Issues: Oceans

In Brief Articles

Protecting Ocean Habitat from Bottom Trawling
Fact Sheet

Halting this underwater version of strip-mining in sensitive areas can keep our oceans healthy and full of vibrant marine life.

Reviving Our Oceans
Overview

Changing the way we think about and manage our oceans can help avert a crisis.

Seafood Specials: Great Recipes that Help Save Oceans
Guides

Recipes from NRDC's home cooks and a few of our chef friends help you take the guesswork out of serving a healthy, feel-good seafood meal.

Pollution-Related Beach Closings and Advisories Climb in 2006
News

Pollution-related beach closings and advisories across the country rose last year, according to NRDC's 17th annual beach report.

Water Quality at U.S. Beaches
Guides

How to find out whether state and local authorities test for beach pollution, and what they do if they find it.

Protecting Whales from Dangerous Sonar
News

NRDC intensifies the campaign to secure precautions against military sonar's deadly effects.

Beach Pollution
FAQ

Answers to questions including: How widespread is beach pollution? What are the major causes of beach pollution? Can swimming in polluted water make you sick?

North Atlantic Swordfish
News

After a two-and-a-half-year campaign led by NRDC and SeaWeb to restore swordfish populations in the north Atlantic, the federal government in August 2000 announced measures to protect juvenile north Atlantic swordfish from fishing.

Keeping Oceans Wild
News

Learn more about how marine protected areas have helped fish and their habitats around the United States. Find out what you can do to help keep oceans wild in your own backyard.

Underwater Worlds
Photo Album

Five underwater ecosystems off U.S. coasts reveal the rich diversity of marine life, how the oceans are threatened and how they can rebound.

An Astronaut Protects the Sea
Interview

Pew Ocean Commissioner Dr. Kathryn D. Sullivan is president and CEO of COSI, a nationally respected center for science learning. The interview includes answers to questions such as: What will the oceans look like in 20 years if we simply continue to do what we're doing? What should individuals to do to save the oceans? How does your experience with the space program inform your work on oceans?

Ocean Protection Case Studies
Fact Sheet

Marine ecosystems and fish populations are in trouble, but proven solutions exist to restore the health of the oceans. These brief case studies illustrate a few and the results they can achieve.

Caviar Emptor
News

Sturgeon have been swimming the world's waters since dinosaurs walked the earth. But unrelenting overfishing aimed at harvesting caviar, together with pollution and habitat destruction, have driven many of the world's 27 species of sturgeon to the brink of extinction. To reverse these declines, NRDC and others have launched a campaign to reduce demand for caviar and protect these ancient fish.