In addition to our $1,000 grand prize and four category prizes of $200 each, we are offering FIVE NEW chances for honorable mention wildcard winners to receive a prize of approximately $50-$175 value from Ocean Conservancy thanks to our corporate partners, Columbia and rockflowerpaper. That’s TEN chances to win! I can’t wait to see all the fin-credible images you have in store.

This year, our Photo Contest’s featured submission category is … Ocean Stories. This category casts a wide net—so you can think creatively about how you capture the stories of the inspirational people working in and relying on our ocean every day that make a difference for their local communities. Help us share these coastal community stories with photos that inspire cultural connection and mutual respect for the ocean and all sea life. Our other submission categories include these three: Human Impact, Marine Wildlife and Spectacular Seascapes.

I’m so pleased to introduce our esteemed panel of judges, featuring photography professionals and marine conservation adventurers from around the world: Sirachai “Shin” Arunrugstichai, Matthew Bagley, Daisy Gilardini and Esther Horvath. We are so grateful for their professional assistance in determining who will be the grand prize winner of our 2022 Photo Contest: the Judges’ Choice Award.

Photography is one of the most powerful tools we have, and we need your photos to help inspire action and create change. Don’t delay! Review the terms and conditions and frequently asked questions, and then submit your photos before our entry period shutters on June 12.

The post 2022 Photo Contest is Open for Submissions 📸 appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

“What used to be” and “what once was” could no longer be guaranteed—these are the threats that we face with increasing climate impacts on U.S. fisheries and the stalled progress on reducing the stocks that are experiencing overfishing, are overfished and are struggling to rebuild to healthy levels. This isn’t simply a hypothetical situation; the fish that are available to us and our ocean ecosystems are essential to our survival and successes. Healthy and abundant fisheries nourish entire coastal communities and their economies and livelihoods. How we manage our fisheries now will be critically important for what the future of those fisheries looks like.

NOAA Fisheries recently released its annual Status of Stocks report to the U.S. Congress, available to the public, on how marine fisheries are doing. Every year, this report is a chance to check in on successes and challenges. On one hand, the fishery management system is keeping up adequate management of some stocks. On the whole, the 2021 report points to management progress staying stagnant, and more stocks are less healthy and less resilient to climate change. Here is the breakdown by status:

Overfishing Status

For a stock to be considered “subject to overfishing,” it must have a higher harvest rate than the rate that produces its Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY), a science-based largest average catch value for the stock to support fishing in the long term. Overfishing status is like spending more money than you’re earning—more fish are being caught than the population can readily replenish.

• The report says: Overfishing is low but hasn’t budged. Of the total stocks with known overfishing status, 92% are not experiencing overfishing, which is good news. While having only 8% of stocks experiencing overfishing remains near an all-time low, this percentage has largely stayed the same for a decade, even though the law requires an immediate end to overfishing.
• What does this mean? Fishery management needs to do more to prevent overfishing. Big picture: Having only 8% of known stocks experiencing overfishing is laudable, but let’s get as close to zero as possible. Many of the stocks that are subject to overfishing have been so for years.

Overfished Status

An overfished stock has a population that is low enough to jeopardize the stock’s ability to support long-term fishing. Overfished status is like declaring bankruptcy.

• The numbers show this: A notable chunk of our stocks are overfished, and the number has seen an increasing trend in the past four years. Fifty-one stocks, or 20% of stocks for which we have estimated their population size, are overfished. That number is a slight increase from last year and now part of a discouraging trend. One of those stocks, gag grouper in the Gulf of Mexico, is overfished once again after being rebuilt in 2014.
• What does this mean? This trend of increasing overfished stocks is worrisome and, without proper management action, can get worse. When a stock is overfished, there are fewer opportunities for fishing, which is difficult for fishermen and the communities that depend on fisheries. Overfished stocks are also less resilient to climate impacts, putting communities and cultures further at risk, and making it clear that avoiding an overfished stock should be the goal.

