine-derived medicines, the clock is ticking on regulations that would allow the world’s first deep-sea mining to begin — a process that would essentially <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/01/20000-feet-under-the-sea/603040/" target="_blank">scrape the seafloor</a> for precious metals, killing fish, coral and other sea creatures in the process.The International Seabed Authority, a United Nations agency tasked with overseeing mining in international waters, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/10/deep-sea-mining-talks-end-with-no-agreement-on-environmental-rules" target="_blank">last month ended negotiations</a> in a stalemate. That means plans to open parts of the ocean to mining for manganese, nickel, cobalt and other metals could move forward next year without environmental regulations.Global oceans already face a myriad of threats. Scientists argue that deep-sea mining could be devastating to marine biodiversity — and, given that <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/exploration.html" target="_blank">more than 80 percent of the ocean remains unexplored</a>, the consequences of industrial mining operations are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X22000537" target="_blank">not yet fully understood</a>.<hr /><ul><li>FURTHER READING: <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/newly-discovered-coral-species-face-uncertainty-in-pacific’s-depths">Newly discovered coral species face uncertainty in Pacific’s depths</a></li></ul><hr />In addition to the immediate impacts on the seabed, deep-sea mining could affect interconnected ecosystems by generating large sediment plumes, toxins and noise that would negatively affect marine life far beyond specific mining sites. These conditions are bad in any ocean ecosystem, but particularly dire in the deep sea, where some <a href="https://www.llnl.gov/news/deep-sea-corals-may-be-oldest-living-marine-organism" target="_blank">corals</a> and sea sponges live over hundreds or even thousands of years — and are accustomed to stable conditions, akin to the ancient redwoods of California. If destroyed, it could take thousands to millions of years for these ecosystems to recover, if at all.“Currently, we cannot predict what the impacts of mining will be on the vast and diverse ecosystems of the deep sea and other parts of the oceans,” <a href="https://www.conservation.org/testing/lists-and-tables/2020/01/20/conservation-international-calls-for-a-minimum-ten-year-moratorium-on-deep-sea-mining">said Emily Pidgeon</a>, Conservation International’s vice president for ocean science. “We are only just beginning to understand the potential risks to the biodiversity of the oceans. Before any mining can begin, science must first clarify if and how deep-sea mining might be possible without endangering ecosystems that are still largely unknown.” Read the full article <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/hope-for-new-drugs-arises-from-the-sea/" target="_blank">here</a>.<hr />FURTHER READING:<ul><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/in-high-seas-scientists-see-a-lifeline-for-coral-reefs">In high seas, scientists see a lifeline for coral reefs</a></li><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/5-ways-you-can-help-protect-the-ocean-in-and-out-of-the-water">5 ways you can help protect the ocean — in and out of the water</a></li></ul><hr />Vanessa Bauza is the editorial director at Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this? Sign up for email updates <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act">here</a>. Donate to Conservation International <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act">here</a>.Cover image: A diverse coral community in the North Atlantic (© NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research)urn:uuid:bff3ff45-4ad1-466f-83bb-fb92dbf06a63https://www.conservation.org/blog/notes-from-the-field-forest-drones-gorilla-germs-and-more Climate ChangeOceansFinance and TechNotes from the field: Forest drones, gorilla germs and moreHere are three recent conservation success stories you should know about.Thu, 21 Oct 2021 13:54:33 Z<div>Though news headlines about the state of the planet may seem bleak, they don’t always capture the whole story. Around the world, the work of protecting nature and the climate is happening in the field — and achieving triumphs that don’t always make the news. Here are three recent conservation success stories you should know about. </div><div><h3>1. Drone tech busts illegal logging in Madagascar </h3></div><div>Nearly half of Madagascar’s forests have fallen victim to slash-and-burn agriculture, illegal logging and unrestricted charcoal production in the last 60 years, according to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320718301125" target="_blank">recent research</a>. </div><div>But illegal loggers can be hard to spot amid the dense tangle of trees — and patrollers can only cover so much ground each day. </div><div>Fortunately, a new initiative is offering eyes in the sky. </div><div>With support from the University of Adelaide and authorization from the Malagasy Civil Aviation Association, Conservation International has trained six staff members to fly aerial drones through the Ankeniheni-Zahamena and Ambositra-Vondrozo forest corridors in eastern Madagascar. In 2020 and 2021, the drone program identified more than 51 points of illegal forest clearing, which has helped patrollers target where to increase enforcement and prioritize conservation efforts.</div><div>“The drones are ideal companions for traditional forest patrols because they allow us to spot areas where illegal loggers have operated, which are usually too remote and hard to reach on foot,” said Clarck Rabenandrasana, a remote-sensing manager and chief drone pilot at Conservation International. </div><div>Along with locating illegally cleared land, this program helps monitor restoration projects, provide employment for local communities and track crop yields for farmers.</div><div>“Drones are an increasingly popular tool for conservationists, giving us a greater range and better data-collection capabilities than even what was available a few years ago,” Rabenandrasana said. “They are helping us to protect the forests of Madagascar, which are crucial for supporting local communities and iconic wildlife such as lemurs and fossas.”</div><div>This project was supported by the Sustainable Landscapes Program in Eastern Madagascar and the Green Climate Fund project.</div><div><h3>2. Mountain gorilla protection protocol in Africa </h3></div><div>Sharing <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/tiny-genetic-differences-between-humans-and-other-primates-pervade-the-genome/" target="_blank">98 percent </a>of human DNA, mountain gorillas are some of our closest genetic relatives.</div><div>Unfortunately, this leaves them susceptible to many of the same diseases that affect humans, including <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/first-great-apes-at-us-zoo-receive-coronavirus-vaccine-made-for-animals" target="_blank">COVID-19</a>. Even a common cold can be deadly for gorillas. </div><div>To help minimize the risk of transmitting diseases from humans to gorillas, the International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP) — a partnership led by the Conservation International, the World Wildlife Fund, and Flora and Fauna International — has helped develop tourism protocols that minimize contact between tourists and these great apes.</div><div>“Mountain gorilla trekking has proven to be one of the most effective ways of generating revenue to conserve gorillas, with tourists paying for what is often a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view our nearest relative in the wild,” explained Matthew Lewis, a wildlife scientist at Conservation International.  “But the emergence of COVID-19 serves as a reminder that any disease that risks human health most likely also puts gorillas in danger. This new protocol aims to prevent that.”</div><div>Currently, gorilla trekking protocols require visitors to be checked for fever or signs of illness prior to the trek, to wear masks and maintain at least 7 meters (23 feet) of distance from gorillas. Visitors are told to never initiate physical contact with a gorilla, but if a curious young gorilla does approach, guests are advised to sit quietly until the gorilla moves on.</div><div>IGCP has developed a “Gorilla Friendly Pledge” for guests to sign as a commitment to adhere to the protocols of safe gorilla tourism, which Lewis hopes will improve tourism practices even beyond the pandemic. </div><div>“IGCP’s efforts have helped mountain gorilla populations recover in recent years, surpassing 1,000 individuals for the first time in half a century, and efforts like this new protocol will help continue that trend,” he said. “If done sustainably, gorilla tourism helps protect this great ape and support local economies. It’s a win-win.” </div><div><h3>3. A million corals for Colombia </h3></div><div>Battered by overfishing, climate change and pollution, the world’s coral reefs are struggling to survive. But in Colombia, reefs are getting a lifeline.