Fire Island Pines and Cherry Grove: A Safe Harbor

Growing up on Long Island, I was lucky to live only 20 minutes from many beaches, including Long Beach, Jones Beach and Point Lookout. My entire childhood was spent with close proximity to the water and greatly inspired my love for our ocean and desire to begin working at an organization focused on protecting it.

Here at Ocean Conservancy, we have been celebrating Pride all month long. We’ve also been looking at the history of discrimination and racism at beaches and coasts. Reading our CEO’s words on World Ocean Day had me thinking about my own experiences associated with special ocean places around the country. As a member of the LGBT community, where have I felt most welcome? What is the history behind these beaches? How can we learn from the history and apply it to our present-day challenges?

As I grew into an adult, I discovered another set of beaches on Long Island: the shores of Fire Island. It’s one of New York state’s most popular summer getaways, a thin barrier island on the Atlantic Ocean. This seaside village is linked by boardwalks, sandy beaches, natural dunes, water taxis and (mostly) no automobiles.

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As Pride month concludes, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the rich history of two Fire Island beaches as a sanctuary and safe space for members of the LGBT community: Pines and Cherry Grove.

The incredible story of these two beaches dates to the 1600s, but it wasn’t until the 1938 New England Hurricane destroyed much of Cherry Grove and the Pines that it was reborn as a gay destination. The hurricane discouraged main landers from coming to visit, and a new generation started coming from New York City that landlords couldn’t afford to discriminate against—a growing gay population.

From the 1940s forward (more than 25 years before The Stonewall Riot, which is considered the commencement of the gay rights movement) the Pines and Cherry Grove became a safe retreat. These idyllic spaces helped LGBT individuals find each other and create a real community, with many experiencing acceptance and freedom for the first time in their lives. Its unique geography and isolation from the main land fostered a safe harbor in a time when dignity and respect were hard to find.

© Billy Unotti

These beaches have touched many parts of the LGBT experience. Not only is it considered one of the very first spaces to welcome a majority population of gay men and lesbians, performances here paved the way for the modern drag scene. It’s also known for its annual July 4 “Invasion.” During the summer of 1976, a restaurant in the Pines denied entry to a visitor in drag. When their friends heard about it, they too, dressed in drag, hopped on a ferry, and stormed the island, to a buoyant welcome. It is now one of Fire Island’s most beloved traditions.

No place is a utopia, and while the Pines and Cherry Grove come close, there is still room for improvement—not only for trans and queer individuals across all spectrums, but also in accessibility and diversity. A stay on the island can quickly become expensive and property ownership is overwhelmingly white. And while there are options and help available, the realities of navigating the boardwalks if you are a person with disabilities is challenging. But, if there is one place in the world where inequality will be acknowledged and addressed, it is here.

Personally, I have visited the Pines and Cherry Grove every summer since 2016, and although I have had the privilege of growing up in a time when living authentically as a gay person is much easier, there is no substitute for that magical feeling of belonging that one experiences when the ferry pulls up.

The island has other unique characteristics—it’s also home to New York states only federally-managed stretch of wilderness, which includes protected beaches, dunes, and maritime forests—but its ability to bring together and cultivate community for LGBT individuals is truly what makes Fire Island so special. I have only scraped the surface of the positive impact it has made, and continues to make, on so many lives.

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Announcing the 2021 Photo Contest Winners

Thank you for taking the time to enter your photographs and vote for your favorites during our 2021 Photo Contest this summer. I am blown away by the entries and I hope you enjoyed seeing all the incredible submissions we received from around the world.

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You showed us colorful sunsets, massive whales and teeny tiny nudibranchs. You captured both the ocean’s beauty and the many threats that it’s facing. Thank you for sharing your images with us—we are so grateful.

Of all the fin-tastic submissions, there were some that stood out. Our Judge’s Choice winner was selected by our esteemed panel of judges and our category winners were selected by YOU, our voters.

Without further delay, here are our 2021 Photo Contest winners.