Rebuilt Status

A stock that is rebuilt was previously overfished and went through a managed rebuilding plan. The stock has increased to a size that can once again support long-term fishing.

• Here is the verdict: Progress on rebuilt stocks has stalled. The total number of rebuilt stocks—47—hasn’t changed since 2019. Only one stock—the Sacramento River fall Chinook salmon on the West Coast—was rebuilt this year, but it was rebuilt before and then slipped back to an overfished status. It was first rebuilt in 2013, was declared overfished again in 2018, and has been rebuilt again in 2021.
• What does this mean? Fishery management must work to consistently rebuild stocks and prevent them from experiencing overfishing and becoming overfished once more. Management actions should do more to prevent stocks from repeatedly needing rebuilding.

These numbers are concerning and should signal a need for more and better management action. They also suggest that climate change is an increasingly important force in this equation of fishery management. The 2021 report recognizes this link and affirms that NOAA Fisheries is “committed to reducing the number of stocks that are overfished and subject to overfishing, and to rebuilding stocks that support sustainable fisheries in our changing climate.”

Last month, NOAA Fisheries delivered a similar message in a news feature for Earth Week 2022: “At NOAA Fisheries, we know the answer lies in keeping our pulse on population trends, accounting for uncertainty, adapting management strategies to changes, and holding industry and ourselves accountable.” The agency acknowledges that climate change continues to impact fish stocks and, in this latest Status of Stocks report, affirms their commitment to respond accordingly.

The ocean is not at a stasis. It’s changing more than ever with rising sea levels, warming temperatures, ocean acidification, deoxygenation and more. The dynamism and growing pace of climate impacts must be reflected in management response—we can’t delay management action any longer. Fishery management must ensure that we prevent stocks from reaching low numbers for catch, while simultaneously continuing the progress we’ve made. That way, “what used to be” and “what once was” remain phrases that do not become lifestyles and threaten our abilities to fish in the long term. Accomplishing this will bring great benefit to the health and success of U.S. communities, economies and livelihoods.

The post New Report Shows Fishery Management Floundering appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

Inspired by and modeled after a similar small grants program sponsored by Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup® (ICC) in support of ocean cleanup projects, Ocean Conservancy launched its GGGI Small Grants Program in 2021. This program builds greater capacity for GGGI projects by providing the financing and mentoring support needed for GGGI member projects with the aim of preventing, mitigating and remediating ghost gear.

The GGGI also designates an annual recipient of the Joanna Toole Ghost Gear Solutions Award. This award was established in 2019 to honor GGGI co-founder, United Nations worker and former World Animal Protection campaigner Joanna Toole who tragically lost her life at age 36 in the March 2019 Ethiopian airlines crash. This award, presented to projects that show excellence in tackling the problem of ghost gear, is made possible by support from Ocean Conservancy, the Government of Norway and Joanna’s friends, family members and colleagues, including the Joanna Toole Foundation.

Adrian Toole, Chair of the Foundation and Joanna Toole’s father, had this to say about the award: “As Joanna’s father and on behalf of the Trustees of the Joanna Toole Foundation, I am very grateful that Ocean Conservancy and the Government of Norway are awarding this, the fourth yearly award, that both honors Joanna and continues her work for animal welfare. Joanna was among the first campaigners to recognize the terrible toll that ghost gear exacts on aquatic life and its detrimental effect on the economies of fishing communities.”

In 2022, the GGGI Small Grants program received 15 applications from members in 10 countries that spanned from East Africa to South and Southeast Asia, Europe and North America. Applications were reviewed by the GGGI leadership as well as members of the Expert Advisory Council. With support from Ocean Conservancy, the Government of Norway, Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund and Morgan Stanley, we are excited to announce a total of $205,000 in grants awarded to six organizations working to mitigate, prevent and remediate ghost gear.

