Melting Sea Ice and Drooping Corals

This blog was written by Ruth Teichroeb, a former journalist and communications professional at Oceans North and Ocean Conservancy. She is based in Sidney, B.C.

Like the Arctic, the waters surrounding Jeju Island, South Korea, are under tremendous stress from a changing climate. As the ocean warms, soft corals near the subtropical island are melting in an eerie parallel to the vanishing sea ice of the Arctic.

Shared concerns about the impact of a changing climate on marine ecosystems provided plenty of common ground when a group of northerners from Alaska and Nunavut traveled to Jeju Island last month to meet with members of the Paran Institute, a non-governmental organization dedicated to protecting the Jeju Sea.

“Although we’re from such different parts of the world, we saw many parallels,” said Hilu Tagoona, senior Arctic advisor at Oceans North. “That was the most amazing part of this exchange.”

The Jeju visit was jointly sponsored by Oceans North and Ocean Conservancy and included Tagoona, from Baker Lake, Nunavut; Cyrus Harris from Kotzebue, Alaska; and ‘Wáahlaal Gíidaak from Juneau and Prince of Wales Island, Alaska; as well as support staff from the organizations.

During the exchange, Jeju Islanders and northerners shared stories about how the warming ocean is affecting Indigenous communities that rely on the sea. A stark reminder of the impact of climate change came during a visit to nearby Morado Island, where the visitors stayed at the guest house of a haenyo diver—women who for centuries have made their living by free diving in the sea to catch seafood and harvest seaweed.

“The haenyo diver told us about how they noticed weird formations on the seaweed a few years ago, and within five years, all of the seaweed disappeared from their ocean,” said ‘Wáahlaal Gíidaak, Ocean Conservancy’s vice president of Arctic and Northern Waters.

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The loss of seaweed was especially alarming to ‘Wáahlaal Gíidaak, who said black seaweed and kelp are an important part of the traditional diet in southeast Alaska, providing minerals, vitamins and iron. “I can’t imagine our children and grandchildren not being able to harvest seaweed in the future,” she said.

Koreans and Alaskans alike rely on fishing for their livelihoods, and the warming ocean threatens both fishing-related jobs and the source of food they provide, ‘Wáahlaal Gíidaak stated. “It is the same ocean in Korea and Alaska, and we’re seeing many of the same things. The Koreans’ diet and our diet is very similar. As the ocean changes, we are experiencing the same stress levels in many communities.”

When the visitors went snorkeling off Jeju Island, they were able to see changes in the soft corals, which are deteriorating and even melting in some areas because of higher ocean temperatures. Likewise, the islanders were very interested in hearing about how the loss of sea ice in the Arctic is affecting Inuit communities and the animals they depend on.

“The sea ice is no longer reliable so the caribou can’t get to their summer islands and the polar bears can’t get to where they harvest seals,” Tagoona said. “We told them how the loss of ice will open up the Central Arctic Ocean to shipping, deep-sea mining, oil and gas, and tourism.”

Oceans North and Ocean Conservancy are working to protect the 2.8-million-square-kilometer Central Arctic Ocean through an international campaign that aims to culminate in an agreement to pause seabed mining, offshore oil and gas development and transpolar shipping through this region.

“Indigenous people need a seat at the table. Consultations have never been enough,” Tagoona said.

Jeju islanders were also interested in finding out more about a new coalition called the Federation of United Pacific Peoples that will advocate for ocean protection. Take action with Ocean Conservancy now to protect the Central Arctic Ocean. Safeguarding these waters is essential for the well-being of future generations and our planet.

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How Will IMPAA Impact Shipping Trade Routes?

In recent months, U.S. trade has been at the forefront for many of us. But also, for many of us, when our packages show up at our door, we often forget the journey these items take, me included. When I began working on shipping emissions, I was astonished to learn that more than 90% of global trade moves via ocean transport. As you read this, there could be more than 50,000 ships crossing the ocean or loading/unloading at ports around the world. Shipping has a major role in our economy, but it also has an equally large impact on the air we breathe, our climate and the health of our ocean. 