</div><div>With support from Conservation International, Colombian President Iván Duque and the country’s environment minister Eduardo Correa, in June announced the "One Million Corals for Colombia” program to rehabilitate and restore 200 hectares (494 acres) of coral reef. The total investment for this project over the next two years will be US$ 422,000. </div><div>“Along with providing habitat for an array of marine life, coral reefs protect coastal communities by buffering against storm surges and sea-level rise,” says Julian Sotelo, a communications coordinator for Conservation International in Colombia. “That means this project could help improve ocean health and human well-being.” </div><div>The "One Million Corals for Colombia" initiative will use multiple coral gardening strategies to increase overall coral cover on reefs. One of these techniques involves creating a coral nursery by attaching pieces of broken coral to ropes and tables underwater so that they can grow and reproduce.</div><div>In the other strategy, known as "microfragmentation," corals are intentionally cut into small pieces and attached to cement bases in underwater nurseries. This process can accelerate coral growth 25 times.</div><div>“By using the most cutting-edge coral restoration techniques, the program aims to achieve its goal by 2022,” Sotelo says. “But it’s going to take the entire global community to help conserve coral reefs in the face of climate change — and we hope this initiative with inspire others to take action.” </div><div>Kiley Price is the staff writer and news editor at Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this? <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act/subscribe">Sign up for email updates.</a> <a href="https://www.conservation.org/donate">Donate to Conservation International.</a>Cover image: A mountain gorilla in Rwanda (© Conservation International/photo by John Martin)<hr />Further reading: <ul><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/notes-from-the-field-protecting-panamas-waters-conserving-lemurs-in-madagascar-and-more">Notes from the field: Protecting Panama’s waters, conserving Malagasy lemurs and more</a></li><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/new-map-pinpoints-where-people-depend-on-nature-the-most">New map pinpoints where people depend on nature the most</a></li></ul></div><div> </div>urn:uuid:76ab182b-d24c-4bd2-8a8f-74ced807e565https://www.conservation.org/blog/shifting-tuna-populations-could-trigger-climate-justice-issue-study ScienceOceansClimate ChangeShifting tuna populations could trigger ‘climate justice issue’: studyOcean warming will alter the habitats of tuna, which could have catastrophic economic consequences for Pacific Island nations and territories, according to a new study.Thu, 29 Jul 2021 17:03:38 Z<div>Despite their small size, Pacific Island nations and territories are a powerhouse in the fishing industry, contributing <a href="https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/102721466580391096-0070022016/original/PACIFICPOSSIBLETunaSummarypaper.pdf" target="_blank">more than a third of the global tuna catch</a>. However, the tide could soon turn for these islands — and not for the better.</div><div>Fueled by greenhouse gas emissions, ocean warming will alter the habitats of tuna, causing these fish to move outside the jurisdictions — or Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) — of many Pacific Islands. Using modelling to predict how tuna stocks could move by 2050, a team of experts — led by Conservation International’s Johann Bell — found that an exodus of tuna could cut the average catch by a staggering 20 percent in 10 Pacific Island states, from Palau in the west to Kiribati in the east. </div><div>According to the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-021-00745-z" target="_blank">study</a> published today in Nature Sustainability, catch reductions of this magnitude could result in a collective loss of US$ 140 million per year by 2050 and cost some of these island nations and territories up to 17 percent of their annual government revenue. </div><div>“Currently, many of the tropical areas with warm waters preferred by skipjack, yellowfin and bigeye tuna are within the EEZs of Pacific Island states,” says Bell, who leads the tuna fisheries program at Conservation International.</div><div>“But as the ocean continues to warm, the conditions preferred by tuna will be located further to the east, including in the high seas, which are not governed by any one country.”</div><div><ul><li>READ MORE: <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/pacific-islands-face-hardships-as-tuna-follow-warming-waters">Pacific islands face hardships as tuna follow warming waters</a></li></ul></div><div><h3>‘This is a climate justice issue’  </h3></div><div>Pacific Island territories are responsible for only a tiny fraction of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet they are already facing some of the most severe impacts of climate change.</div><div>“This is a climate justice issue,” says Bell. “Pacific Island states charge access fees to other countries that catch tuna in their jurisdictions. But as the tuna move progressively to high-seas areas the revenues will decline because less fishing will occur in their waters — and tuna-dependent economies will suffer.” </div><div>In contrast, large countries responsible for the majority of global emissions driving ocean warming will benefit from the migration of tuna, according to Bell. </div><div>“When the tuna are caught in high-seas areas, fishing fleets from wealthier countries can make more money from their catches because they do not currently have to pay fees to fish there,” he says. </div><div>Tuna fishing in the high seas of the Western and Central Pacific Ocean and in the Eastern Pacific Ocean is regulated by two regional fisheries management organizations. With insight from international lawyers, the study offers recommendations for a more equitable outcome:  Pacific Island states could negotiate within these regional fisheries management organizations to retain the rights to the historical levels of catches made within their EEZs, regardless of the movement of fish to the high seas due to climate change. This would mean that although some tuna would no longer live within the EEZs of Pacific Islands states, their economic value would still belong to those nations and territories. </div><div>However, the best way to avoid this climate justice issue is to make sure that tuna habitats don’t shift in the first place, Bell says. </div><div><h3>Cut carbon, save tuna-dependent economies </h3></div><div>Under the Paris Climate Agreement, countries around the world have committed to drastically reducing their emissions to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). </div><div>If countries are able to meet this goal, the average tuna catch in these 10 Pacific Island nations and territories will decrease by only 3 percent, the study’s authors estimate. </div><div>And with world leaders set to meet soon at a <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/looking-ahead-after-lost-year-urgency-rises-for-climate-nature-policy">series of global climate negotiations</a>, the onus is on large countries to commit to more ambitious emissions reduction targets and avoid climate injustice, says Bell. </div><div>“The climate-driven redistribution of tuna has the potential to severely disrupt the economies of developing island states and undermine the sustainable management of tuna resources,” Bell says. “Although we need more robust modeling to reduce uncertainty in the timing and extent of tuna redistribution, we are sounding the alarm on this potential economic disaster while there is still time to avoid it.”</div><div> The late Sue Taei, former Executive Director of Conservation International’s programs in the Pacific Island region and a co-author on the paper, was the first person to call for an investigation into the climate justice implications of tuna redistribution. To honor Taei’s contributions to the region, Conservation International and Nia Tero have established the <a href="https://www.suetaeioceanfellowship.org/" target="_blank">Sue Taei Ocean Fellowship for Indigenous Women of the Pacific</a>. The contribution made to the multi-disciplinary study by Johann Bell was supported by the Moccasin Lake Foundation. </div><div>Kiley Price is the staff writer and news editor at Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this? <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act/subscribe">Sign up for email updates.</a> <a href="https://www.conservation.org/donate">Donate to Conservation International.</a>Cover image: Yellowfin tuna (© Marc Taquet)<hr />Further reading:<ul><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/a-first-aid-kit-for-the-worlds-coral-reefs">A 'first aid kit' for the world's coral reefs?</a></li><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/climate-crisis-pushing-oceans-to-the-brink-report-warns">Climate crisis pushing oceans to the brink, report warns </a></li><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/expert-ending-the-global-water-crisis-starts-in-your-back-yard">Expert: Ending the global water crisis ‘starts in your back yard’</a></li></ul></div><div></div>urn:uuid:a31d23d5-ae57-4300-ad2d-c3fc51e088bdhttps://www.conservation.org/blog/new-science-rare-plants-climate-consequences-marine-movement ScienceOceansNew science: rare plants, climate consequences, marine movementHere’s a roundup of recent science published by Conservation International experts.Thu, 05 Dec 2019 21:06:26 Z<div>Protecting nature starts with science. Here’s a roundup of recent science published by Conservation International experts. <h3>1. Close to 40 percent of plant species are at risk of extinction </h3></div><div>Nearly 40 percent of global plant species are categorized as “very rare” — observed less than five times ever — and are most at risk for extinction as climate change accelerates, according to a <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/11/eaaz0414" target="_blank">recent report</a>.