The GGGI is proud to present the following grant recipients:

Fourth Annual Joanna Toole Ghost Gear Solutions Awardee

NP Junior Rangers Uganda Limited (Kampala, Uganda)—This organization aims both to prevent and remove ghost gear from Lake Victoria in Uganda by working with the local community. Their project goals include:

• Removing and preventing ghost gear in Lake Victoria by identifying hotspots, organizing monthly cleanups and running workshops with the aim of removing at least 2000 pounds of gear per year.
• Developing infrastructure necessary to collect and properly dispose of waste gear.
• Researching recycling opportunities, piloting net recycling methods and designing a recycling strategy for Kampala and the surrounding fishing communities.

Additional Small Grant Recipients

Emerald Sea Protection Society (British Columbia, Canada)—What began as a small, self-funded organization founded by commercial divers and marine surveyors has quickly grown to a leading public and private partner addressing ghost gear off the Pacific Coast in Canada. Their project aims to expand their ghost gear removal capacity and raise awareness for their work by:

• Acquiring additional specialized equipment required for gear and marine debris removal.
• Removing an estimated 25,000 pounds of derelict predator net from a location near Port Hardy, British Columbia.
• Expanding and developing their media, communication and educational resources

Mare Nostrum (Constanta, Romania) )—An environmental NGO based in Romania, Mare Nostrum centers on sustainable development education, conservation of marine and coastal biodiversity, natural resource management and urban management policy. Their project Net Free Black Sea focuses on:

• Removing at least 1000 kilograms of ghost gear from at least two hot spots between Cap Midia and Vama Veche.
• Connecting relevant stakeholders, including local government, communities, industry and academia.
• Raising awareness of the social, economic, and environmental damage caused by ghost gear in the Black Sea.

Patuakhali Science and Technology University (Patuakhali, Bangladesh)—This academic program is focused on research, training and entrepreneurial development for undergraduate and postgraduate programs. The university aims to pioneer a ghost gear study in the Bay of Bengal with the following goals:

• Assessing the status of ghost gear in the Southern coastal area of Bangladesh.
• Identifying the current knowledge, practices, and attitudes on ghost gear by fishers in the region.
• Building awareness and capacity for fishers to prevent ghost gear in the region.

Sea Mammal Education Learning Technology Society (Washington, United States)—Also known by the acronym SMELTS, this organization is focused on the research and development of technology to reduce harm in interactions between humans and marine life. This project employs their ropeless lift bag technology to remove marine debris and rescue anchored whales and includes:

• Building two acoustically controlled lifting engines for marine debris recovery and animal rescue.
• Partnering with the Center for Coastal Studies’ Marine Animal Entanglement Response (MAER) and commercial lobsterman Rob Martin to test their technology.
• Using and sharing all data collected with the international GGGI community.

Stichting Ghost Diving (Zuid-Holland, Netherlands)—Founded in 2012 by technical divers specializing in the removal of ghost gear and marine debris, Ghost Diving is the largest and most experienced global diving organization focused on tackling ALDFG. Their project, Coasts Untangled, conducts ghost gear surveys along the Greek coast by:

• Hosting workshops with Ghost Diving Greece and local stakeholders in fishing and coastal management to find areas most impacted by ALDFGs and share knowledge.
• Conducting aerial surveys of areas of interest across approximately 25 km² of costal marine habitat.
• Running field tests on machine-learning algorithms to detect ghost gear using aerial imagery.
• Contributing to GGGI data.

The post Introducing the Global Ghost Gear Initiative Small Grants Recipients of 2022 appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

Deep-sea corals belong to a group of animals called the Cnidaria. They are closely related to sea anemones—living fixed in one place and catching prey with their stinging tentacles in order to eat. Corals are composed of polyps, each having a ring of tractable tentacles surrounding a mouth.

Excited to learn more? Dive in and explore these five facts about cold water corals.

No sunlight? No problem!

Deep-sea corals don’t need sunlight to survive and thrive. Corals have been found up to 20,000 feet below the ocean’s surface, where the water is icy cold and the light is dim or completely absent. In order to eat, deep-sea corals obtain the energy and nutrients they need to survive by trapping tiny organisms (like plankton) in passing currents. Believe it or not, scientists have discovered about as many species of deep-sea corals as shallow-water species. So far, more than 3,300 species of deep-sea corals have been identified, but new species are being discovered continually.