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Ships often run on some of the dirtiest fuels to get them from point A to point B, and they continue burning those fuels when they are docked in our ports. Think of an idling truck waiting in a parking spot—the engine is still running, and the exhaust system is pushing out those dirty black fumes into the air. For the shipping sector, vessels spew an estimated 1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases every year. These dirty fumes have a huge impact on our health, our ocean and our environment. This pollution causes an estimated 250,000 premature deaths and six million childhood asthma cases globally each year—disproportionately impacting portside communities, which are often overburdened economically. According to the EPA, 39 million people in the United States live close to a port. This means more than 39 million people are directly breathing air that leads to these respiratory diseases, cardiovascular issues and other health problems. But there are solutions to these problems, and we all have the power to push them forward. 

One proposed solution is offered by the International Maritime Pollution Accountability Act (IMPAA), which was introduced in Congress by Representatives Doris Matsui (D-CA) and Kevin Mullin (D-CA) in the House and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) in the Senate. This bill empowers the EPA to levy pollution fees on large marine vessels offloading cargo at U.S. ports, including a $150-per-ton maritime carbon fee and fees for emission of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxides and fine particulate matter. In turn, if passed, this solution would raise an estimated $250 billion over 10 years that would provide critical funding—for instance, modernizing the Jones Act fleet, revitalizing U.S. shipbuilding, decarbonizing the maritime economy and addressing pollutants in port communities along our coasts and in the ocean. 

While there have been concerns about fees like this driving ships away from our ports, re-routing to countries like Canada and Mexico, and using trucks or rail to import goods, a new study commissioned by Ocean Conservancy examines this potential for mode shift, and the findings should ease concerns. In fact, findings indicate that in the case of IMPAA fees, the potential for ships to divert from U.S. ports is low for the majority of routes. Actually, most established routes remain economically and environmentally favorable despite these additional pollution fees. This is great news for our ports, our communities and the future of clean shipping in the U.S. With policies that work in tandem to limit emissions from ships (via the Clean Shipping Act) and charge vessels for their pollution, we can push shipping to a zero-emission future and the industry to greener practices.

We look forward to this important piece of legislation being reintroduced in this Congress. In the meantime, check out Ocean Conservancy’s action center and demand climate action that supports a clean-energy transition!

Read more from our new study here!

The post How Will IMPAA Impact Shipping Trade Routes? appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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Addressing the Triple Planetary Crisis at Our Ocean 2025

The Sea and the Butterfly

by Kim Kirim

No one told him about the water’s depth.
The white butterfly did not know how to fear the sea.

Thinking it to be a field of blue radish leaves, he floated down.
Young wings ended up pickled in the waves,
Then he returned, tired like a princess.

No flower blossomed on the sea of March’s moon. The grieving
Butterfly’s waist was cold with the pale crescent.

바다와 나비
아무도 그에게 수심(水深)을 일러 준 일이 없기에
흰 나비는 도모지 바다가 무섭지 않다.

청(靑)무우밭인가 해서 내려갔다가는
어린 날개가 물결에 절어서
공주(公主)처럼 지쳐서 돌아온다.

삼월(三月)달 바다가 꽃이 피지 않아서 서글픈
나비 허리에 새파란 초생달이 시리다

According to scholars, in the poem The Sea and the Butterfly, beloved Korean poet Kim Kirim uses the sea to illustrate the harsh reality of his times and the butterfly to express the fragility of life in the face of adversity.

As we prepare to participate in the 10^th Our Ocean Conference in Busan, Republic of Korea, from April 28-30, I like to think about this beautiful poem in a different way. A more hopeful one. 

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Just like in the poem, the ocean remains largely undiscovered, unknown. However, the science is clear and tells us that we are dealing with a triple planetary crisis. Climate change, biodiversity loss and plastic pollution represent an unprecedented threat to the ocean and life on Earth as we know it.