</div><div>Conservation International scientist Patrick Roehrdanz and other researchers worked for a decade to compile and assess more than 20 million observational records of land-based plants in the world’s largest collection of data of this kind ever assembled. </div><div>What they found: Out of the 435,000 known land plant species found on Earth, a staggering 158,000 of those are at risk of extinction. The researchers pointed to climate change and habitat loss for the lion’s share of plant loss in recent years — which may soon lead to a mass extinction of rare plants that could significantly reduce plant diversity around the world, <a href="https://phys.org/news/2016-04-rare-species-important-believed.html" target="_blank">negatively impacting</a> wildlife survival and soil health. </div><div>“By mapping where these rare species occur, we are better able to highlight the dual threats of climate change and human impact on the regions that harbor much of the world’s rare plant species,” said Roehrdanz. “This research emphasizes the need for strategic conservation to protect these cradles of biodiversity.”</div><div><h3>2. Plant species on New Guinea face an uncertain future  </h3></div><div>Climate change is threatening plant species on one of the world’s unique wildlife hotspots, according to a <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/11/eaaz1455" target="_blank">new study</a>.</div><div>A biologically diverse tropical island, New Guinea is home to more than 9,000 plant species that exist only in this South Pacific region. In this study, scientists developed a system to understand the current ranges of where these unique species are found — and predict what their future ranges could look like depending on various scenarios of climate change, such as longer winters or hotter summers. The results were concerning.</div><div>According to the study, approximately 63 percent of these plant species are expected to have a smaller geographic range by 2070, resulting in an average loss of 30 to 110 species across different regions.</div><div>“The shifting ranges of these plant species will have serious consequences on the environment and human well-being in New Guinea,” said Roehrdanz, a co-author on this paper. “Indigenous peoples in this area rely on these plants for food, medicine and construction.”</div><div>These plant species are also woven into the cultural heritage of many indigenous communities across New Guinea and are often used for clothing and rituals. Understanding the potential consequences of climate change on New Guinea’s plant species could help protect the nature communities depend on and identify the areas where conservation initiatives and forest restoration projects would have the greatest impact.</div><div><h3>3. As marine life moves, ocean conservation must adapt </h3></div><div>A <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/11/eaay9969" target="_blank">recent report</a> recommends new ways for ocean conservation efforts to respond to the impacts of climate change.</div><div><a href="https://www.conservation.org/priorities/protecting-the-ocean">Marine protected areas (MPAs) </a>— areas of the ocean where human activities are limited — are the cornerstone of ocean conservation, but the impacts of the climate crisis could undermine their effectiveness. <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/climate-crisis-pushing-oceans-to-the-brink-report-warns">Warming waters and ocean acidification</a> are causing fish species to move to different regions of the ocean, which poses unique challenges to sustainably managed fisheries.  </div><div>“The report emphasizes the need for new tools that are constantly updating fishers as marine species move,” said Lee Hannah, senior scientist for climate change biology at Conservation International and co-author of the study. “It’s not just Nemo and Dory that are riding shifting currents,” he said, referring to the popular Disney characters, “it’s the entire marine food chain. High-tech satellite and navigation techniques can help fishing boats steer away from whales, dolphins and seabirds that are caught in their path."</div><div>The report outlines eight guidelines for countries to create a global network of MPAs that can actively respond to the impacts of the climate crisis, such as creating a global database of new ocean management techniques to ensuring that all MPAs are climate-resilient through <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/key-to-protecting-the-ocean-money-and-manpower-study-finds">adequate staffing and funding</a>.  </div><div>“This research can help countries develop climate-smart MPAs that will protect the ocean, while conserving the fish that millions of people around the world depend on for food and jobs,” Hannah said. “Marine life is moving all over the world, and we have to be ready to manage change as it comes.”  </div><div> </div><div>Patrick Roehrdanz is a managing scientist at Conservation International. Lee Hannah is the senior scientist for climate change biology at Conservation International. Kiley Price is a staff writer at Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this? Sign up for email updates <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act">here.</a> Donate to Conservation International <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act">here</a>.</div><div>Cover image: Fish in Kiribati, near Australia. (© Cat Holloway)This work was generously supported WWF-UK and the Arizona State University and Conservation International Partnership.  <hr />Further reading:</div><div><ul><li>Meet a scientist: the species-discovering savant</li><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/key-to-protecting-the-ocean-money-and-manpower-study-finds">Key to protecting the ocean? Money and manpower, study finds</a></li></ul></div><div><hr /> </div>urn:uuid:86185bc3-02ec-499a-85a8-1b6e6c6803c6https://www.conservation.org/blog/off-panamas-coast-divers-resurrect-a-ghost-of-the-deep BiodiversityOceansOff Panama’s coast, divers resurrect a ‘ghost’ of the deepA routine search for spots to train scuba divers led to a disturbing discovery: huge, abandoned fishing nets in the middle of the ocean.Mon, 07 Oct 2019 18:51:00 ZEditor’s note: Edgardo Ochoa was scouting for dive training sites in Panama Bay in 2000 when he made a troubling discovery. Nearly two decades later, as a marine safety officer for Conservation International (CI), he was able to do something about it. This is his story.Back in 2000, as a unit diving officer at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama City, I was always looking for spots to train my divers. This search took me all over Panama Bay — sometimes to places with absolutely no value in terms of dive training, but sometimes to great sites.One of the good ones is near Otoque Island, about 43 kilometers (27 miles) southwest of Panama City, with great underwater topography — boulders, cracks, crevices, a few short tunnels and a 24-meter (80-foot) wall — and a wealth of fish, sponges and corals. It was a healthy ecosystem and a perfect training site.On my first exploration there, though, I found something I never wanted to find.A huge, abandoned fishing net had come to rest on the seafloor, smothering a considerable portion of the rocky reef.So-called “ghost nets” are commercial fishing nets that have been abandoned at sea, either lost or deliberately discarded. Carried by currents or tides, they traverse the world’s oceans, snaring fish as they drift. These ghost nets do not discriminate, capturing endangered species (such as sea turtles), all manner of small fish — and no end of marine debris.The ocean represents a vital source of income for Panama’s coastal people; unfortunately, we also have some problems under the water. Pollution is a problem — fishing nets, lines, hooks and ballast weights are often found by divers in many reefs in the region.The phenomenon of “<a href="https://www.ghostdiving.org/about-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ghost fishing</a>” — what happens when derelict fishing gear continues to “fish,” was first brought to the attention of the world at the 16th Session of the Committee on Fisheries of the <a href="http://www.fao.org/fishery/about/cofi/trade/en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">UN Food and Agriculture Organization</a> in 1985. This gear is still tangling and killing marine life, smothering habitats and even posing a hazard to navigation — relevant in this region due to heavy ship traffic through the Panama Canal.Throughout the 2000s, I continued to use Otoque Island for training, scientific collections and photographs. I also started plotting a way to take this massive, unwanted net out of the water. Time passed, things changed, and I accepted a position with Conservation International. My work took me to projects all over the globe, but always in the back of my mind was my hope to to go back to Panama and get rid of that net.