Living in every corner of the ocean

Deep-sea corals are able to live in a wide range of ocean habitats because they don’t need warmth or sunlight to survive. They have been found living in waters as cold as 30.2ºF.

The range is vast! Deep-sea corals occur in the waters of the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ecuador, Japan, Norway and the United States. Scientists have even found deep-sea corals off the coast of Antarctica. They grow in all the world’s ocean basins, where they form deep-water havens on continental shelves and slopes, in ocean canyons and on tall seamounts.

Coral reefs have been discovered in the North Atlantic, and several species of deep-sea corals form an underwater garden 540 feet below the ocean’s surface off the coast of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.

Growing old (really, really old)

Cold water coral reefs grow and mature over long periods of time. The deep sea is a low energy environment, and the corals there grow very slowly. Some reefs on the Sula Ridge in Norway, for example, developed at the end of the last ice age, about 10,000 years ago!

Deep-sea corals are OLD. One colony of gold coral (Gerardia sp.) found off Hawaii was estimated to be about 2,742 years old. The estimated lifespan of a black coral colony is 70 years. However, in March 2009, a deep-water species of black coral was discovered, and scientists estimate it was around 4,265 years old. These coral colonies are the oldest marine organisms on record. There may be even older deep-sea corals out there still to be discovered.

Hot-spot for habitat

Although some species of coral live as solo individuals forming a single polyp, most corals form colonies of many hundreds or thousands of polyps. These colonial corals are comprised of large, complex skeletons, usually made from calcium carbonate (limestone). Some species can eventually produce elaborate branching frameworks which, over time, can grow to become the basis of cold-water coral reefs.

Colonial corals are crucial to the deep-sea environment since they establish habitat and alter the surroundings—making more places for ocean animals to live, thrive and hide. As a result, deep-sea reefs can have greater abundance and diversity of marine life than surrounding areas. Cold-water coral reefs are biodiversity hot-spots in the deep-ocean.

Coral reefs need our help

Stressors such as climate change, ocean acidification, disease, overfishing, sedimentation and pollution have degraded coral reefs around the world. The ocean is acidifying due to increased carbon dioxide, making it harder and harder for corals to build the physical structure of the reef. Thankfully, people are hard at work trying to replenish coral populations with coral reef nurseries to ensure they survive for generations to come. However, the best way we can help corals—and the animals that depend on them—is by cutting carbon emissions and limiting the effects of climate change.

Donate to Ocean Conservancy today and make a difference for the future of our ocean!

The post Five Facts About Cold Water Corals appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

Widespread marine debris litters the beach—webbing, line, nets, packing bands, buoys and plastics of all shapes and sizes and displaying brands that reveal the debris has washed in from faraway places around the Pacific Ocean. As fur seal and some seabird populations decline in the region, wildlife entangled in the debris are a growing concern.

Recognizing that beach cleanups are one part of the solution needed to tackle this global problem, Ocean Conservancy and the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Tribal Government’s Ecosystem Conservation Office (ECO) are joining forces for a two-week marine debris cleanup in May 2022. This is a welcome opportunity for Ocean Conservancy to work alongside our Tribal partners on their home beaches.

We asked Dr. Veronica Padula, assistant director of ECO, for her perspective on the daunting problem of marine debris on St. Paul Island and what it will take to change it.

Here is what she had to say:

When I began working for ECO in May 2017, my first assignment was to write a blog post about the marine debris cleanup that had occurred on St. Paul Island that year. It was in writing about the cleanup crew’s huge effort to remove literally tons of debris from their island’s shorelines that I recognized marine debris is not only a pollution issue; but also an environmental justice issue.

What at first seemed like a simple assignment resulted in changing the course of my graduate research. I had been involved in marine debris research and outreach for a number of years before joining ECO, and while the stories of marine debris impacting Alaska’s coastal communities were told often, it seemed like the voices, observations and concerns of those communities were rarely included in conversations about solutions.