Judge’s Choice Winner: “Bubble Lion” by Matthew Bagley

© Matt Bagley

Photographer Note: “Photography has the ability to affect change by bringing awareness to the beauty that lies beneath. I want everyone to have the chance now and in the future to experience these feelings; the beautiful connections with the natural underwater world.” Port Lincoln, South Australia, Australia

Up Close & Personal Winner: “Balloonfish” by Daryl Duda

The 2021 Photo Contest Up Close & Personal Winner, "Balloonfish" © Daryl Duda

Photographer Note: “The oceans comprise 70% of the Earth and provide food and oxygen to its inhabitants. If we don’t keep our oceans healthy, we cut off our lifeblood.” Key Largo, Florida, United States

Coastlines & Seascape Winner: “Celestial Penguin” by Kimball Chen

The 2021 Photo Contest Coastlines & Seascape Winner, "Celestial Penguin" © Kimball Chen

Photographer Note: “It is exciting that wildlife photography has been an ever-increasing tool to connect with other humans about both images and stories that fuel important conversations and awareness of our one ocean.  I am passionate about finding ways that humans can forge a new and healthier relationship with our ocean and its creatures.” Curio Bay, South Island, New Zealand

Marine Wildlife Winner: “Baby Seahorse” by Ängela Leonor

The 2021 Photo Contest Marine Wildlife Winner, "Baby Seahorse" © Ängela Leonor

Photographer Note: “I like the sea because it teaches you amazing things. My grandpa passed away and he always worked sailing on ships and cruises, so every time I look to the horizon‚ it’s like he is never gone.” Valencia, Spain

Human Impact Winner: “Recreational Bycatch” by Nicholas DeNezzo

The 2021 Photo Contest Human Impact Winner, "Recreational Bycatch" © Nicholas Denuzzo

Photographer Note: “I’ve always been fascinated with the diversity and abundance of life in the ocean, and have worked toward protecting this valuable resource. As a wildlife rehabilitation specialist, I work every day to help protect the animals that are impacted by human influence, like this entangled sea lion.” San Diego, California, United States

Thank you to everyone who submitted photos and voted—you helped make this photo contest a success. And a mighty thanks to our expert judges: Benny Blanco, Lewis Burnett, Jasmin Graham, Acacia Johnson and Andrew Wu. Enjoy the contest’s honorable mentions below and we’ll sea you next year!

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Put an End to Fossil Fuel Subsidies

You probably know that climate change and plastic pollution are two of the biggest threats facing our ocean. But did you know that they share a common cause? Fossil fuels. Burning oil, coal and natural gas is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions globally, responsible for 75% of global emissions. Plastics are also made from fossil fuels, which means that more fossil fuel extraction leads to more plastics that can pollute our ocean. When you see a plastic bag on the beach, you are also seeing oil and all of the pollution impacts associated with its extraction.

We have the opportunity this summer to reverse some of the outdated policies that helped create this dual crisis for our ocean. We can help reduce incentives to produce plastics that end up in the ocean by putting an end to fossil fuel subsidies. There’s a lot of momentum from the Biden-Harris administration and in Congress to do just that. The President’s American Jobs Plan also reflects campaign promises to end these giveaways for the fossil fuel industry. This proposal would go a long way towards protecting our ocean, but it is up to Congress to make this a reality.

A subsidy occurs when the government assumes some of the cost for an industry. For fossil fuels, these subsidies allow companies to pay less than their fair share in taxes or other fees and create special rules that reduce the true cost of oil and gas development and energy production. These subsidies are substantial. In 2020, fossil fuel companies claimed $8.2 billion from changes in tax laws that were part of the CARES Act pandemic relief bill. Additionally, experts estimate that the federal government provides around $15 billion every year in direct funding to the fossil fuel industry.

Fossil fuel subsidies are harming the ocean and creating disproportionate impacts on disadvantaged communities. A recent study shows that tax subsidies fueled the United States shale oil and gas boom, which not only drove huge growth in emissions of the super-potent greenhouse gas, methane, as well as health impacts in local communities. This also caused major growth in the production of plastics: access to inexpensive fossil fuels creates incentives to produce plastics that eventually find their way to our beaches and ocean.

