News & Commentary

Why Coastal Access Is an Environmental Justice Issue

August 31, 2023 ExplainerUnited StatesMardi Fuller

Beach access has long been shaped by multiple systemic injustices. It’s time to change that.

Shared Knowledge Is Power in the Northern Mariana Islands

May 22, 2023 DispatchInternationalShelia Hu

As Indigenous groups seek to comanage the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument, elders help the next generation find opportunity on the islands in science and conservation. 

Finally, a High Seas Treaty to Protect the World’s Oceans

April 14, 2023 ExplainerInternationalBrian Palmer, Jeff Turrentine

A new U.N. agreement aims to bring order and conservation to what has—up to now—been an ocean of mismanagement and neglect.

In the Melting Arctic, a Reckoning to Save Indigenous Culture, Narwhals, and a Silent Sea

September 22, 2022 DispatchArcticBill Donahue

As a mining company seeks to ship millions of tons more of iron ore through caribou and narwhal habitat, good science requires the input of the Inuit.

Can Anything Be Done to Stop Overfishing?

June 24, 2022 ExplainerInternational

It’s a complex problem, but a combination of smart fisheries management and consumer vigilance can encourage more sustainable practices.

Atlantic Oil Drilling Is a Terrible Idea

May 17, 2022 ExplainerUnited States

While past leasing proposals have included the Atlantic among other large swaths of the U.S. coastline, today the vast majority of Americans agree that opening up more areas for leasing spells disaster for our climate and our economy.

The Biden Administration Cancels Its Offshore Drilling Plan for Alaska’s Cook Inlet—Let’s Keep It Off the Books

May 13, 2022 DispatchAlaskaSusan Cosier

The lease sale would have endangered Indigenous communities, threatened rare whales, added to the Far North’s climate crisis, and gambled with a 20 percent chance for a large oil spill.

Oysters: Raw Bar Delicacy or Climate Warrior?

October 18, 2021 DispatchNorth CarolinaJodi Helmer

The mighty bivalves are both, and this former schoolteacher and bartender seeks to inspire a new generation of aquaculturists while putting North Carolina oysters on the map.

Why Florida Needs an Offshore Drilling Ban—One That’s Permanent

December 9, 2020 DispatchFloridaRobynne Boyd

While the state can take solace in the recent moratorium extension, its waters are still at risk from the devastating impacts of seismic testing.

Mussels Help Keep Watch on Pollution in Puget Sound

August 20, 2020 DispatchWashingtonStarre Vartan

The humble bivalves, which concentrate everything from heavy metals to cancer drugs in their tissues, provide an ideal way for scientists to monitor nearshore water health.

How Deep Were the Impacts of the BP Oil Disaster?

April 8, 2020 ExplainerUnited StatesMelissa Denchak

A decade later, the Gulf of Mexico is still far from fully recovered.

The Mother Who Became a Voice for the Gulf

April 6, 2020 DispatchLouisianaNicole Greenfield

After the Deepwater Horizon disaster, Kindra Arnesen went to the mat to help heal and protect her southeastern Louisiana community and the fishery it relies on. Ten years later, she’s still fighting.

Could the Climate Crisis Spell the End for Maine Lobster?

August 19, 2019 DispatchMaineNicole Greenfield

The state’s thriving lobster industry owes a lot to smart fishery conservation measures implemented over the past three decades. But given the Gulf of Maine’s rapid warming, how far can these interventions go?

Fishing in Warming Seas, North Carolinians Trek North to Reel in Their Catch

June 3, 2019 DispatchNorth CarolinaJodi Helmer

As climate change sends fisheries into flux, managers must keep up with the latest science to sustain them.

Hawaii Stands Up for Its Sharks With Fishing Ban

April 24, 2019 DispatchHawaiiStarre Vartan

The Aloha State is on track to become the first in the nation to ban shark fishing outright, creating a critical safe harbor for these threatened animals.

Orcas in Peril, Part I: An Ocean Empty of Food

February 28, 2019 ExplainerUnited States, InternationalPerrin Ireland

Southern Resident killer whales of the Salish Sea face many challenges, but the threat of death from starvation is especially dire. Thankfully, there's a solution—and we need to help make it happen.

With Tahlequah’s Newborn and Scarlet Gone, Orca Advocates Race to Save Their Kin

February 11, 2019 DispatchWestLora Shinn

The plight of the Southern Resident orcas is bringing together a coalition of state and tribal leaders, scientists, and grassroots communities to avert a looming extinction.

The Festering Sanitation Crisis at Our Border

December 3, 2018 DispatchArizona, Mexico, CaliforniaTim Vanderpool

As the Trump administration ratchets up its rhetoric demanding billions for a wall, American communities along the Mexico border are in need of basic services, like reliable sewage treatment.

After 140 Million Years, the Chinese Sturgeon May Soon Be Extinct

November 20, 2018 ExplainerChinaJason Bittel

As dams have popped up in the Yangtze River, one of the world’s biggest freshwater fish is running out of room—and time.

Discovery of an Ancient Reef Off South Carolina Is One More Reason Not to Drill the Atlantic

November 19, 2018 DispatchSouth CarolinaRobynne Boyd

The coral system is 85 miles long and has been there for hundreds of thousands of years.