As concern grew over the impacts of marine debris, we wanted to ensure that the coastal communities most heavily impacted by marine debris were included in the development of solutions to this issue.

Through a series of interviews with community members I learned that on St. Paul Island, marine debris is diverse—plastics and fishing gear are prominent—and that debris has often travelled long distances to arrive here. Debris, such as abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded commercial fishing gear is not generated on St. Paul Island.

As one community member put it: “It’s pretty obvious, fishing vessels, vessels in general, that would be the number one … when I see marine debris on the beaches today or trash or items on the beach I almost look at all of it as marine debris not so much as island trash.”

Importantly, St. Paul is a community of approximately 350 people, and crews have removed upwards of 20,000 pounds of debris from only a fraction of the island’s shorelines in a single cleanup effort.

While community members realize that major marine debris cleanups are helpful in addressing the issue of ocean plastic pollution, they know that cleanups are not the only solution. It can be frustrating to see fellow community members work tirelessly to remove so many thousands of pounds of debris from the shoreline, only to see their efforts washed away merely months later when new debris litters it again. Removal also does not answer the broader questions of the long-term impacts of marine debris to the environment, especially on wildlife.

Ultimately, we must include the concerns, knowledge and suggestions from the communities that are most vulnerable and most highly impacted by marine debris in the development of solutions. The insights from the St. Paul Island community make it clear that marine debris solutions must include a combination of removal, research and prevention measures, and efforts must continue to be made to include the voices and concerns of the communities most heavily impacted by marine debris. Multiscale solutions are critical and they’re happening at the international, regional, national, state and local levels. Some examples include the following:

• The United Nations negotiating an international instrument to “end plastic pollution”
• The United States passing the Save Our Seas Act
• Beginning development of a Marine Debris Action Plan for Alaska
• Local prevention efforts, such as the Ocean Guardians Schools in Juneau that have removed single use plastic utensils from their cafeterias

Communities like St. Paul Island will continue marine debris cleanups because they are one important way to tackle the marine debris crisis. However, as many community members have expressed repeatedly, cleanups are not the only solution. On St. Paul, we are working to craft new approaches with partners like Ocean Conservancy. We hope these new ideas will help reduce plastic pollution at its source and help prevent it from accumulating on our beaches.

Follow along with the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Ecosystem Conservation Office on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The post Multi-scale Solutions Critical to Solving St. Paul’s Marine Debris Problem appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

Getting those little glimpses of nature reminds me how we are all connected to the ocean. A piece of litter near my home in Washington, DC, could make its way into the Potomac River, out into the Chesapeake Bay and into our ocean—which means that our actions are connected, too. Simply picking up that piece of litter can make a difference for a turtle swimming hundreds of miles away.

This week we’ve launched a new version of our Clean Swell® app which makes it easier to see how your small actions can make a big impact on our ocean. Use the app to record the trash you clean up in your neighborhood, beach or park. The data you collect will help scientists and advocates around the world create lasting solutions to tackle ocean trash on a global scale.

This new update of the app makes it easier for anyone to see their impact anytime, anywhere. With Clean Swell, you can easily see how your efforts, combined with those of thousands of volunteers around the world, have resulted in the removal of millions of pounds of trash from our beaches and streets. We’ve even added an action center full of articles and advocacy opportunities that will help you become a champion for the ocean right from your phone.

With Clean Swell you can power solutions for a healthier ocean with just a little bit of free time. Take your kids out to help pick up trash on a Sunday walk through the park. Ask your friends to help with a little neighborhood tidying-up before brunch. We want to hear how you are using the app to clean up the places you love! Share your stories with #CleanSwell on social media.

Each time I log in to Clean Swell I am reminded of the power of the International Coastal Cleanup® and the people who work to ensure we leave behind a cleaner ocean for our kids and generations to come. Each piece of trash, whether it is a bottle found on a beach or a straw found on a sidewalk, adds up. Volunteers like you remove a huge amount of trash that never gets a chance to enter our ocean, harm wildlife or break down into microplastics that are nearly impossible to remove from our environment. With this new and improved app, we are making it even easier for you to continue your monumental work to help us make the world’s largest volunteer effort to clean our waterways even better.