<ul><li>WATCH THE VIDEO: Scroll down to see divers removing the “ghost net.”</li></ul>When CI opened a new office in Panama, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to pursue my pet project. With CI’s support, I reached out to people I know in the private sector and government to gather feedback and assistance.The plan began with recruitment of a local NGO and government agencies: Autoridad de los Recursos Acuaticos de Panama (ARAP), Ministerio de Ambiente (MiAmbiente) and Servicio Aeronaval de Panama (SENAN).Last year, I traveled to Panama, met with our newly formed Ghost Net Removal Team and explained the plan. The team took a few exploratory dives, planned logistics and shared concerns. On our last dive, I cut off a little piece of the net and hung it on my whiteboard back at CI headquarters as a constant reminder of the plan.The big dayPanama celebrates Mes de los Oceanos (Ocean Month) in September, with four weeks of events related to the oceans, conservation, marine science and public awareness — so taking the net out in September seemed fitting.The day came — Sept. 9 — and a team of crew and divers including myself set out to Otoque. As we sailed, a few whales in the distance raised our hopes of success.After gearing up, we jumped in, and there it was.Removing an immense, heavy net is not easy — you can’t just rip the whole thing out in one try or you’ll risk potentially doing more damage to the reefs. Also, you can’t just drag it away with a boat; the team had to use inflatable “lift bags” to elevate sections of the net off the reef.It was arduous work: Exploring and filming sections first; cutting and pulling sections of the net; adding air to the lift bag; and communicating with the other divers to avoid any of us from being ensnared in the net itself.Finally — nearly two decades after the net was discovered there — we managed to raise a portion of it to the surface. We repeated this same operation at least three more times before having to change our scuba tanks.Flush with the success of our first dive, the second one went even smoother, and we worked to remove nearly the entire net — but we didn’t have enough air to remove the entire thing. We vowed to return in the near future and remove it.In the end, we extracted 90 percent of the net. After we boarded our boats from our final dive, one of the SENAN divers said, “For the next mission, we need a support boat and more divers.” I was elated — having seen the destruction that this net caused, they were eager to find and remove them entirely.We aim to monitor the comeback of marine life on this rocky reef, and as more “ghost net” removal efforts gain support from the environmental ministry and other partners, I am hopeful that Panama can lead the way in ridding the ocean of these destructive threats.<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RWOY-T30elw" width="600" height="337.5" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin">&amp;nbsp;</iframe>Edgardo Ochoa is a marine safety officer at Conservation International.Want to read more stories like this? <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act/subscribe">Sign up for email updates.</a> <a href="https://www.conservation.org/donate">Donate to Conservation International.</a>Cover image: Edgardo Ochoa wrestles with an abandoned fishing net he helped remove from a reef off Otoque Island, Panama. So-called “ghost nets” can ravage marine habitats for decades. (© Ramon Lepage)urn:uuid:55e6902f-afc7-49eb-9044-25cb30f2bd74https://www.conservation.org/blog/update-what-were-learning-about-the-worlds-largest-fish BiodiversityOceansScienceUpdate: What we’re learning about the world’s largest fishTwo years into a whale shark tracking program, scientists are learning new facts about the world’s largest fish.Fri, 16 Aug 2019 15:33:53 ZEditor’s note: Indonesia’s Bird’s Head Seascape is home to a large population of whale sharks, the world’s largest fish and, until recently, largely a mystery to science. In 2015, Conservation International (CI) scientists made headlines by launching the world’s first successful fin-mounted satellite tagging program for whale sharks. By directly attaching a satellite tag to the creatures’ dorsal fins, researchers have been able to receive <a href="https://www.conservation.org/projects/whale-shark-tracker" rel="noopener" target="_blank">near-real-time updates on the position of the sharks.</a>Here, CI’s vice president for Asia-Pacific marine programs, Mark Erdmann, reflects on the most interesting satellite tracks the team has recorded in the past two years.It has been just over two years since we successfully deployed five fin-mounted satellite tags on whale sharks in in the Bird’s Head Seascape in West Papua, Indonesia. Since that initial expedition, we’ve managed to deploy the custom-made satellite tags on 27 whale sharks in West Papua’s Cendrawasih and Triton bays.Perhaps the most surprising finding has been just how differently each of these sharks behaves. While we expected to see some “generalized tracks” of migrations of the sharks out of the Bird’s Head region, in reality every shark has largely acted independently. Some have remained close to home, while one traveled more than 5,100 kilometers (3,169 miles) from West Papua — and each satellite track has revealed unique behaviors.<img src="https://www.conservation.org/images/default-source/non-vault-images/closeup-of-tag-768x512.jpg?sfvrsn=aa2a3824_3" style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;" alt="" />One of the custom fin-mounted satellite tags designed by Wildlife Computers to track Bird’s Head whale sharks for up to two years. Each time the shark’s fin breaks the surface of the water, the tag’s antenna is able to communicate with the ARGOS satellite network and send data on the shark’s position and its recent diving behavior. (© Conservation International/photo by Mark Erdmann)The homebodyThe 4.5-meter-long (about 15 feet) whale shark “Sharky McSharkface” (who incidentally was named in a CI online naming contest) is now a world-record-holder for the longest satellite tag data series from a whale shark. His tag has been transmitting now for 25 months continuously, all the more impressive given that the satellite tags’ battery packs are designed to provide up to a maximum of two years of transmissions. During this period, Sharky has been largely a homebody in Cendrawasih Bay, venturing out of the bay only for a short time in late December 2016. He has recorded some impressive dives of up to 1,288 meters (4,226 feet) deep during this time, however. To put that into perspective: Scuba-diving humans generally go to a maximum 30-40-meter (98-131 feet) depth; a human that dove to 1,288 meters without the aid of a submersible would be crushed to death.<img src="https://www.conservation.org/images/default-source/non-vault-images/144883-sharky-mcsharkface-large-768x419.png?sfvrsn=801da9c5_3" style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;" alt="" />Map showing the satellite track of Sharky McSharkface, with dots clustered around Cendrawasih Bay, West Papua. Green dots indicate position data from the beginning of the deployment (from June 2015), while the increasingly darker dots show position fixes from later. The red dot with the white outline indicates the shark’s most recent position in July 2017. (© Conservation International)The deep diverSpeaking of deep diving, 6-meter-long (20-foot) “Moby” recorded one of the deepest known dives for whale sharks (1,856 meters, or 6,089 feet!) during his impressive travels north from Cendrawasih Bay to the southern Mariana Trench. Interestingly, he made this northerly loop between March and June 2016, then did a short jaunt westward to Raja Ampat, Indonesia, before returning to Cendrawasih Bay for about eight months. That’s a huge distance to cover — and in only three months! In March 2017, he looked to be repeating his northern migration, but has unfortunately not sent any further position data since then.<img src="https://www.conservation.org/images/default-source/non-vault-images/153665-moby-768x478.png?sfvrsn=8f091b83_3" style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;" alt="" />Moby made numerous dives below 1,500 meters during his travels up to Palau and Yap at the southern end of the Mariana Trench. His total track length reached 6,270 km before he stopped transmitting position data in March 2017. (© Conservation International)The coastline hugger“Wally,” a 6-meter (about 20-foot) male, laid down a very unusual track during the 15 months his tag was active. During this time, he left Cendrawasih Bay and closely hugged the coastline of New Guinea, stopping for weeks at a time at the large river outlets he encountered along the way. From what we can surmise, he was likely targeting the baitfish schools that tend to be abundant in the coastal waters off these big estuaries. He made it nearly as far as Wewak and the Sepik River outlet in Papua New Guinea, but then moved back and forth along the coastline repeatedly. He returned to Cendrawasih Bay for a short time and then back down the coast — clocking 3,800 kilometers (2,361 miles) during his 15 months of travel.