Out of the nearly 300 million tons of plastic created in 2012, nearly 10 percent of it ended up in oceans, according to Phys.org. That trash has to go somewhere — washing onto coastlines and estuaries, or floating in the vast ocean. You may have heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an area within … Read more

Today, just over four years since the BP oil spill, Oceana is releasing a short documentary titled “Drill, Spill, Repeat?” that uncovers the dark history of oil drilling and highlights how Gulf of Mexico communities and ecosystems are still recovering. Take a look below to learn more and to watch this short clip.   Just … Read more

Responsible fisheries management took a hit today as the House Committee on Natural Resources passed a bill that threatens to undo the significant progress the United States has made in reversing the effects of decades of overfishing and making the U.S. a world leader in fisheries management. H.R. 4742, sponsored by committee chairman Doc Hastings … Read more

Actor and ocean activist Reid Scott is joining Oceana in the fight against seismic airgun use off the Atlantic Coast. Scott, who is currently appearing in season three of HBO’s Emmy-winning comedy series “VEEP,” will be in Washington D.C. on May 29 to join a panel of experts urging Congress and the Obama administration to … Read more

The giant foraminifer (Spiculosiphon oceana), a single-celled organism discovered by Oceana, has been named one of Top 10 New Species for 2014 by the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s International Institute for Species Exploration (SUNY-ESF IISE). Spiculosiphon oceana was found during a 2012 voyage to the Seco de Palos … Read more

Over the past few years, jellyfish sunk a Japanese fishing vessel, forced a nuclear power plant to shut down in Sweden, and caused several other nuisances around the planet. You’ve probably heard by now that ‘jellyfish are taking over’ and that a ‘jellyfish apocalypse’ looms, but many scientists are saying there’s not enough evidence to … Read more

Sharks are often portrayed as the monsters of the deep or the villains in horror movies, famous for their menacing teeth and killer attack instincts. In real life, however, sharks have recently inspired scientists to make strides toward improving treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis. Custom-made antibodies are considered ultimate weapons to cure serious … Read more

Sea turtles are some of the oceans’ most charismatic species, but there’s still much to be learned about them. Since May 23 is World Turtle Day, we’re spotlighting two recent studies on sea turtles. Read more below to find out more about their migration patterns and how climate change will affect future populations. Where do … Read more

In honor of the fourteenth World Turtle Day, created by the American Tortoise Rescue to celebrate and protect turtles and tortoises around the world, we’re taking a close look at one of the biggest threats facing sea turtles today. Sea turtles have survived for more than 100 million years, outliving dinosaur extinctions and dramatic climate … Read more

Earlier this week, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) reinstated emergency protections for sperm whales from California’s swordfish and thresher shark fishery, which protects these magnificent whales from accidentally being caught in drift gillnet gear. The agency will now require independent observers on all vessels in deep offshore waters where sperm whales are frequently observed, … Read more