Dive in and download Clean Swell via the App Store or Google Play. After you clean up make sure to share on social media how you are using the app to make an impact with #CleanSwell.

The post Building a Clean Swell appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

These wild facts are just the start when it comes to mudskippers. (Keep in mind there are at least 25 species of mudskippers walking around, each with their own unique qualities!) Let’s dip our toes in the mud and get to know these fascinating fish.

These fish can walk

Roaming the muddy swamps and rivers along tropical and subtropical regions in Africa, Australia and Asia, mudskippers (family Oxudercinae) are land-loving fish that can spend as much time, if not more, on land as they do in water. However, this isn’t just a preference—curiously enough, a prolonged stay in water can even drown this fish. To combat drowning, mudskippers tend to spend their days perched on mangrove roots and rocks searching for their next meal of insects, small crustaceans and worms, all while maintaining a hydrated coat of mud. Surprisingly, some mudskippers can even climb trees using their pelvic fins and large (and muscular) pectoral fins which are shaped like legs. These legs help them move along the course mud using a movement called “crutching,” as it resembles someone walking with crutches. Clearly a fish that can “walk” is unusual, but the mudskipper isn’t alone–the frogfish is another member of this very exclusive club of walking fish.

A high jump is essential, and territory is key

For many male mudskippers, finding a mate is all about how high he can fly. Despite the muddy and not-so-romantic environment, a high jump can get him noticed in the mudskipper dating pool. Amazingly, these fish can jump up to two feet above the mud, all in the name of love. Mudskippers are also quite territorial, so spotting a duel between a couple of mudskippers is not uncommon if a neighbor gets too close. The skirmish typically includes their mouths gaping open and their dorsal fins being raised while they leap towards each other in aggression; some species of mudskipper even let out a fish equivalent to a battle cry.

Their mud burrows are what keep them land bound

While they gallivant along the mud, these fish need to maintain their moist coating. To achieve this, some mudskipper species dig burrows in the mud and maintain an air pocket to use if their oxygen levels fall. These burrows are also used for protection from predators and for laying their eggs. Mudskippers dig these burrows not by using their torpedo-shaped bodies but by scooping up the mud with their mouths and spitting it out once away from their new burrow. This burrowing method is quite effective at protecting the mudskippers.

Their protruding eyes are incredibly useful

The mudskipper is adorned with two bulging eyes atop its head. The frog-like eyes are able to move independently from one another, thus giving this fish amazing peripheral vision. The large eyes are also retractable and able to see practically 360 degrees around! At first glance, although it seems like they’re constantly blinking, they’re actually hydrating. When they blink, their eyes retract into a fluid-filled dermal cup which keeps their eyes moist. Mudskippers’ protruding eyes help them find food in dense mud and see below water and above water simultaneously.

This fish can “breathe” out of water

So, how can a fish breathe out of water? Well, for the mudskipper it’s all in the gills and moist environment. Mudskippers use their gill chambers to “breathe” while wiping them with mud, using their fins to fill them with water and air. This process is essential because if their gills dry out, they are no longer able to absorb oxygen. As mudskippers fill their gills with air, their gills expand, which makes them look like they have puffed up cheeks! This fish can also breathe through its skin like amphibians, using a method called cutaneous breathing. This process involves the mudskipper using the humid environment to its advantage. Their skin and mouth linings have capillaries which allow them to absorb oxygen through their skin, and by rolling around in the damp mud they can breathe.

If one thing is for sure, never doubt a fish that can thrive on land.

The next time you find yourself near a muddy swamp or river, make sure to keep an eye out for these land loving fishes! The mighty mudskipper is just one of the amazing and weird animals currently roaming Earth. But like all animals, they need our help to create a cleaner environment. Check out Ocean Conservancy’s action center to see what you can do to help the animals of the ocean, including the fish who can walk on land.