First, climate change. The ocean absorbs about 90% of the excess heat generated by climate change, leading to rising sea temperatures and, among other things, sea level rise due to the melting of the polar ice caps, including Arctic ice. Warmer ocean waters impact marine ecosystems, including coral reefs and fisheries. The increased CO₂, which creates warmer temperatures in the atmosphere, is absorbed by the ocean. This causes ocean acidification, which harms corals, mollusks and plankton, disrupting marine food webs. Collectively, these impacts result in a climate crisis that threatens the health of our ocean and planet 

Second, biodiversity loss. Marine biodiversity is rapidly declining due to climate change, overfishing, habitat destruction and pollution—including plastics and harmful chemicals. And these impacts extend even to the deepest parts of the ocean. The degradation of ocean ecosystems, including the mesopelagic zone or “twilight zone”—the magical middle of our ocean that is critical for carbon sequestration—impacts marine biodiversity, and has the potential of disrupting carbon capture while also threatening our global food security.

Finally, plastic pollution. Eleven million metric tons of plastic pollution enter our ocean annually, more than a garbage truck’s worth every minute. These plastics—both big and small—have now made their way to every corner of the ocean, from the surface to deepest trenches, from the Arctic to Antarctic and into the smallest to largest species of marine wildlife. These plastics are contaminating the ocean food web that produces protein for nearly 3 billion people around the globe. Further, the accumulation of lost and abandoned fishing gear or ghost gear, the deadliest form of plastics, threatens ocean health and biodiversity by entangling marine species from seabirds and sea turtles to the largest of whales.

Quite simply, we are putting too much into the ocean and taking too much out. The cumulative and intricately interlinked impacts of these triple crises we’ve created requires a global, coordinated effort if we are to safeguard our own existence. 

And then, I like to think that we can all be like the butterfly. Fearless.

We must continue working relentlessly and with a deep conviction if we are going to reverse course to avoid the worst effects of these crises and transition to a healthy future. These global issues require international cooperation, coordination and most importantly, action. Governments, civil society, private sector, general public, all must come together to address the drivers of these problems, restore what we can and assist communities in transitioning to a better future.

And we must act quickly to maximize our impact. Tackling the plastics pollution crisis is a perfect example. Plastics produce a major climate problem, and we can do something about that today. Currently, plastics drive at least 3-4% of global greenhouse gas emissions and are the fastest-growing demand for fossil fuels.  It is estimated that if plastic use keeps growing at the current rate, then by 2050, plastics will drive 20% of global oil demand—more per person than used to fuel our cars. 

Not only does plastic production drive oil and gas demand, but several studies have shown that microplastics may also be directly altering the climate by impacting cloud and sea ice formation. That’s why, when we decrease our reliance on plastics, we’re not only cleaning up our beaches, our ocean, and our air—we are also delivering meaningful and necessary impact to mitigate climate change and protect biodiversity loss.

Actions that address the plastic-pollution crisis can also protect the ecosystem services of the mesopelagic zone. A recent study showed that microplastics are present in species from the mesopelagic zone. This critical area of the ocean between 200-1000 meters under the ocean surface is critical for carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, marine biodiversity and as prey for species of commercial importance. 

This is why we at Ocean Conservancy, working with partners around the globe, are advocating for the protection of the mesopelagic zone, and the ecosystem services it provides. This includes a proposed IUCN resolution that calls for protecting this important area of the ocean.

But this is not the only topic Ocean Conservancy will be championing in Busan. Our delegation will be advancing efforts on the protection of the Central Arctic Ocean, championing the deployment of offshore wind renewable energy, sharing our expertise on actions that help stem ghost gear in the ocean, and advocating for an ambitious and comprehensive Global Plastics Treaty. 

Today, we invite you to work with us and our partners and to continue championing actions that help address the main threats facing the ocean. Let’s all be more like the butterfly in the protection of the ocean. Let’s be fearless in the face of adversity!

The post Addressing the Triple Planetary Crisis at Our Ocean 2025 appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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The Latest Offshore Oil and Gas Policies that Threaten Our Ocean

Offshore oil drilling is a dirty, risky endeavor. 

The Deepwater Horizon disaster is perhaps the most dramatic example of how offshore drilling can go wrong. Fifteen years ago this month, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded approximately 40 miles off the coast of Louisiana, taking the lives of 11 oil workers and causing the release of an estimated 210 million gallons of oil into the ocean. 