President Biden’s budget proposal includes the elimination of some of the biggest tax breaks to the oil and gas industry. It would save American taxpayers up to $121 billion over ten years. It also saves our environment and ocean from further carbon and plastic pollution. The budget proposal targets more than a dozen giveaways to the oil industry. Among the biggest giveaways are the Foreign Oil and Gas Income Exemption, which allows oil companies to avoid income taxes generated from refining, transportation and distribution of fossil fuels generated overseas and which would cost taxpayers $85 billion. Others, including the intangible drilling costs, percentage depletion and enhanced oil recovery credit, affect how oil companies count income and the value of assets; in total, they would cost taxpayers more than $25 billion.

Eliminating these and other subsidies will help ensure that oil and gas companies pay their fair shares. Doing that will make it more difficult to extract oil and gas, which will help solve the climate crisis and make it more expensive to produce new plastic. The world is moving beyond fossil fuels, and America needs to lead the way by investing our taxpayer dollars in clean energy infrastructure instead of outdated, polluting industrie

You can use your voice to protect the ocean and support climate solutions. Tell Congress to support the fossil fuel subsidy repeal provisions in the American Jobs Plan, and support other legislation that aims to eliminate these wasteful tax giveaways. It’s time to tip the scales in favor of our ocean.

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A Proactive Approach to Preventing Ghost Gear

Abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear—also known as ghost gear—is one of the most visually arresting forms of ocean plastic pollution. From images of marine life being rescued from ghost nets to gear balls the size of a whale being pulled out of the water, the removal of gear tells a compelling story. But to stop ghost gear for good, preventing it from happening in the first place is the most important thing we can do.

That’s why the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI) first released the Best Practice Framework for the Management of Fishing Gear (BPF) for Capture Fisheries, or C-BPF, in 2017. The GGGI is the world’s largest cross-sectoral alliance dedicated to solving the problem of lost and abandoned fishing gear; and the C-BPF is the world’s leading guidance document focused on preventing, mitigating and remediating the loss of fishing gear. The C-BPF provides critical guidance to all actors in the seafood supply chain, from individual harvesters and fishing companies up to certification bodies and government regulators and everyone in between.

For four years, the C-BPF has served as an important tool to governments, seafood producers and everyone along the seafood supply chain working to tackle ghost gear; and since the GGGI’s launch in 2015, we’ve seen tremendous growth in awareness of this issue. As the body of relevant science, data and technology grew, we knew we needed to keep the C-BPF up to date to ensure its effectiveness.

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Working with experts from the GGGI’s membership and Tim Huntington of Poseidon Aquatic Resource Management, we gave the C-BPF a thorough update. The 2021 C-BPF can be found on the GGGI’s website here.

The new C-BPF incorporates research, technology and data produced since its initial release.

• We reworked the gear type risk assessment based on feedback from the industry and the latest research.
• We added guidance for two new stakeholder groups: International Development and Funding Agencies, and Municipality Councils and Authorities.
• We improved our gear categorization in the C-BPF risk assessment, making a clear distinction between long lines and other forms of fishing that use lines, such as hand lines, pole and line, and troll lines.

Working with our 120+ members across sectors, we put out a call for new case studies of the C-BPF in action. We updated existing case studies where relevant and added new ones, including a look at the government of Taiwan’s implementation of gear marking requirements for gillnets, and British Columbia’s annual fisher-driven pot removals in the Area A crab fishery.

Though still a technical document at heart, the 2021 C-BPF was redesigned for ease of use. By combining several documents into one, re-organizing the structure and including color coding for each stakeholder group, we aimed to make this a more accessible training and educational tool.

The C-BPF remains the gold standard for guidance documents focused on preventing ghost gear, and it has been referenced widely from research papers and United Nations workshops to OECD andG7 reports, to seafood certification bodies, including the Responsible Fishing Vessel Standard, Friend of the Sea and soon in the Marine Stewardship Council. Looking forward, we plan to release a companion document that provides the same critical guidance to those engaged in aquaculture.

We’re extremely excited to release the revised C-BPF and look forward to seeing its implementation and adoption by more seafood companies, governments and certification bodies.

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5 Things to Celebrate in New Central Arctic Ocean Fisheries Agreement

Today, the Agreement to Prevent Unregulated High Seas Fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean goes into effect. Signed two years ago, the legally binding agreement has now been ratified by the United States, Russia, Norway, Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark (in respect to Greenland), Iceland, China, South Korea, Japan and the European Union.