<img src="https://www.conservation.org/images/default-source/non-vault-images/153664-wally-768x413.png?sfvrsn=e4fa3112_3" style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;" alt="" />Wally showed a unique behavior of hugging the New Guinea coastline for his entire track, stopping only at the mouths of large river outlets (apparently to feed). He covered 3,800 km during his travels. (© Conservation International)The Triton Bay original “Kaimana,” a 4.5-meter (about 15-foot) male, was the first whale shark we tagged in the Triton Bay area in the southern portion of Bird’s Head Seascape in December 2016. In the eight short months since he was tagged, Kaimana has traveled an impressive 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles) while making first a southwesterly loop (tracing the outer Banda Sea island arc down to southern Timor-Leste, then back to Triton Bay), and then a northern arc along the FakFak coast up to southern Raja Ampat. Along the way he’s dived to 1,250 meters (just over 4,100 feet) in depth.<img src="https://www.conservation.org/images/default-source/non-vault-images/165318-kaimana-768x433.png?sfvrsn=cfbd6148_3" style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;" alt="" />Kaimana was initially tagged in December 2016 in Triton Bay in the southern part of the Bird’s Head Seascape, and since that time he has made a large crescent-shaped track along the outer Banda Sea volcanic island arc. (© Conservation International)The international man of mystery“Kodo” has won the contest for West Papuan whale shark with the most stamps in his passport: The 4-meter-long (14 feet) male swam northwest from Cendrawasih Bay into the waters of Palau, then visited Mindanao in the Philippines, then back down to Indonesia, into Australia’s Gulf of Carpentaria, then back to southern Papua, Indonesia. He has covered more than 8,400 kilometers (about 5,220 miles) since being tagged in March 2016, and has spent the majority of the past 9 months in the vicinity of Merauke in southern Papua. This is particularly “mysterious” given that this is a mangrove swamp and mud-flat region — not the type of habitat we usually think of for whale sharks. We’re not exactly sure why he has spent so much time in these shallow muddy waters, but presumably he has found a food source that keeps him happy.<img src="https://www.conservation.org/images/default-source/non-vault-images/158580-kodo-768x456.png?sfvrsn=cc9d37ac_3" style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;" alt="" />Kodo has hit four countries in his 16-month deployment (Indonesia, Palau, Philippines and Australia) and has spent an unusually long amount of time in the mud-flat and mangrove swamp region of Merauke in southern Papua (red dots). (© Conservation International)The surface swimmer“Cheggers” was tagged in November 2016, and after spending a few months in Cendrawasih Bay, decided to take a long trek to the northeast. What makes him interesting to whale shark researchers? The 5.6-meter-long (more than 18 feet) male has stayed mostly on the surface of the water during his 2,915 kilometer (1,811 miles) swim over to Yap and Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia (though he did occasionally dive as deep as 1,375 meters [4,511 feet]).<img src="https://www.conservation.org/images/default-source/non-vault-images/158695-cheggers-768x455.png?sfvrsn=66e32ab9_3" style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;" alt="" />Cheggers has spent an unusual amount of time swimming predominantly along the surface while crossing very deep water up to Yap and Chuuk island groups in Micronesia. (© Conservation International)The long-distance championInterestingly, the whale shark with the longest track length is also one of the smallest sharks we tagged. “Fijubeca” was only 3 meters (about 10 feet) in length when we tagged him in October 2015, but since that time he has traveled more than 9,000 kilometers (5,592 miles) on a track which led him north into Palauan waters, then east into Papua New Guinea, then over to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, and then back to southern Raja Ampat and the FakFak coastline in West Papua, where he has spent most of the past year. The little shark has dived as deep as 880 meters during his 21-month tag deployment, impressive given his size! Equally as remarkable, Fijubeca has visited eight of the marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Bird’s Head Seascape during his travels. This makes us particularly happy as it indicates we’ve done a good job of designating these MPAs in areas that are important to marine megafauna migratory routes.<img src="https://www.conservation.org/images/default-source/non-vault-images/151097-fijubeca-tracklines-768x460.png?sfvrsn=ef35ee06_3" style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;" alt="" />Fijubeca has travelled over 9000 km during his 21-month deployment, diving as deep as 880 meters while visiting eight of the MPAs in the Bird’s Head Seascape network. (© Conservation International)The chairman of the boardPeter is a a 5-meter-long (16 feet) male named in honor of CI’s founder and chairman of the board, Peter Seligmann. We tagged Peter in April 2017 to commemorate Peter’s retirement after 30 years as our CEO — but Peter’s shark avatar has shown no signs of slowing down. To the contrary, after spending a month relaxing in Cendrawasih Bay, he shot north into Palauan waters, covering more than1,400 kilometers (about 870 miles) in the past two months.<img src="https://www.conservation.org/images/default-source/non-vault-images/168180-peter-768x400.png?sfvrsn=a5c4c98c_3" style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;" alt="" />Peter has clocked an impressive 1400-km journey since leaving Cendrawasih Bay in mid-May 2017, only a month after he was tagged. (© Conservation International).A look to the futureCI’s whale shark satellite tagging program has provided a wealth of insights into the secret lives of the world’s largest fish, and we are now using this information to improve the management of whale shark tourism in the Bird’s Head region. Importantly, the satellite tracks we’ve recorded have also highlighted several regions of West Papua that are frequented by migrating whale sharks that are now being considered for development of additional marine parks. In the near future, we are planning a major expedition in collaboration with the Georgia Aquarium and the Indonesian government to assess the health of Cendrawasih Bay’s whale shark population and specifically investigate whether current tourism practices are sufficiently “whale shark friendly,” or if they are causing undue stress to the sharks and requiring of additional management interventions.Stay tuned for more details.AcknowledgementsThis work was made possible in part by guests of the <a href="http://www.northstarcruises.com.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">True North</a> expedition vessel; CI donors including Matt Brooks, Pam Rorke Levy, the Wong family, Daniel Roozen, Marie-Elizabeth Mali, Enki Tan and the Sunbridge Foundation; Nexus International School; <a href="https://propspeed.com/" target="_blank">Oceanmax/Propspeed</a>; and the University of Adelaide’s Centre for Applied Conservation Science.Mark Erdmann is vice president for Asia Pacific Marine Programs at Conservation International.Want to read more stories like this? <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act/subscribe">Sign up for email updates.</a> <a href="https://www.conservation.org/donate">Donate to Conservation International.</a>Cover image: A snorkeler swims with a whale shark in Cendrawasih Bay in the Bird’s Head Seascape, eastern Indonesia. Conservation International scientists have been satellite tracking the movements of Cendrawasih’s whale sharks since June 2015. (© Conservation International/photo by Mark Erdmann)<hr /><ul><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/stories/virtual-reality/valens-reef" rel="noopener" target="_blank">See these whale sharks’ habitat for yourself in ‘Valen’s Reef</a>’</li><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/whale-shark-watch-4-things-weve-learned-from-tracking-the-worlds-largest-fish" target="_blank">Whale shark watch: 4 things we’ve learned from tracking the world’s largest fish</a></li></ul><hr />urn:uuid:db835d1e-535f-472f-8dbc-a2eb494b27e8https://www.conservation.org/blog/the-doctor-is-in-indonesias-whale-sharks-get-annual-check-up OceansBiodiversityThe doctor is in: Indonesia’s whale sharks get annual check-upIn Indonesia, scientists give whale sharks “physicals” — measuring, tagging and taking blood samples underwater, in 30 minutes — to assess the health of both the species and the surrounding waters.Fri, 16 Aug 2019 13:51:13 ZImagine swimming with a shark as big as a bus. Now imagine trying to measure, tag and take blood samples from this shark — giving it a physical, as in a typical doctor’s visit — but underwater and in less than 30 minutes.For nine days, I helped complete the world’s <a href="http://news.georgiaaquarium.org/stories/first-successful-wild-whale-shark-health-assessments-performed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first health assessment</a> of wild whale sharks, <a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/w/whale-shark/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the biggest fish on Earth</a>, in Cendrawasih Bay in West Papua, Indonesia. By studying whale shark health, I and other scientists hoped to gain insight not only into Indonesia’s largest whale shark population, but also the health of the marine environment that these giant fish and