Even when offshore oil operations go as planned, they harm our ocean by causing chronic water and air pollution, littering the seafloor with disused pipelines, and contributing to harmful emissions that worsen the impacts of climate change. 

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Despite these well-known risks and dangers, the administration and pro-oil members of Congress are moving swiftly to open more areas of our ocean to offshore drilling and remove regulations and policies that protect marine life, promote safety and discourage harmful greenhouse gas emissions. 

Between the speed and and volume of actions the administration has taken, it can be easy to miss the threats on offshore oil and gas drilling specifically. Let’s break it down:

On day one of his second term, President Trump moved to open vast areas of our ocean to offshore oil and gas leasing and drilling. President Trump signed two executive orders that purported to open huge swaths of our ocean to offshore oil and gas leasing, including waters off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, in the Northern Bering Sea, and in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas of the Arctic Ocean. Previous presidents had placed these areas off-limits to oil and gas leasing, and it is not clear whether the administration has the legal authority to rescind those protections.  

Following this executive action, the new Secretary of the Interior issued orders that set the stage for a series of pro-oil policy and regulatory changes. Shortly after assuming office, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum issued a Secretarial Order requiring agencies under his authority to develop plans to “suspend, revise, or rescind” key programs, regulations and policies. The Secretarial Order puts in jeopardy policies designed to reduce risk to marine life, decrease the government’s exposure to financial risk and increase the safety of offshore operations, including: 

• Permits that require mitigation measures designed to protect threatened and endangered species in waters where most offshore oil and gas activity takes place.
• Regulations that help ensure the owners of offshore oil and gas leases have the financial resources necessary to clean up their equipment after they finish their oil and gas operations.
• Safety regulations designed to minimize the risk of dangerous blowouts and other “loss of well control” incidents.
• The current nationwide five-year offshore leasing program that limits potential new offshore oil and gas leasing to just three lease sales between 2024 and 2029—a record low number.

Pro-oil members of Congress are also taking or considering steps to encourage and expedite offshore drilling. Because of the filibuster, a 60-vote supermajority is required to pass most legislation in the U.S. Senate. However, certain types of legislation—including the budget reconciliation process and legislation passed under the Congressional Review Act—require only a bare majority for passage. Pro-oil members of Congress are taking advantage of these special legislative processes to attempt to push through legislation that favors offshore drilling.

• Members of Congress have discussed using the budget reconciliation process to pass legislation that would require the government to hold new offshore oil and gas lease sales in specific areas of the ocean. If existing executive-branch safeguards conflict with future legislatively mandated offshore oil and gas lease sales, the legislatively mandated lease sales would likely prevail. 
• Under the Congressional Review Act, the House and Senate  passed legislation to undo a regulation that imposed a fee on emission of methane—a powerful greenhouse gas—from oil and gas production facilities, including some offshore facilities. They also passed legislation to repeal Department of the Interior regulations designed to better protect archaeological resources from impacts caused by offshore oil and gas drilling. President Trump signed both bills into law in mid-March.

These actions represent real threats to our ocean, the people and marine life that depend on it and on our global climate. 

At Ocean Conservancy, we actively oppose these short-sighted and dangerous attempts to expand offshore oil drilling, remove environmental protections and reduce safety standards. The United States and the world must move away from risky and dangerous offshore drilling and toward 100% clean-ocean energy. We will continue to work with our partners, members and supporters to accelerate the phase-out of offshore oil and gas, advance responsible offshore wind and other marine renewable energy, address the root causes of climate change, and protect our ocean and the people and marine life that depend on it. Take action with Ocean Conservancy and join the movement to protect our ocean, forever and for everyone.

The post The Latest Offshore Oil and Gas Policies that Threaten Our Ocean appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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Meet the Weird and Wonderful Wobbegong

The Indo-Pacific region has long been renowned for its abundant and biodiverse ecosystems. The waters of this part of the world provide a particularly ideal environment for many sharks, with more than 200 of an estimated 500 known species documented as being identified in these tropical waters. There is one shark species, however, that proves to be both peculiar and phenomenally fascinating at the same time. Ocean lovers, meet the tasseled wobbegong, whose trademark look may surprise you: This shark has a beard! 