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Join us in celebrating five fantastic things about this international agreement for the Arctic:

1. No commercial fishing in 1.1 million square miles—The vast Central Arctic Ocean surrounding the North Pole includes a large area beyond national jurisdiction. Covered in thick sea ice for all of human history until recent decades, satellite measurement showed in summer 2007 that 40% of the high seas area was open water. Scientists, Arctic Indigenous people, NGOs and industry began calling for precautionary action, eventually leading to negotiations by 10 countries to agree not to allow commercial fishing to begin for at least 16 years and to conduct research in this hard-to-reach sea to learn about its ecosystem values and how it responds to the climate emergency.
   

   © Ocean Conservancy

2. Gather knowledge before fishing—Never before has the international community agreed to conduct research before starting to fish a high-seas area. In the past, we’ve allowed fishing boats to exploit unfished fish stocks and then later asked scientists to tell us how those fish relate to the ecosystem and what levels of fishing are acceptable, often after a problem has emerged. The results in many areas have been dismal. Arctic residents and experts pushed for a different approach here that puts science, including Indigenous knowledge first, reflecting a better way of doing things.
3. Indigenous knowledge and participation—The Arctic has been home to Indigenous people who have stewarded Arctic lands and water for millennia. Yet Indigenous people and Traditional and Indigenous knowledge are often left out of management decisions and science. This agreement reflects a different vision that prioritizes co-production of knowledge and includes both western science and Traditional and Indigenous knowledge. Throughout development of the agreement, Arctic Indigenous people were part of negotiating delegations from the United States, Canada and Denmark/Greenland. At this milestone moment, we recognize our visionary colleague, Alfred Jakobsen, from Greenland who promoted this agreement tirelessly but died before it came into force.
   

   Nuuk, Greenland © The Pew Charitable Trusts

4. Cooperation between Arctic and non-Arctic countries—At a time when headlines proclaim the Arctic is a place for international conflict, this agreement shows that the Arctic remains a place for cooperation, even amongst countries like Russia and the United States. It also shows that non-Arctic nations like China, Korea, Japan and the European Union can recognize the special qualities of the Arctic and agree to precautionary policies designed to conserve the Arctic for its people and for the globe.
5. Role of Ocean Conservancy and colleagues around the world—Our celebration is also personal. Our experts served on the U.S. delegation at all negotiations, held workshops and conversations in countries across the world, supported the views of Inuit experts and allies, and published maps and analysis to illustrate the need for international action. A special shout out to colleagues at the Inuit Circumpolar Council and the Pew Charitable Trusts for also walking the path to this agreement.

After this celebration, we will be getting right back to work.  There’s more to be done to implement the agreement to ensure its promise of precaution and inclusion are met. And the agreement provides a model for other ocean areas—like the high-seas region of the Central Bering Sea—that need precautionary protection.

But, first, let’s acknowledge this day when the Arctic provides the world this bright moment.

The post 5 Things to Celebrate in New Central Arctic Ocean Fisheries Agreement appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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Keeping Trash Out of the Magic City

Haz clic aquí para español.

Miami is the Magic City. There is so much that makes it magical, especially the wild ocean and water that is the city’s backyard. The town abuts Biscayne Bay, a natural wonder of marine life—and is split down the middle by the Miami River that historically flows all the way from the Everglades to the bay’s sandy shores.

That’s why as a part of our flagship Shores Forward partnership with the City of Miami, Ocean Conservancy has collaborated with the Jambeck Research Lab to conduct the first-ever comprehensive plastics assessment conducted in a major American city. This Circularity Assessment Protocol (CAP) is a powerful tool that can give us a clear picture of the lifecycle of plastics and debris in the City of Miami. With it, we can work with champions on the City Commission to develop landmark regulations that will keep that debris out of the Magic City’s water.

As important as water is to us Floridians, we have not always been careful stewards. Go down to Biscayne Bay and it won’t take long to find an abundance of trash ranging from plastic bags, straws, food containers and more. If it ends up on Miami’s streets, it ends up in the Miami River and in Biscayne Bay. Once that debris is in the water, it has negative impacts across the range of ecosystems that rely on the bay and the ocean. Beyond being an eyesore, it can injure fish, birds and mammals, such as dolphins and manatees. Animals can eat it, get sick and become poisoned by it. It can break down into tiny nurdles of plastic that can wreak havoc on hatchling sea turtles.

