California kelp forest revived after 5.8 million purple sea urchins removed by volunteers

California’s iconic kelp forests, once thriving underwater ecosystems teeming with marine life, have faced severe decline over the past decade. One of the primary culprits behind this environmental crisis has been an explosion of purple sea urchins, voracious grazers that decimate kelp beds, transforming vibrant forests into barren seascapes. Read more here.

Deep sea mining: Indigenous call out deep sea mining

On the seafloor, potato-sized lumps of metal called polymetallic nodules, which form over thousands of years, seem to be generating oxygen, a trait once thought to be unique to photosynthesizing plants – until now. Read more here.

URI marine biologists and students dive into mako shark conservation

“Mako sharks have a worldwide distribution. They’re mostly in temperate tropical waters all around the world. They’re pretty common off of the U.S. east coast, especially in the summertime, they make their way up the coast,” URI Professor Dr. Brad Wetherbee said. Read more here.

Ukraine signs Open Sea Agreement

Today, the Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine, Oleksiy Sobolev, signed the Open Sea Agreement (BBNJ Agreement) at the United Nations headquarters in New York. Ukraine has now become a participant in a new international mechanism for the protection of ocean ecosystems and the sustainable use of marine resources in international waters. Read more here.

Right whale feeding zone discovery sparks new protection call

The discovery of a key feeding location used by New Zealand southern right whales just 500 kilometres south of Australia has sparked calls for enhanced protection measures to be implemented across the region under the United Nations’ High Seas Treaty. Read more here.