Ocean Conservancy’s Post

🚨 Coral reefs are a crucial habitat for about 25% of all ocean species, but as the climate crisis drives marine heat waves across our ocean and around the world, this important lifeline could soon be at the point of no return.    According to NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration and Reuters, an alarming 77% of our ocean's coral reef areas have been impacted by heat stress and coral bleaching *in this event alone*—marking the largest coral bleaching event ever on record: https://lnkd.in/dwH7Vanh   We MUST act now and move toward a clean ocean energy future, reduce our dependence on dirty fossil fuels and protect our ocean and its wildlife and communities from the worst impacts of the climate crisis. It takes less than two minutes to add your name and call for change. ⤵️

All industrial uses of our ocean can impact the environment, marine life and other ocean users. Offshore wind is no exception. This is why we must take all possible steps to avoid, minimize and mitigate impacts as offshore wind is developed and operated. Presently, there are 10 offshore wind projects in development and four under construction in U.S. waters. All of these projects should follow the guiding principles of responsible development, as outlined in our graphics. Below are a few of the specific measures developers, working with nonprofits like Ocean Conservancy and federal agencies like NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, are using to keep marine life safe: ✔ Seasonal Restrictions: Developers are only permitted to conduct construction activities during months when the likelihood of noise-sensitive and highly endangered species, such as the North Atlantic right whale being in the area, is low. Additionally, noisy construction activities can only start during daylight hours when marine mammals can be visually spotted, so activities can be halted if they come near. ✔ Use of Noise Minimization Strategies: Developers are required to employ noise reduction technologies, such as bubble curtains for loud construction activities. These reduce noise impacts from these activities. ✔ Species Monitoring and Immediate Shutdown of Activity: Developers are required to use trained, third-party Protected Species Observers and passive acoustic monitoring technologies to monitor for marine species and immediately shut down activities if a protected species is detected nearby. ✔ Speed Restrictions: Offshore wind vessels are required to reduce speed and turn away from whales, including the North Atlantic right whale, if spotted or detected. Taking steps to reduce impacts helps ensure that offshore wind can responsibly co-exist with our ocean environment. We also believe that the development of offshore wind CAN continue to improve. We can do this through monitoring and investing in research and technology improvements and through policy change, like ensuring that development benefits are directed to coastal communities and conservation. Read more about protecting our ocean and supporting communities through responsibly developed offshore wind: https://lnkd.in/eSksP6qE

So common is batter-fried squid—calamari, as it’s labeled on seafood menus—that it may come as a surprise how unique and important this valuable species is to coastal communities and ecosystems. 🦑 On the West Coast of the United States, the species behind this seafood favorite is market squid (Loligo opalescens), a member of the cephalopods, a class that includes squids and octopuses. Fishers use powerful lights to attract squid to the surface and capture them with encircling nets. Year after year, the market squid fishery is typically the largest of California’s fisheries by volume, value or both. Take a closer look at this important fishery for National Seafood Month: https://lnkd.in/dB7gR27w 📸: Minette Layne-Worthey/flickr . . #NationalSeafoodMonth #Seafood #SeafoodMonth #SustainableSeafood #ClimateReadyFisheries #Squid #Calamari

"Conservation—or caretaking, as I like to call it—was something that I was born into. It's an ancestral imperative that was handed down to me from my ancestors and generations past. For tens of thousands of years, my ancestors have cared for and protected this place that we now call home today ... We have a responsibility to caretake for this place in our current day and age so that our future generations can thrive in these homelands that we have known and loved and cherished for generations." In honor of Indigenous Peoples' Day, watch below to get to know Ocean Conservancy's Vice President for Arctic Conservation ‘Wáahlaal Gidaag Barbara Blake. Learn more about her work strengthening opportunities for Indigenous voices and advocating for Indigenous communities: https://lnkd.in/edr3SMzY

October is National Seafood Month, a time to celebrate the incredible diversity of ocean life and the hardworking communities that rely on the ocean for food, livelihoods, recreation and other benefits. At Ocean Conservancy, we are dedicated to protecting these marine ecosystems and supporting the sustainable fisheries that rely on them. However, this year, we must also recognize the severe challenges facing one of Alaska’s most iconic and most valuable fisheries: Bering Sea snow crab. In 2022, *for the first time in history*, this fishery was closed due to a sudden, dramatic decline in the abundance of adult and juvenile crabs. While it was recently announced that the fishery will be reopened for the upcoming season—a welcome relief for the fishers and communities hit hard by the closures—this remains a climate-vulnerable stock. The reopening brings hope, but the collapse serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing threats climate change poses to marine ecosystems. Read more on the Bering Sea snow crab collapse from our own Daniel Portnof. https://lnkd.in/gfbw8Xsh

"In 2016, I first traveled to the island nation of Vanuatu with a mission: to understand the real-life impacts of ghost gear (abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear) on the local communities ... During my trip, I met with many local fishers to hear from them first-hand about the challenges they face, and in every conversation, one theme was abundantly clear: Ghost gear was threatening their way of life." Read more from our Global Ghost Gear Initiative Director Ingrid Giskes on how small island developing states are disproportionately impacted by the harms of ghost gear. ⤵