We know that debris and waste are a part of the cycle of human activity. If we can break that cycle, we can deal with the debris while it is still on the land and keep it out of the water.

Florida’s marine environment is at a crossroads. We need all hands on deck to save the iconic waters that we as Floridians love. These waters are more than just our playground – they are an economic driver. A healthy ocean sustains the tourism economy and provides 200,000 Floridian jobs that rely upon healthy Floridian fisheries.

Florida’s economic and cultural fate is intertwined with the fate of the ocean. The Miami CAP will give us the knowledge we need to help preserve and protect the economic and cultural powerhouse that is our ocean.

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Mantener la basura fuera de nuestra ciudad mágica

Nos unimos con Miami para un océano más saludable

Miami es una ciudad mágica. Hay tanto que la hace especial, principalmente el océano y las aguas que son el patio de la ciudad. La ciudad colinda con la Bahía de Biscayne, una maravilla natural de vida marina, y está dividida por la mitad por el río Miami que históricamente fluyó desde los Everglades hasta las costas arenosas de la bahía.

Es por eso que, como parte de nuestra campaña llamada Shores Forward con la ciudad de Miami, Ocean Conservancy ha colaborado con el Laboratorio de Investigación Jambeck para realizar la primera evaluación integral de plásticos en una de las principales ciudades en los Estados Unidos. Este Protocolo de Evaluación de Circularidad (CAP, por sus siglas en inglés) es una herramienta poderosa que puede darnos una imagen clara del ciclo de vida de los plásticos y los desechos en la ciudad de Miami. Con esta evaluación podemos trabajar con la comisión de la ciudad para desarrollar regulaciones históricas que mantendrán la basura fuera del agua de la ciudad.

Tan importante como es el agua para nosotros los Floridanos, no siempre la hemos cuidado. Vaya a la Bahía de Biscayne y no tardará mucho en encontrar una gran cantidad de basura que va desde bolsas de plástico, sorbetes, recipientes de comida y más. Si termina en las calles de Miami, termina en el río Miami y en la Bahía de Biscayne.
Una vez que la basura está en el agua, tiene un impacto negativo en todos los ecosistemas que dependen de la bahía y del océano. Aparte de que la basura se ve mal, afecta a los peces, aves y mamíferos como delfines y manatíes. Los animales pueden comérsela, enfermarse y envenenarse. Puede descomponerse en pequeños nudillos de plástico que pueden causar estragos en las crías de tortugas marinas.

Sabemos que la basura y los desechos son parte del ciclo de la actividad humana. Si podemos romper ese ciclo, podemos hacernos cargo de la basura mientras todavía está en la tierra y mantenerla fuera del agua.

El medio ambiente marino de la Florida se encuentra en un punto decisivo. Necesitamos que todos se pongan manos a la obra para salvar las icónicas aguas que amamos. Estas aguas son más que nuestro patio de recreación, es nuestro motor económico. Un océano saludable sustenta la economía del turismo y proporciona 200,000 empleos en la Florida que dependen de la pesca.

El destino económico y cultural de la Florida está entrelazado con el destino del océano. El CAP de Miami nos brindará el conocimiento que necesitamos para ayudar a preservar y proteger la potencia económica y cultural que es nuestro océano.

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Why Does the Ocean Matter to You?

It’s somewhat indescribable—our love the ocean. Since time immemorial, humans have been enamored by our ocean in one way or another. And it can be hard, if not impossible, to put into meaningful words the feeling of strolling the shore, digging your toes in the sand, breathing in that salty air and just … listening to the waves crash.

This is why one of my absolute favorite parts of managing Ocean Conservancy’s Annual Photo Contest is not just seeing the incredible images that are submitted but watching which photos end up capturing the most votes. Seeing what resonates with you—our ocean-loving voters—connects us in ways that words simply cannot.