The post 5 Facts About Mudskippers appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

Sebastian

While many viewers have considered this curt Jamaican crustacean to be some sort of crab, there have been arguments to the contrary, suggesting that he’s actually a lobster. According to the science, it’s probably most accurate to call him a crab. Sebastian doesn’t appear to boast the pairs of antennae that lobster species have, nor does he have a very long tail. What may best illustrate that he’s a crab: his color. If Sebastian were a lobster and bright red in color … well, he wouldn’t be alive. Only cooked lobsters take on this vibrant appearance; they’re much more muted in color and have more brownish or orangish hues under water.

Flounder

While we’re on the topic of species drama … this one might make you chuckle. Flounder, Ariel’s loyal and brightly colored companion, is most definitely not a flounder. There appears to be a consensus that Flounder is more than likely some type of angelfish or some other similar vibrantly colored reef fish. Though the exact species has never been agreed upon, it’s safe to say two things for sure: Flounder is probably an angelfish, but most definitely not a flounder.

Flotsam + Jetsam

These two slithery sidekicks to the lead villainess in The Little Mermaid, Ursula, are a pair of moray eels. Within the moray family, there are actually around 200 species, with new species being discovered currently. These elusive critters are cutthroat predators: They not only have incredibly strong teeth, but have two sets of jaws, with one in the back of their throats called pharyngeal jaws. Once they latch onto their prey with their primary jaws, the second set of jaws pulls the meal back into the eel’s esophagus. No wonder Ursula sent these slimy invertebrates to do some of her dirty work!

Scuttle

This goofy character is a seagull (this one may not be so surprising). With more than 50 species of gulls distributed worldwide, it’s a bit difficult to nail down exactly what kind of gull Scuttle is supposed to be. Regardless, one fun fact about seagulls in general is that they have the unique ability to drink seawater. While saltwater can cause rapid dehydration in humans, gulls have supraorbital glands above their eyes with the job of removing salt from their blood. This desalination process helps them to be experts when it comes to survival at sea.

There you have it, folks: four of the actual ocean animals behind some of the stars of The Little Mermaid. Other than being cast members of this Disney film, there’s one other thing that all these species have in common: They’re all counting on us to protect them and their ocean home. Be sure to visit Ocean Conservancy’s Action Center to discover the latest ways you can advocate today for our blue planet and all its resident wildlife!

The post Meet the Real Ocean Animals of The Little Mermaid appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

A new study examined what the ocean will look like in the future if we keep burning all the fossil fuels we can lay our hands on. And if we do, the future for the ocean is grim indeed. The researchers applied powerful Earth system models that faithfully recreate the behavior of the ocean, land and atmosphere to game out the future.

The researchers found that unchecked fossil fuel burning will cause a mass extinction event in the ocean in the far future. By 2300, ocean warming and dwindling oxygen will eliminate the huge diversity of marine life that has filled the ocean for the past 50 million years. The authors have compared what’s in store to a period that geoscientists call “The Great Dying.” This was the largest mass extinction in Earth’s history some 250 million years ago driven by a huge upswing in planetary volcanic activity. About 90% of all marine life and 70% of all terrestrial life went extinct as a result.

Yep, you heard that right. If we don’t get our act together fast, humans will be directly responsible for The Next Great Dying.

But the researchers also showed that there is still hope for the ocean. If we cap planetary warming to less than 2°C, losses of marine species will be minimized. At 1.5°C it would be even better, as it would protect stony corals and other species that are at greatest risk. But limiting planetary warming to that level requires immediate, decisive shifts away from the most-polluting behaviors that have put our global society on this path.

What will we do to save the ocean we love?

Will we upend our bad habits, our greed and our obsession with convenience to reimagine what our global society can be? Are we brave enough to rapidly embrace the solutions that are ready now that will help us do this? The science is clear, many technologies are available and the cost of using them continues to drop.

