Tag Archives: corals
Rose Atoll Abides
A Special Island in A Sea of Change
Ten years ago this month in January 2009, President George W. Bush designated a small island and coral reef system in American Samoa a marine national monument, called Rose Atoll. It is named so after its rosy pink corals. The monument protects 10,000 square miles of ocean from any commercial fishing or other extraction. Since … Continue reading Rose Atoll Abides
Deep But Not Deserted – Exploring Deep-Sea Ecosystems Off the California Coast
Feature Pic: A yellowtail rockfish swims past a pink landscape dominated by strawberry anemones and hydrocorals on Cordell Bank. Photo: MARE and NOAA In July 2018, Marine Conservation Institute staff scientist Samuel Georgian stepped on board the NOAA research vessel Bell M. Shimada, beginning a two-week expedition to explore deep-water coral and sponge habitats off … Continue reading Deep But Not Deserted – Exploring Deep-Sea Ecosystems Off the California Coast
The Summer Ocean Party Makes a Splash
Thank you to everyone that supported our first-ever Summer Ocean Party with Marine Applied Research and Exploration (MARE) and Cordell Marine Sanctuary Foundation, the evening was a great success! The focus of the party was our long-standing work to stop bottom trawling and protect deep-sea corals and sponges. They are some of the oldest living animals … Continue reading The Summer Ocean Party Makes a Splash
President Trump Attacks Two National Monuments in Utah; Protection for Critical Ocean Ecosystems Could Be Next on the Chopping Block
Washington, D.C. — Lance Morgan, President of Marine Conservation Institute, a leader in securing strong protection for the oceans’ most important places, condemns President Trump’s decision to rescind protections for two U.S. national monuments that was announced yesterday in Salt Lake City, Utah. The President reduced the size of Bears Ears National Monument and Grand … Continue reading President Trump Attacks Two National Monuments in Utah; Protection for Critical Ocean Ecosystems Could Be Next on the Chopping Block
The deep sea holds secrets that need our protection
Deep sea environments have always been fascinating and mysterious to me. As a child, I would stay awake at night flipping through pages of Cousteau’s The Ocean World trying to understand how I could possibly experience and understand all that the ocean held. My children now flip through the pages of that same book with … Continue reading The deep sea holds secrets that need our protection
Seamounts ARE Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems
The concept of a vulnerable marine ecosystem, commonly referred to by its acronym VME, in high seas marine conservation management is about a decade old. United Nations General Assembly resolution 61/105 called “upon States to take action immediately, individually and through regional fisheries management organizations and arrangements, and consistent with the precautionary approach and ecosystem … Continue reading Seamounts ARE Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems
Hope Remains for Deep-Sea Ecosystems along the Atlantic Coast Despite Declining Protections
The June proposal by the New England Fisheries Management Council (NEFMC) to re-open areas to destructive fishing practices represents a serious blow to conservation efforts on the US Atlantic coast. However, hope is not lost for Atlantic deep-sea marine life, as the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (MAFMC) has proposed to protect a large area of … Continue reading Hope Remains for Deep-Sea Ecosystems along the Atlantic Coast Despite Declining Protections
The 29th U.S. Coral Reef Task Force
Source: NOAA On Thursday, February 21, 2013 Mike Gravitz, Rachel Keylon, and I attended the 29th U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Meeting at the Department of Interior. This was an opportunity for concerned citizens and conservation groups to offer public comment on the federal government’s efforts to preserve coral reefs and their associated marine … Continue reading The 29th U.S. Coral Reef Task Force
News of Discoveries from the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster
Researchers aboard the NOAA research vessel Nancy Foster, under the direction of Dr. Sandra Brooke, Marine Conservation Institute’s Director of Coral Conservation and Dr. Steve Ross (UNCW), reported today that they have rediscovered a methane seep off America’s East Coast that has not been seen for the last 30 years! Mussels at a methane seep … Continue reading News of Discoveries from the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster
Exploring America’s Unknown Grand Canyons
For most of us, guiding the pilots of submersibles or underwater robots to explore the deep sea is something we only hope to have the chance to experience in our lifetime. For Sandra Brooke, Marine Conservation Institute’s Director of Coral Conservation, it’s a core part of her work. On August 15, Sandra set sail on … Continue reading Exploring America’s Unknown Grand Canyons