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And yet, we try. This year, we asked our Photo Contest contestants to do the impossible—put into words why the ocean matters to them. Here’s what some of them had to say:

“The ocean provides life for this whole planet. From the interesting and beautiful creatures to the oxygen it provides. Without the ocean, we would not be here and we should protect it as best as we can.” – Claudia

“I live by the tides, about 50 yards from the ocean. I am blessed to live in one of the prime areas for sea turtle nesting in the United States. From the tracks of a mother coming ashore to lay eggs, to seeing the hatchlings race to the water, I truly appreciate the fragility of our ocean environment. Only one in a thousand hatchlings survives to sexual maturity. Walking 5-8 miles a day on the beach allows me to remove plastic and other hazards. It is important to do anything—no matter how small—to preserve the safety of our sea life.”

Jesse

“The ocean is so calming during the most stressful of times.” – Cathy

“In my Indigenous Pacific Islander culture, the ocean is considered our mother and the source of all life. We believe the ocean should be respected, revered and cared for sustainably.”

Craig

“There’s just something about it. I didn’t grow up near the shore, but when I am standing on the shore, I feel like I’m home. The ocean is a source of our food, our clean air and for some folks, a way of life; all of this needs to be protected.” – Heather

“I was born on a tropical island where the ocean is an integral part of my spirit. It cleanses my spirit; it soothes my soul. When snorkeling or diving, I get goosebumps at the underwater spectacles that only those that venture out to those magical worlds see. I admire the friendliness, kindness, nonchalance, and beauty of most of the species I have encountered. I am in awe of the ocean’s overwhelming beauty yet prudent as to cautiously respect its mighty wrath. I have embarked on a mission to eliminate sewage discharges throughout the coastal shores of Puerto Rico, one pipe at a time.”

Ana

“I live in an archipelagic state of 700 islands and thousands of cays. The ocean is our life. Ocean conservation and preservation of the marine environment are the most important sustainable development goals. Getting “up close and personal” with the ocean on daily walks and swims helps me to focus on these goals.” – Jerusa

“The ocean is the largest physical object on Earth, so having a passion for it is practically unparalleled. The beautiful, vibrant marine life that live below the surface offer up a colorfully captivating universe. It inspired me to pursue a career in marine biology & coral restoration, so it will forever hold a place in my heart.”

Daniel

“A clean, healthy environment is the key to the health and well-being of people and animals. We are an integral part of this planet, its biosphere. Therefore, it is our duty to take care of the cleanliness, health and harmonious coexistence of all the inhabitants of the Earth.” – Dmitry

“I understand, even though I live in the middle of the USA, I still have an impact on Our Oceans. Every chance I get to scuba dive in our lakes, rivers, and oceans I see our impact, directly and indirectly. I might not know everything, but what I do know is that I can decrease my impact on the ocean, and waterways to the ocean, and raise awareness for others in my landlocked state. That way myself, and those after me, can still be awed by the marvels of the Ocean.”

Annaka

“As an underwater photographer who loves macro images, it’s fun to show people the tiny critters that make their homes in our seafloor and in sea plants and algae. Many are so small they are not able to be seen with the naked eye.” – Stacy

Join us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to tell us why the ocean matters to you. And stay tuned—Photo Contest winners will be announced next week!

The post Why Does the Ocean Matter to You? appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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IMO Fails Duty to Protect Climate and the Arctic

Another nine months, another Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). As you may remember, we weren’t overjoyed at the results last session, which settled on a profoundly underwhelming short term measure to address the sector’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in addition to a diluted “ban” on heavy fuel oil (HFO) use in the Arctic that will only take effect in 2029. While there were a few bright spots at the end of the week, the IMO failed in its duty to protect the Arctic and the climate.

Here is a quick recap on why these issues are so important: Shipping accounts for approximately 3% of global GHG emissions, equivalent to every coal-fired power plant in the United States. While most of these emissions take the form of CO₂, the second-largest share of GHG emissions from shipping is black carbon. Black carbon is a short-lived climate pollutant that has a drastically higher potential impact on short-term warming, especially in northern areas like the Arctic. This is especially troubling as some shippers increasingly look to the region as a potential shortcut with the melting of Arctic sea ice. This places Indigenous communities and Arctic wildlife at the risk of an HFO spill, in addition to all the climate impacts the sector brings with it. A practical way to address both of these issues would have been a rapid ban on the use of HFO in the Arctic.