coastal communities rely on for survival.This opportunity meant that we could build in-country expertise and knowledge for whale shark conservation, and as a result, wider ocean conservation — by local Indonesians who love and care for the waters that nourish and bring joy to our lives. After all, millions of Indonesians depend directly on the oceans for their food and livelihoods, while thousands travel domestically to experience the wildlife and beauty of these waters.As the sun peeked over the horizon, I hopped on a speedboat to visit the nearby “bagans,” or traditional fishing platforms that fishermen use to catch baitfish. Hungry whale sharks looking for fish sometimes swim into the large floating nets that hang from the platforms, giving researchers a chance to study them up close.I’d been here several times before, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/whale-shark-watch-4-things-weve-learned-from-tracking-the-worlds-largest-fish">attaching satellite tags to whale sharks in order to better understand their movements and behaviors</a>. Together with our partners from the Georgia Aquarium (GAI), our work this time included deploying a number of new satellite tags and studying whale shark stress levels before and after the tagging operation.Luck was on our side. My Indonesian colleague and Cendrawasih Bay National Park ranger, Pak Mesak Andarek, and I spotted a whale shark as we pulled along the bagan’s starboard (right-hand) side. Shortly after, we were joined by Conservation International’s (CI) <a target="_blank" href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/update-what-were-learning-about-the-worlds-largest-fish">Dr. Mark Erdmann</a>, as well as the GAI team, led by Dr. Alistair Dove.Strapped into scuba-diving gear and armed with syringes and satellite tags, we had no time to waste. One by one, we back-rolled into the water and quickly made our way towards the bagan net, where a whale shark lay still.A flurry of activity began underwater. Following my training as a shark and ray scientist, I began to gather measurements of the shark so we could properly document its life history, growth, and most important, its identity.Researchers from Georgia Aquarium then took blood samples by inserting a large needle — the same kind used to draw spinal fluid from humans — into the shark’s pectoral fin. We conducted this blood draw twice on each shark, before and after our tagging operations, to compare the levels of stress-related chemicals in their blood.In total, we took blood samples from 20 individual whale sharks and deployed seven new satellite tags. Preliminary results have shown that, just as we had observed, whale sharks are not stressed by the tagging activities. GAI researchers are conducting more tests on these blood samples, including investigating if whale sharks are affected by plastic pollution, as these creatures are surface filter feeders in one of the world’s most polluted seas.<img src="https://www.conservation.org/images/default-source/default-album/ci_51278806.jpg?sfvrsn=d23f64f8_4" alt="ci_51278806" sf-size="7464819" />One of the whale sharks the team assessed in © Conservation International/photo by Mark V. Erdmann. (© Conservation International/photo by Mark Erdmann)While taking samples, we also noted that many of the sharks had injured nostrils caused by fish hooks; as a result, we recommended to the Cendrawasih Bay National Park Authority that fishing lines be prohibited when whale sharks are present. Several whale sharks had scrapes on their dorsal fins due to rubbing against bagans, an issue that can be quickly fixed by covering the platform’s wooden stilts with a smoother material such as plastic pipes.My greatest sense of achievement and fulfillment from this successful expedition came from exchanging knowledge: Mark and I received training from GAI’s scientists on how to draw blood, while we trained them to tag whale sharks. Snorkeling right above us during one such whale shark training exercise, our partners from the Cendrawasih Bay National Park Authority, Ministry of Marine Affairs, and State University of Papua also observed these procedures. They were keen to learn and integrate our resulting research findings into management and conservation plans for the bay, ensuring that ecotourism can continue to benefit local communities.The people who live in the village of Kwatisore, who call the whale shark “Gurano Bintang” (the “starry shark”, based on its unique color pattern that looks a lot like the Milky Way!) used to fear these creatures. It is not hard to understand why — these sharks are at least three times the size of a traditional canoe and are known to swim right beneath the water’s surface.Now, equipped with traditional and modern knowledge of whale sharks, they no longer fear Gurano Bintang, and have come to believe that these animals embody the spirit of their ancestors. The income they receive from ecotourism has also reinforced their belief that whale sharks are a sign of good fortune.Together with our partners, we will forge ahead with whale shark conservation, protecting this mysterious species and the vast oceans they live in for the benefit of people around the world.Abraham Sianipar is the elasmobranch conservation management specialist for CI Indonesia. Want to read more stories like this? <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act/subscribe">Sign up for email updates.</a> <a href="https://www.conservation.org/donate">Donate to Conservation International.</a>Cover image: CI and Georgia Aquarium embarked on a whale shark expedition in Cendrawasih Bay to conduct the world’s first health assessments on wild whale sharks. ( © Conservation International/photo by Mark Erdmann)<hr />Further reading<ul><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/update-what-were-learning-about-the-worlds-largest-fish" target="_blank">Update: What we’re learning about the world’s largest fish</a></li><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/whale-shark-watch-4-things-weve-learned-from-tracking-the-worlds-largest-fish" target="_blank">Whale shark watch: 4 things we’ve learned</a></li></ul><hr />urn:uuid:e22e9254-cd3c-4e8e-b9f2-5103fa392fd9https://www.conservation.org/blog/5-things-you-didnt-know-sharks-do-for-you BiodiversityOceans5 things you didn’t know sharks do for youSharks have long been cast as villains in popular culture — ruthless predators terrorizing beachgoers. In truth, the real danger isn’t to us, but to them.Fri, 26 Jul 2019 13:45:03 ZSharks have long been cast as villains in popular culture — ruthless predators terrorizing beachgoers. In truth, the real danger isn’t to us, but to them.Sharks rarely <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/07/26/well/shark-season-attacks-survival-tips.html" target="_blank">attack people</a>, yet humans kill an estimated <a href="https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/sharks/about-sharks/threats-to-sharks/" target="_blank">100 million</a> of them every year. Over the last half century, shark and ray populations have <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-03173-9" target="_blank">dropped 71 percent</a>, largely due to increased fishing pressure. This isn’t just bad news for sharks — it threatens the balance of entire ocean ecosystems.Without sharks, the ocean would look entirely different — with far-reaching effects, including for people. Here’s why:<h2>1. Sharks keep the food web in check.</h2>Many shark species, such as the great white and bull shark, sit atop the food chain. By targeting fish that are weak, sick and aging, they help keep schools resilient and strong — and, in turn, support ocean health.When sharks are wiped out from a habitat, the prey-predator balance can crumble: <a href="https://www.aims.gov.au/information-centre/news-and-stories/sharks-increase-reef-resilience#:~:text=Healthy%20shark%20populations%20may%20aid,of%20Marine%20Science%20(AIMS)." target="_blank">One study found</a> that in coral reefs, fewer sharks led to greater numbers of mid-level predators that feed on algae-eating fish. Algae soon overtook the reef system, suffocating the coral and diminishing its ability to recover from bleaching and other threats. In Indonesia, <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/how-an-extraordinary-new-effort-is-giving-sharks-a-fighting-chance">a project</a> from Conservation International is aiming to correct this imbalance by doing something that’s never been done before: releasing captive-bred sharks into the wild.Further reading: <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/how-an-extraordinary-new-effort-is-giving-sharks-a-fighting-chance">How an extraordinary new effort is giving sharks a fighting chance</a><img src="https://www.conservation.org/images/default-source/default-album/ci_360048696aa4db3d-4d4e-4268-83fa-d1fff3e2e01b.jpg?sfvrsn=b54cb089_3" alt="" sf-size="14602638" />© Rodolphe Holler Sharks are slow breeders and the target of intense overfishing — a recipe for extinction.<h2>2. Sharks may be key to fighting cancer.