Indigenous knowledge steers new protections for the high seas

Drawing on generations of ocean stewardship, Indigenous communities are informing marine policies with traditional ecological insights, helping to guide sustainable practices and biodiversity conservation beyond national waters. Read more here.

California’s kelp forests struggle to recover a decade after collapse

From 2013 to 2017, a mass of unusually warm water nicknamed “the Blob” hugged California’s coast, leading to kelp forests collapsing. An estimated 95% of bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana), the main species of the region’s aquatic kelp forests, died. Read more here.

North pacific marine heatwave raises concerns among some Alaskan scientists

According to information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Southern Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska and Western Aleutians have hit moderate heatwave intensity this year, while the Central and Eastern Aleutian have gone a step up and seen a strong heatwave intensity. Read more here.

74 countries have now ratified a landmark treaty to protect the high seas

The treaty covers nearly two-thirds of the ocean – an area of sea and seabed outside the national jurisdiction of any country, which has come under growing pressure from mining, fishing and geoengineering interests, with climate change a compounding factor. Read more here.

Dolphin and whale lovers can track an ocean animal and support FIU research

Conservation and science meet style with a side of tech when it comes to conducting research on whales and dolphins through a collaboration between FIU and a private company. Read more here.