Published by Ocean Conservancy Ocean Conservancy has partnered with the City of Miami, Florida through the Shores Forward initiative to protect ocean and coastal habitats, species and communities. Partnering with a municipality as large and complex as Miami requires a strong and invested partner. Since launching eight months ago, Ocean Conservancy has been collaborating with Miami’s […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a (mangrove) tree. As a kid growing up on the Indian River Lagoon in East Central Florida, the paramount importance of red, black and white mangroves and buttonwoods was not lost on me. These humble trees that line huge swaths of […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Miami, Florida is the result of more than 400 years of pressure due to human impact. Today, few places remain to catch a glimpse of the city’s past; however, a hidden and unexpected time capsule at the very northern edge of Miami city limits offers a composite of the now and then—a […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy When people fly into Miami, they are taken aback by the city’s lush streetscape and seemingly continuous tree cover. Cities are usually sights of impermeable concrete—but Miami offers a refreshing marriage of metropolis and greenery. Miami’s landscaping is beautiful, but it also poses potential harm to the region’s delicate ecosystem. The fertilizer […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Over the past few years, Floridians have become unpleasantly familiar with repeated noxious harmful blue-green algal blooms that have plagued rivers and estuaries, killing fish and shellfish, fouling boats and undermining the tourism economy. We’ve become so familiar, that we’ve nicknamed the thick, fluffy green plumes of blooming cyanobacteria something a little […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy We are more likely to get sick when we are stressed. The same logic applies to other animals. Stress leads to weakened system defenses, and this is true for Florida’s coral reefs. © NOAA Florida’s coral reefs are currently experiencing a multi-year outbreak of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD), a coral disease […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Steven Reinhold is one of the original creators of the hashtag #trashtag, which encourages people to post pictures picking up trash in the environment. Started a few years ago, it went viral a week ago when a Facebook user named Byron posted a before and after picture of a trash cleanup, and […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy On February 5th, the MV Solomon Trader (a Hong Kong-flagged bulk carrier) lost its mooring and ran aground on a coral reef off the island of Rennell in the southern Solomon Islands. So far, the damaged vessel has spilled more than 80 tons of heavy fuel oil. This oil is now floating […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Wonder Woman? Aquaman? Batman? All of the above? (GASP! Holy saltmarshes ocean fans, am I drawing a connection between Super Heroes and a marine ecosystem?!) When I think about estuaries, that’s what comes to mind. By the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) definition, an estuary is simply “a partially enclosed body […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Driving from Savannah, Georgia to Saint Helena Island, South Carolina I see large houses and mobile homes, egrets standing in wetlands, and miles and miles of trees draped with Spanish moss. As we head to the 5th Gullah/Geechee Seafood Festival, I anticipate good company and good food—particularly the seafood and rice for […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Palm Beach County officials found traces of Red Tide on their beaches earlier this week, Miami-Dade and Broward Counties will conduct testing on their beaches, and the west coast of Florida is still awash in dead fish. Florida’s red tide crisis seems to be getting worse by the day, and it requires […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy This blog was written by Charmaine Dahlenburg, Manager of the National Aquarium’s Chesapeake Bay Program. Estuaries are necessary for the health of people and the planet. They capture and filter stormwater runoff, reduce effects of flooding, prevent shoreline erosion and provide habitat for fish, birds, mammals and invertebrates. As our coastal populations […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Queens, New York. It’s a place that I, a northern New Jersey native, primarily associate with the Mets, airports and the Ramones. When I think about Queens, shoreline and sea life aren’t really the first things that come to my mind. However, New York’s largest borough is home to a place that […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy The news and photos of the massive red tide this month in southwest Florida are absolutely heartbreaking. As a seasoned conservation biologist (Baldera) and a native Floridian (Brooker), we have never seen a red tide event as severe as this with such far-reaching and appalling fish kills. We have received reports of […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Dr. Janet Reimer, a postdoctoral research associate at University of Delaware, describes how regular coastal ocean monitoring provides clues about the sources of acidification in nearshore waters. When she’s not at work on the high seas, Dr. Reimer enjoys camping, taking trips to the beach, gardening and spending time with her family […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Ahupua‘a are traditional Native Hawaiian land management systems for self-sustaining communities. Each ahupua‘a delineates a strip of land from the mountains to the ocean, and contains nearly all the resources needed for survival. The upland forest area of the mountains is called wao akua, “the realm of the gods.” It is believed […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Talking about water quality isn’t most people’s idea of the ideal ice breaker. In the Lowcountry (loosely defined as coastal South Carolina and Georgia), folks typically find common ground discussing the region’s warm weather, great food, vibrant culture and remarkable history. But water quality is quickly becoming the talk of the town […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy As the Casco Baykeeper, Frignoca sums up her job as the “eyes, ears and voice of the bay.” When I ask her how she started on the path to becoming a marine advocate, she tells me that she just knew it was her calling, “I’ve always been a water person. I’ve just […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Using a combination of science, policy, advocacy and community engagement, Andy Hayslip fights to keep Tampa Bay safe for everyone. As the executive director of Tampa Bay Waterkeeper, Andy shared his passion for working with people to protect our ocean at an Ocean Conservancy event celebrating Florida’s beaches. The conversation was wide-ranging, […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Bill Mook started Mook Sea Farm in 1985 after attending the University of Maine as an oceanography graduate student. Situated on the banks of the Damariscotta River in Maine, Mook Sea Farm grew American oysters for the half shell market and supplied seed clams, scallops and oysters to other East Coast shellfish […]