</h2>Sharks have been around for a long time — the earliest evidence goes back <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/shark-evolution-a-450-million-year-timeline.html" target="_blank">450 million years</a>, making them older than trees. Over that vast span of time, their cells have evolved ways to repair DNA damage more efficiently, keeping their genomes stable and helping them recover from injuries. This may help them resist some age-related diseases, including certain cancers.Scientists are currently studying the genetic makeup of both <a href="https://www.med.wisc.edu/news/uw-expert-launches-cancer-research-using-sharks/" target="_blank">nurse sharks</a> and <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-47291697" target="_blank">great whites</a> to see if they can mimic this effect in humans to help treat cancer.<h2>3. Sharks help capture carbon.</h2>Carbon is the foundation of life on Earth, but human activities like deforestation and fossil-fuel use are pumping extra carbon into the atmosphere, fueling climate change. Sharks play an important role in keeping more carbon stored deep within the ocean and out of the atmosphere.For example, by <a href="https://animatingcarbon.earth/sharks-apex-predators-boost-marine-carbon-storage" target="_blank">preying on species</a> that graze on <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/an-overlooked-climate-ally-is-in-deep-trouble">seagrass meadows</a> and <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/news-spotlight-could-seaweed-be-our-new-big-climate-ally">kelp forests</a>, tiger sharks help keep these habitats healthy and productive. In turn, these ecosystems continue to capture and store large amounts of carbon.Further reading: <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/an-overlooked-climate-ally-is-in-deep-trouble">An overlooked climate ally is in deep trouble</a>Research also shows that sharks, like other large marine animals, hold a considerable amount of carbon in their bodies — roughly <a href="https://www.ifaw.org/journal/sharks-keep-oceans-healthy" target="_blank">10 to 15 percent</a> of their body mass. When they die, their bodies sink to the bottom of the ocean, where that carbon can be locked away for centuries instead of re-entering the atmosphere.<h2>4. Sharks boost local economies.</h2>In recent decades, shark tourism has grown into an economic powerhouse, generating more than <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act/shark-facts">US$ 300 million</a> every year and supporting thousands of jobs in coastal towns — from the Bahamas to South Africa to the Galápagos Islands. If sharks disappear, so would many communities’ income streams.On the flip side, sharks' undeserved reputation as cold-blooded killers can sometimes scare tourists away. And methods that attempt to prevent sharks from entering beaches, like shark nets, are both highly ineffective and <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/nsw-shark-nets-under-fire-after-data-reveals-shocking-death/3ef382f0-76a2-4266-b8ea-9fd14f274cfb" target="_blank">catastrophic for marine life</a>. <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/meet-the-startup-using-magnets-keep-sharks-at-bay">SharkSafe Barriers</a>, an investee of <a href="https://www.conservation.org/projects/conservation-international-ventures-llc">CI Ventures</a> (Conservation International's investment arm), is working to ease those fears with an innovative approach. Using barriers that mimic thick kelp forests, which sharks naturally tend to avoid, and magnets, which overwhelm sharks’ senses, they’re able to protect beachgoers' peace of mind, while ensuring sharks can swim safely offshore.Further reading: <a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/meet-the-startup-using-magnets-keep-sharks-at-bay">Meet the startup using magnets to keep sharks at bay</a><img src="https://www.conservation.org/images/default-source/temp/copy-of-daniel-bothelo---2.jpg?sfvrsn=346d6d82_1" alt="" sf-size="7930187" />© Daniel BotheloSharkSafe Barriers mimics a kelp forest and uses powerful magnets to deter sharks.<h2>5. Sharks inspire smart design.</h2>One of sharks' most notable attributes is their speed — the world’s fastest shark, the shortfin mako, can reach speeds up to 74 kilometers per hour (46 miles per hour), owing to small scales on their skin called denticles that decrease drag and turbulence. Scientists have borrowed this “technology” in a <a href="https://illumin.usc.edu/from-shark-skin-to-speed/" target="_blank">variety of ways</a> — from designing sleeker swimsuits for competitive swimmers to developing a paint for airplanes that researchers say could save up to 4.5 million tons of fuel per year. Want to support work that protects sharks? <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act">Here’s one way</a>.Further reading: <ul><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/meet-the-startup-using-magnets-keep-sharks-at-bay">Meet the startup using magnets to keep sharks at bay </a></li><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/how-an-extraordinary-new-effort-is-giving-sharks-a-fighting-chance">How an extraordinary new effort is giving sharks ‘a fighting chance’ </a></li><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/climate-change-charts-a-dangerous-course-for-the-worlds-largest-fish">Climate change charts a dangerous course for the world's largest fish</a> </li><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/indonesia-protects-walking-sharks-are-other-sharks-next">Indonesia protects ‘walking sharks.’ Are other sharks next?</a></li></ul>Editor's note: This post originally published in June, 2016.Mary Kate McCoy is a staff writer at Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this? <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act/subscribe">Sign up for email updates</a>. Also, <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act">please consider supporting our critical work</a>. urn:uuid:d6330eba-5bfd-4f04-a1ae-7b73c9a5956dhttps://www.conservation.org/blog/meet-a-scientist-the-sustainable-seafood-guru ScienceOceansMeet a scientist: the sustainable-seafood guruConservation News spoke with Jack Kittinger about his passion for protecting the animals — and people — in the seafood sector.Sat, 13 Jul 2019 02:26:22 ZEditor’s note: A recent survey found that 81 percent of Americans could not name a living scientist. No, not a single one. At Conservation International (CI), we have lots of scientists you should know. Here’s one.Jack Kittinger is senior director of the global fisheries and aquaculture program for Conservation International’s Center for Oceans, focusing on sustainability in the seafood sector.Human Nature spoke with Kittinger about his aquatic upbringing, and the uncertain future of the seafood we eat.Question: What made you want to work in the seafood industry?Answer: I grew up in the coastal Carolinas on the East coast of the U.S. and I was very lucky that I had a highly “aquatic” upbringing. I actually learned how to drive a boat before a car, and grew up surfing, swimming, diving and fishing on the coast. So you could say the ocean has always been in my blood. I went to school for marine biology and found that a lot of colleagues also connected to the ocean because of their proximity to it growing up. People work to protect the places <a href="https://sustainability.asu.edu/news/archive/you-will-return-home/" target="_blank">they care about</a>.My mission is to protect special places like the one where I grew up, so I joined Conservation International eight years ago to do just that. It’s incredible to work at an organization where everyone treats their work as a vocation rather than merely a profession. I firmly believe we need healthy oceans to survive, and every day I’m becoming more excited about the progress we are making in this sector.Q: What does that progress look like?A: The vast majority of major buyers in the American and European markets have made commitments to sustainability in their purchasing of seafood. The sector is getting serious about social responsibility and human rights. And where we have invested in better governance, fisheries are recovering.Q: What are the top 3 issues in the seafood world at the moment?A: Seafood is the last thing on Earth that we still hunt on a global level — everything else we cultivate or grow — so we must manage wild populations sustainably, or we simply won’t have enough food. Three billion people rely on fish for their primary animal protein source, so that puts the responsibility on everyone in the conservation sector to ensure we sustainably manage it. But we are <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/conl.12363" target="_blank">overfishing about half of all fisheries</a> in the world.Another environmental concern is unsustainable aquaculture, which you might know as fish farming. In a lot of developing countries, people are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/surf-and-turf-can-have-carbon-footprint-of-cross-country-road-trip-study">destroying mangroves</a> — which absorb massive amounts of carbon and are vital to fighting climate change — to grow shrimp or other seafood species. We have to ensure both wild-caught and farmed seafood is sustainably produced. While the environmental concern is major, what’s increasingly come to light over the past five years is how people are treated in the seafood sector. Because of the pioneering work of journalists and researchers, we now know that the seafood sector has a poor track record when it comes to human rights — it’s even worse than mining. We have to ensure that there are social safeguards put in place that keep fishers free from abuse and ensure they can support themselves and their families.Q: How do you make sure you’re eating seafood