Instead, at last week’s MEPC meeting the IMO formally approved an unchanged and loophole-ridden ban on the use of HFO in the Arctic that will leave the Indigenous communities and wildlife facing the risk of an HFO spill for another decade. Despite the outcry from Arctic countries and representatives from the Indigenous communities, any discussion of black carbon was punted to the next session. This is all the more galling, considering that black carbon has been under discussion at the IMO for more than a decade now. The issue of scrubbers, potentially a massive future source of marine pollution in sensitive areas, also got punted to the next session for a second time owing to time constraints.

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No less galling than the inaction on HFO and scrubbers were the decisions on short-term GHG emissions—though a shift in the winds may be coming at last. Taking up the IMO’s short-term measure from the previous MEPC meeting, one lingering point of discussion was the annual amount ships would have to improve their energy efficiency. On the average ship, there are many ways to improve this. The easiest is to slow the vessel down, reducing both fuel consumption and carbon emissions. Plenty of other tweaks are on offer, including the installation of wind shipping technology that can cut emissions by 20% or more. An ambitious annual target, like 7%, could put us on track to meet the Paris Agreement goals, and keep us in line with a 1.5°C warming scenario. Setting a target like 4-5% could get us to zero by 2050, well in line with Climate Envoy John Kerry’s commitment in April. Countries including the Marshall Islands and the United States supported these targets and took the lead in urging others to adopt more realistic climate measures for the sector.

Yet after a great deal of discussion, the IMO narrowly split in favor of … 1.5% as an annual target until 2026, roughly on par with the business as usual rate of improvement. Instead of targeting GHG emissions today, countries mostly rallied to adopt a work plan to discuss mid-term measures, which would likely target 2030 onwards. While this could mean carbon levies or something more direct by 2025, this still leaves us facing a sector with a growing emissions bill each year and less time to pay it if we are to avoid truly catastrophic climate change.

© Daniel Hubbell

In the one true bright spot for the meeting, the committee accepted a proposal from Australia, Canada and the United States to review the 2014 Guidelines for the reduction of underwater noise from commercial shipping to address adverse impacts on marine life. While the 2014 Guidelines provide the foundation to mitigate noise impacts from ships on the marine ecosystem, due to their voluntary nature, few ships adhere to them. This revision of the guidelines can enable noise reduction measures to be more effective in the future.

We continue to have our work cut out for us at the IMO. Fortunately, nothing prevents countries from taking action to cut carbon pollution or reduce the risk of HFO on their own. Some solutions could be quickly enacted here in the United States or folded into a country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Many of the energy-saving solutions that shippers adopt can also help reduce underwater noise, another way of advancing international work at home. Others, like the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme, should incorporate shipping into regional climate targets. Shipping companies and consumer companies can also continue to take the Arctic Corporate Shipping Pledge to avoid the polar environment altogether. Inside the IMO and here at home, Ocean Conservancy will continue to campaign with you to ensure a healthy climate and ocean now and into the future.

The post IMO Fails Duty to Protect Climate and the Arctic appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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5 Facts About the Fabulous Parrotfish

There’s a rainbow of life blossoming just beneath our ocean’s surface. From the vibrant reefs of the South Pacific to the dazzling shells nestled on Florida’s beaches, you don’t have to go far to realize just how captivatingly colorful and diverse our ocean truly is. Today, I’m here to introduce you to a group of fish that undoubtedly showcase some of the most fabulous creatures to swim in our seas today. Meet our ocean’s parrotfish!

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Parrotfish belong to the family Scaridae and are a spectacular group of primarily herbivorous fish that thrive in lush coral reef habitats. There are currently about 80 parrotfish species known to science, with some reaching four feet in length as adults. At this point, you may be wondering what makes these critters so special. Jump on in and learn just five of the fascinating facts that make our ocean’s parrotfish so curiously captivating.

Their namesake comes from their bird-like beak that helps them eat their favorite food.

© Richard Ling

Parrotfish are named for their resemblance to their land-residing counterparts, thanks to their unmistakable beaks. They have these beaks so that they can easily chomp down on dead corals and rocks! They primarily eat the algae that cover hard structures on the reef, and their tough beaks are what enable them to eat these favorite snacks.