Before we dive into this species’ quirky beard-like appearance, you’re probably wondering … “What on earth is a wobbegong?” The short answer is that (surprise!) this is a type of small shark, a “carpet shark” to be exact. The word “wobbegong” has its roots in Australian aboriginal language, and though there’s no exact translation into the English language, many speculate the term to mean “living rock.”

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These carpet- and rock-like references really make sense for the species. As bottom-dwellers thriving at depths of up to 131 feet that are most active at night, they have flat bodies with blotchy, dark, muted coloring. This appearance allows them to blend in seamlessly with the sandy, rocky seafloor below. But this is only where their status as camouflage experts begins! The tasseled wobbegongs are decorated with a whisker-like appendage known as barbels, giving them a shaggy, bearded appearance. These barbels serve as sensory organs that help wobbegongs detect movement and target prey nearby. 

Once a potential target has been identified, a wobbegong—carefully lying still and flat as a carpet against the seafloor—waves its tail to imitate the movement of smaller fish that their prey might be hunting. Once the prey is close enough, the camouflaged shark will suddenly lunge forward, suctioning their victim into their powerful jaws and clamping down with needle-sharp teeth (they may even consume them in one big gulp). While a typical meal for these sharks includes species like crustaceans, small octopuses and even smaller sharks, wobbegongs are known to be truly audacious predators. Some have even been seen dislocating their jaws to consume prey most would deem far too large for them; there’s even documentation of a wobbegong attempting to consume a shark that was about 80% of its own size! While it was able only to consume the prey up to its head, the instance demonstrates just how motivated wobbegongs are when it comes to food.

It would be absolutely appropriate to describe wobbegongs as some of the ocean’s greatest masters of disguise. However, even species most equipped with camouflage are unable to hide from our ocean’s greatest threats such as plastic pollution. 

At Ocean Conservancy, we’re working to ensure our ocean is biodiverse, healthy and able to thrive for years to come. Visit our Action Center today to learn all the latest ways you can join us in advocating for a healthy ocean, forever and for everyone—including the wild and wonderful wobbegong.

The post Meet the Weird and Wonderful Wobbegong appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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Master of Disguise: The Decorator Crab

Imagine yourself snorkeling through a lush kelp forest off the coast of Southern California. Sunlight filters through the dense canopy of the forest, casting shimmering patterns on the rocky seafloor below. The underwater world appears peaceful and still—until your gaze falls on what seems to be an ordinary-looking rock. 

Then… the rock moves.

At first, you assume it’s just the ocean’s current shifting the rock. But as you take a closer look, you realize it’s not a rock at all. It seems to be a crab, expertly hidden with bits of algae from its surroundings. Meet the decorator crab: a master of disguise and possibly the most stylish and secretive crab in our ocean.

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What are decorator crabs?

Decorator crabs constitute several species of crabs that belong to the superfamily Majoidea, a group of crustaceans with a remarkable talent for camouflage. They use tiny, hook-like structures on their shells to attach pieces of algae, seaweed and other marine debris onto their bodies. But this isn’t just a quirky fashion statement—these natural accessories help decorator crabs avoid predators, like pacific halibut, octopuses and sea otters, by blending in with their surrounds. 

If they move to a new environment, decorator crabs will adapt their wardrobe to match. Some take their disguises a step further, attaching living organisms like sponges and venomous anemones to their carapaces—the hard upper shell that protects the crab’s vital organs. This not only helps the crabs blend in but also offers an extra layer of defense. Even when they shed their exoskeleton in a process called molting, some crabs will carefully transfer their decorations to their fresh shell.

You can also identify decorator crabs because they are decapods, meaning they have ten legs—two pinchers for feeding and four additional pairs of legs for walking. Decorator crabs are primarily omnivores and use their pinchers to pluck small algae out of crevices and off the sea floor. 