So many ocean-based solutions exist already to help transform the future. We can decarbonize our transportation and manufacturing, and transition to renewable energy sources both on land and in the ocean. By investing in people and communities (particularly those suffering the most from climate change), we can create a society built around the common good instead of immediate profit for a few. Ocean Conservancy is working hard on these and other climate solutions.

The alternative is to continue the short-sighted habits that the previous few generations hooked us on and be responsible for the next great planetary extinction. Technically, we have a choice—but to me, there is only one answer. Climate action is essential. Take action today by urging our leaders to act on climate now and avoid this devastating future for our ocean.

The post It’s Not Too Late to Prevent Mass Extinction for Our Ocean appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

From our work on shipping emissions, plastic pollution, ocean climate justice and ghost gear, the need for greater action is clear to us at Ocean Conservancy. Launched in 2014 by then Secretary of State John Kerry, the Our Ocean Conference is a rallying platform for nations, companies and civil society to come together and jointly commit to actions that can help improve and conserve the health of our ocean. After being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s conference was a key opportunity to build on past commitments and step up with new approaches to ocean protection.

For example, in 2019 Norway and SeaBOS joined the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI). And indeed, at this year’s Our Ocean Conference, we saw two new governments join the GGGI: The Government of Spain and the Government of the Republic of Korea—bringing our total number of Government partners to the GGGI to 20.

At this year’s conference, 410 commitments amounting to $16.35 billion were made, bringing the total to more than 1,800 total commitments worth approximately $108 billion since 2014. Each commitment from Our Ocean is publicly tracked and updated in a database which builds a layer of accountability into the process.

At this year’s conference, the Ocean Conservancy team was busy announcing new commitments from the GGGI and highlighting how we can eliminate emissions from the maritime shipping industry.

Global Ghost Gear Initiative

Ingrid Giskes, Director of the Global Ghost Gear Initiative at Ocean Conservancy, highlighted in her plenary speech on day two how both climate change and ghost gear stress marine environments, threaten the wildlife that live there and harm the communities reliant on these ecosystems. Ocean Conservancy also hosted a side event about ghost gear which brought together a number of GGGI Governments and private sector actors to discuss how multi-stakeholder partnerships are key to addressing ghost gear holistically.

The GGGI made three major commitments: to procure new GGGI member governments; to add more than half a million data records for the GGGI Data Portal; and to secure significant financial investment by 2023.

South Korea, the first Asian government to join the GGGI, has already begun their efforts to address ghost gear by working on the research and development of new fishing gear material sources, real time tracking and reporting of gear to support effective retrieval, a deposit-return scheme for retrieved gear, and implementation of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization’s Voluntary Guidelines on the Marking of Fishing Gear.

Spain, the first Mediterranean GGGI partner government, will work closely with the GGGI and regional bodies like the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR) on setting ambitious national and regional targets on recycling and extended producer responsibility (EPR). The Sub-Directorate General for Marine Protection will lead implementation of Spain’s commitment to the GGGI.

Shipping

The maritime shipping industry’s greenhouse gas emissions remain one of the key contributors to global climate change, roughly on par with every coal fired power plant in the United States. At a side event— The Clean, Resilient Maritime Sector of the Future: Turning Commitments into Action sponsored by the UN Foundation—Ocean Conservancy’s shipping emissions campaign manager, Dan Hubbell launched our new report on alternative shipping fuels. To stay in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement, the shipping industry needs to transition away from fossil fuels and towards green hydrogen-based fuels as soon as possible.

During the conference, 17 additional countries joined the Danish Declaration and publicly committed to zeroing out shipping emissions by 2050 at the latest. Three new green corridor projects in the Baltic region, Chile, Australia and southeast Asia were also announced, along with a new framework defining what a green corridor will mean in practice. These commitments indicate a clear path for further action in the transition to green shipping.

What’s Next?

With the United Nations Oceans Conference coming up in June 2022, countries must continue to build on this momentum for ocean protection, follow through on the commitments they’ve made and continue to increase our shared ambition to maintain a healthy ocean for all. Like Special Envoy Kerry said in his closing remarks “We need to do more, plus.”

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