World’s largest coral discovered in Solomon Islands

The man who found it, Manu San Felix, director of cinematography for National Geographic Society’s Pristine Seas, a program dedicated to marine conservation, says the giant organism measures 34 meters wide and 32 meters long and is “close to the size of a cathedral.” Read more here.

Abandoned “ghost gear” kills sea life: A Myanmar nonprofit is turning the tide

Thanda Ko Gyi came across a horrific sight in 2016 while diving in the waters off southern Myanmar. Many bamboo sharks and other marine animals lay dead or trapped alive in an abandoned fishing net. Read more here.

Coral biodiversity hotspot at risk from fossil fuel expansion, reports warn

Fossil fuel projects are putting the Pacific Coral Triangle’s unique marine ecosystem at risk, according to a new report presented Oct. 31 at the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity summit (COP 16) in Cali, Colombia. Read more here.

Local groups drive creation of new Puerto Rico marine protected areas

It’s comprised of several critically important ecosystems, including coral reefs, mangrove forests and seagrass beds, and is home to more than a dozen threatened species, including the greater Caribbean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) and several species of sea turtles. Read more here.

For this MSME, going plastic free is a step towards marine conservation

Their mission, however, didn’t stop at formulating reef-safe sunscreens: it further expanded to offerings such as plastic-free shampoo bars and refillable pump bottles. Read more here.