Decorator crabs are solitary animals for most of the year outside of mating season from May to September. You’ll find decorator crabs in shallow coastal waters around the world, from coral reefs and rocky shorelines to kelp forests, seagrass beds and tidal pools. You may have to keep a close eye out for decorator crabs, though, as their average size is only three to five inches across their leg span. 

How can you help decorator crabs?

While decorator crabs aren’t currently endangered, they depend on a thriving ocean to survive. Like all marine life, they face threats from pollution, habitat destruction and climate change. Protecting our ocean means protecting creatures like them.

Ocean Conservancy is dedicated to safeguarding our ocean from today’s greatest challenges, from plastic pollution to climate change. But we can’t do it alone. Visit the Ocean Conservancy Action Center to learn how you can help defend our ocean, its wildlife and the communities that depend on it.

The post Master of Disguise: The Decorator Crab appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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Indigenous Cultures and Environmental Management

Barbara ‘Wáahlaal Gidaak Blake is the Vice President for Ocean Conservancy, leading the Arctic & Northern Waters Program. A dedicated advocate for Indigenous rights and environmental stewardship, she has an extensive background in Alaska Native policy and governance, having served in key leadership roles at the state and tribal levels. With deep roots in Haida, Tlingit, and Ahtna Athabascan heritage, she is a passionate cultural practitioner and a committed leader. 

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Our food is so much more than calories and nutrients. Our favorite dishes connect us to people, places and times that matter in our lives. For Alaska Native Peoples, our traditional foods do all this and more. For us, food is not just a matter of what we eat, but also the ways we gather that food, the ways we store and prepare it, and the milestones in our lives that center around food. It connects us to our ancestors, demonstrates a balance of care for our non-human beings (our kin in the natural world) and is our connection to our spirituality in maintaining that balance. 

Image Descriptions

Image 1: K’alaagáa Íihlangaa (Nathaniel) Blake harvesting salmon along a river in Dzantik’i Héeni (Juneau), Alaska.

Image 2: K’alaagáa Íihlangaa (Nathaniel) Blake receiving a Halibut Hook and listening to Tlingit teachings from his uncle Xeetli.éesh (Lyle) James. Xeetli.éesh was one of many leaders who stood to acknowledge this moment and gift knowledge and tools to aid K’alaagáa Íihlangaa as he grows in the responsibility to care and provide for his community.

Image 3: K’alaagáa Íihlangaa (Nathaniel) Blake, learning from his great great uncle, Dennis Demmert, how to clean, filet, and prepare a salmon.

Our ability to carry on our ways, to sustain the cultures and knowledge that have existed for countless generations, is too often minimized if not directly threatened by today’s systems of managing lands, waters, hunting, fishing and gathering. Understandably, caring for and stewarding our lands, waters and non-human relatives requires a holistic approach that honors the interconnectedness of the natural web of life. Keeping plant and animal populations healthy is an essential foundation for human life. Economics also factors in: What value do we gain from a healthy environment and what is the cost of keeping it that way? Culture, however, is all too often ignored.

In a recently published essay, Ocean Conservancy staff joined several Alaska Native authors and researchers who have long worked with Alaska Native communities, to explore what it would mean to place Indigenous cultures at the heart of wildlife and fisheries management. This is not to ignore ecology and economics, but simply to recognize that among many possible decisions, only some have the effect of supporting Indigenous cultural vitality and continuity. In other words, we have choices about who can harvest fish and animals, who can access lands and waters. Those choices matter. It is also a reminder that as we center the continuity of cultural relationships with the natural world, we are protecting the entire web for all who depend on continued harvesting for their ways of life. 

K’alaagáa Íihlangaa (Nathaniel) Blake harvesting Gagán xil (Labrador tea) with his mother, grandmother, and little sister.

Long-term solutions require lasting, respectful relationships with our surroundings and all those with whom we share our planet. Indigenous Peoples have demonstrated what it takes to create and sustain those relationships for centuries and millennia. Today, more than ever, we need to pay close attention to those hard-won lessons. Making choices that celebrate and uplift cultural practices of Indigenous peoples is the best place to start. This approach is central to Ocean Conservancy’s Arctic and Northern Waters conservation work. Please join us in sharing these ideas with all who care about the future of our ocean.

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