The captain of the R/V Shearwater and his crew ran the research vessel all night – 130 miles – back north to Anacapa Island. By 9:00 am we had the ROV back in the water. A blue whale, the largest animal to have ever lived on Earth, greeted us as we surveyed Anacapa Ridge with … Read more
Last night we transited slowly through the night from Osborne Bank off Santa Barbara Island to a place named Butterfly Bank. The area is actually a series of deep offshore rises, or seamounts, that together form the shape of a butterfly when viewed on a map from above. These seamounts are located 70 miles west … Read more
Our second day at sea off Santa Barbara Island was quite exciting! From the moment we woke up, we kept seeing dolphins in the distance, traveling in groups by the tens and sometimes hundreds. Most of the time, they were several hundred feet away from the boat, but magically, the ocean became glassy calm in … Read more
Yesterday, a team of Oceana scientists and global ocean explorer Alexandra Cousteau set off on an at-sea expedition just as the sun was rising over the Southern California coastline. Their mission: to document and better understand the ecologically important habitats that stretch across the expansive Southern California seafloor, up to 100 miles off the coast. … Read more
After topping off the Research Vessel (R/V) Shearwater with ample fuel for a multi-day journey, we motored out of Santa Barbara Harbor for our five day expedition to Southern California’s Channel Islands and beyond. There are ten of us on board including the able crew of the R/V Shearwater, the dive team with Marine Applied … Read more
There is much about the deep ocean that still remains a mystery. Imagining life on the deep, dark ocean floor evokes a world of intrigue and possibility, a land on planet Earth that has yet to be fully explored. Sadly, this mysterious place could be under threat before mankind even has time to discover what … Read more
The global problem of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing negatively impacts ocean health, fish populations, honest fishermen, and seafood businesses alike. Recent estimates suggest that IUU fishing contributes to between $10 and $23 billion in economic losses annually and makes up about 20 to 32 percent of the global catch. It also threatens about … Read more
This past May, thousands of people joined hands at beaches all over the world, many on the U.S. East Coast sporting Oceana blue t-shirts and holding miniature wind turbines and signs that read “Protect Our Coasts,” “Stop the Drill,” Oil Free Seas,” Clean Energy for All,” and “Think Outside the Barrel.” For the past six … Read more
Seafloor habitats in the deep ocean can be incredibly diverse environments covered with living architecture including corals and sponges. Like other three-dimensional structures, corals and sponges are essential for protecting marine species from predators and rough currents, as well as providing safe areas for breeding, nursing, spawning, feeding, and resting. These beautiful, … Read more
Sharks are in big trouble. Between 63 and 273 million sharks are killed every year due to human activities like overfishing and bycatch. As predators, sharks have played a vital role in maintaining healthy oceans for hundreds of millions of years, and any decline in populations can create a domino effect of unintended consequences. According … Read more
We have already protected nearly 4 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea life - but there is still more to be done.
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