that is sustainably and responsibly sourced? A: The easiest way is to ask the restaurant or grocery store where it sources its fish from and whether it is certified sustainable. All consumers are part of the solution and doing this gives us the opportunity to vote with our money. If we choose to only buy things that are produced with people and the planet in mind — meaning sustainably and responsibly sourced — we can shift market demand. You can also research different retailers’ commitments to sustainability on the internet — there are quite a few that have made commitments and are working to sell seafood that is produced in the right ways. Lastly, purchase as close as you can to the source — meaning local fish and seafood from local fishers. Q: How is climate change impacting seafood?A: As the oceans heat up and become more acidic and the currents change, the fish are moving. Seafood is much different than our other food sources such as livestock, because it’s mobile and always shifting. Climate change is causing this shift to happen more often and permanently. This has a major impact not just on the local fishing communities who can’t catch enough fish to eat or support their families, but on the economies of countries as well, particularly small island nations. For example, the Pacific Islands produce most of the world’s tuna, and their economies rely on the revenue that the tuna fisheries bring in. But, because of climate change, the tuna populations are shifting to the east — and outside the waters of the Pacific Islands — so the Pacific Islands are going to start losing the backbone of their economies. Climate change is a social justice issue for these countries, who depend on it fully but have contributed almost nothing to the problem of global warming.Because of the climate crisis, we are going to deal with new realities in terms of who owns fish, how they reproduce and where they live. We’ve already seen adaptations to climate change among the aquaculture community — for example, in the Pacific Northwest, oyster farmers have had to change how they are growing and harvesting oysters in response to more acidic waters.This isn’t a future threat. Climate change is happening now, and countries are witnessing these changes in real time — and it’s going to have a huge impact on how we feed ourselves.Jack Kittinger is senior director of the blue production program for Conservation International’s Center for Oceans. Olivia DeSmit is a former staff writer for Conservation International.Want to read more stories like this? <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act/subscribe">Sign up for email updates.</a> <a href="https://www.conservation.org/donate">Donate to Conservation International.</a>Human rights abuses in the seafood industry occur every day. To learn about some of the heroes fighting to bring justice and freedom to enslaved fishers, <a href="https://www.vulcanproductions.com/ghostfleet/TheFilm" target="_blank">check out the new film “Ghost Fleet” here</a>.<hr />Further reading<ul><li><a href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/pacific-islands-face-hardships-as-tuna-follow-warming-waters">Pacific islands face hardships as tuna follow warming waters</a> </li></ul>urn:uuid:82170b44-e402-43f6-bbee-06089d891910https://www.conservation.org/blog/meet-a-scientist-the-whale-whisperer BiodiversityOceansScienceMeet a scientist: the whale whispererWe spoke with Olive Andrews about what whales can teach us about the health of the oceans — and her longtime friendship with a humpback named “Nala.”Sat, 09 Mar 2019 20:20:11 ZEditor’s note: A recent survey found that 81 percent of Americans could not name a living scientist. No, not a single one. At Conservation International (CI), we have  lots of scientists you should know. Here’s one.Olive Andrews is a marine program manager for Conservation International, where she works with Pacific Island nations to protect the ocean — and the resources coastal communities rely on — in the face of climate change, pollution and overfishing.We spoke with her about what whales can teach us about the health of the oceans — and her longtime friendship with a humpback named “Nala.”Question: What is it about the ocean and marine life that interests you?Answer: Whales are my favorite.I participated in a youth marine education program when I was a teenager in Australia, which culminated in a voyage at sea on a tall ship researching humpback whales — and from that moment I was inspired to work in marine conservation and science. Primarily I work on marine migratory species: whales, turtles and sharks. My passion is still very much around whale research and learning about how whales are recovering from past exploitation in our region here in the Pacific. Q: How did you go from participating in that program as a teenager to doing what you do now?A: I got my boat captain’s license when I was about 19 and started working on whale research expeditions in Hervey Bay, Australia. From there, I traveled the world volunteering and interning for various projects and expeditions in Canada and in the Pacific researching <a target="_blank" href="https://www.conservation.org/blog">humpback whales</a>.While I got my marine science degree, I became involved with the <a href="https://mmi.oregonstate.edu/ccgl/research-projects/south-pacific-whale-research-consortium" target="_blank" rel="noopener">South Pacific Whale Research Consortium</a>, a group of scientists working across ten countries in the Pacific Islands that study stock structure, abundance and distribution of Oceania humpback whales. Other populations of whales around the world have been recovering, but in our region the population is growing slowly. So, I’ve been working to increase the conservation of these animals that are still endangered.Q: Do you have any interesting stories about your interactions with whales? A: I have a special relationship with a whale called “Nala” — she is a humpback whale. If you could have an auntie in the whale world, she would be mine. I have known her since I was 18, when I met her in Hervey Bay. She comes back to Hervey Bay every two years with a newborn calf. She knows all the boats very well by the sound of their engines. So, she knows our research boat, and over the years, Nala would present her new calf to us by putting it on her nose and pushing it towards the side of the boat as if to introduce us. She is an incredible animal, and a mature breeding female. She takes the other juvenile females under her wing — so to speak — and teaches them behaviors. Every time I see her, I’m reminded of our incredible journey together. Each year, she travels more than 10,000 kilometers (6,000 miles) through the Southern Ocean across huge seas and icebergs, and she manages to come back to the same place. So, when we meet, it’s quite an emotional meeting, and it’s special to see her on the occasions that we do.Q: What advice would you give to a young scientist that wants to do what you do?A: I am very lucky to work at Conservation International. Now, of course, I don’t work just on whales — I work mostly on large-scale marine protected areas and their management. The advice I would give is that if you’re very passionate about anything in particular — any kind of science or any kind of creature — to volunteer for a research program and get some experience learning about that animal or topic. If you are persistent, as I was, eventually you work yourself into an organization or into a field by becoming good at it. I was a volunteer for many years before I started having my airfares paid to go to various research projects. So, follow your passion, whether it be bugs or whales or anything in between — and just be persistent with those people in your field that you want to mentor you. They will eventually say yes.Q: How do you stay optimistic in the face of so much negative news about oceans? A: It’s easy to be disheartened when you read the news about <a target="_blank" href="https://www.conservation.org/blog">plastics</a> killing our whales, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/study-spawns-new-method-to-curb-overfishing">overfishing</a> and how climate change is impacting our oceans. What keeps me going is the connection that I have to the sea. I make sure that I spend a few weeks out at sea on a boat doing research every year to reconnect with the environment. It inspires me every time. I’m also inspired by the people that I work with — and by the good news stories that come out. I think humans like to focus on the things that are going wrong, but what I see in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.conservation.org/places/pacific-ocean-and-islands">my work</a> every day are things that make me hopeful about the future.<hr /><h2>Further reading</h2><ul><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.conservation.org/blog">On the trail of the South Pacific’s great humpbacks</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.conservation.org/blog/meet-a-scientist-an-optimist-in-the-face-of-climate-change">Meet a scientist: An optimist in the face of climate change</a></li></ul><hr />Morgan Lynch is a staff writer for Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this? <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act/subscribe">Sign up for email updates</a>. Also, <a href="https://www.conservation.org/act">please consider supporting our critical work</a>.