Behind the beaks of parrotfish, there are rows and rows of mind-blowingly strong teeth.

While a parrotfish’s teeth may not appear particularly hearty at first glance, they are some of the strongest chompers in the world. These teeth are made up of one of the strongest biominerals in the world: fluorapatite. They’re not only harder than silver or gold but can also withstand a lot of pressure—a pressure equivalent to the weight of more than 80 elephants, according to the Smithsonian. They’ve got a whole lot of those strong teeth, too. Every parrotfish has approximately 15 rows of 1,000 teeth fused together into a shape that forms the trademark beak they use to consume their favorite coral snacks. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge another bizarrely incredible fact about the diets of these fish…

Their coral consumption ends up being excreted as sandy feces … and there’s a lot of it.

You didn’t expect these ravenous coral-chomping fish to have delicate little poops, did you? These animals eat so much coral on a daily basis that they also produce a very large amount of feces. When a parrotfish consumes a piece of coral or rock, it extracts the nutrients within the soft tissues, and all that remains during the elimination of waste (when they go to the bathroom) is sand. Ready for a truly wild statistic? Scientists estimate that a single large parrotfish has the ability to expel hundreds of pounds of sand a year, with some estimates even reaching 1,000 pounds. Parrotfish feces play an important role in the maintenance of healthy coral reef habitats, replenishing nutrients while simultaneously keeping algae growth in check.

Forget fluffy blankets. Parrotfish prefer mucus.

Look closely. Do see the sheer layer of mucus around this parrotfish? © Jaroslaw Barski

If you were a bit grossed out by the parrotfish poop facts, do I have another treat for you. Some parrotfish have a special relationship with mucus they secret from their gills, which they literally make a slimy cocoon out of to wrap themselves in at night. Don’t worry, though … these unusual pajamas do serve a purpose. Researchers note that the behavior is likely meant to serve as a protective mechanism, guarding them against parasites and hiding their scent from predators.

Parrotfish can swap sexes.

By now, you’ve probably noticed how striking a parrotfish’s appearance is. For some parrotfish, their colors change as they swap sex from female to male in a process called protogynous hermaphroditism. Parrotfish aren’t the only animal species in our ocean that do this. It occurs as an animal grows older and increases in size. What exactly does this have to do with their coloration, though? Every time a parrotfish changes sex, hormones trigger the color change resulting in a rainbow of unique individuals swimming around our ocean today.

Aren’t these creatures captivating? Above all, their presence in our seas helps remind me that the diversity of life within our ocean can truly leave us feeling speechless. Parrotfish and so many other species of marine life are counting on us to protect the vulnerable ecosystems they call home. Be sure to visit our Action Center to find out all the latest ways to protect our wonderfully diverse ocean and all the creatures that call it home.

The post 5 Facts About the Fabulous Parrotfish appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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The Roadmap That Supports a Plastics Free Ocean

Henry Ford once said that if everyone is working together, then success takes care of itself. Ocean Conservancy recognized this from the very beginning when we published our ground-breaking report Stemming the Tide. We knew the problem of ocean plastics required collective action. We built on this insight in our next work, the Plastics Policy Playbook identifying collaboration as a guiding principle for success.

We also understand that collective action is easier said than done. That is why Ocean Conservancy was thrilled to join the U.S. Plastics Pact as a founding member. The U.S. Plastics Pact is an ambitious effort to make collective action a reality right here at home. It joins similar initiatives around the world working in places as diverse as South Africa, Poland and Chile. The Pact brings together a diverse group of nearly 100 members, including cities, state-level agencies, recyclers, haulers, retailers, brands, NGOs and others around the vision of a truly circular economy for plastic packaging in America.

U.S. Pact members have committed to a bold agenda with four targets:

1. Define a list of packaging that is to be designated as problematic or unnecessary by 2021 and take measures to eliminate them by 2025;
2. 100% of plastic packaging will be reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025;
3. Undertake ambitious actions to effectively recycle or compost 50% of plastic packaging by 2025 and;
4. By 2025, the average recycled content or responsibly sourced bio-based content in plastic packaging will be 30%.

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For the last 10 months, Pact members have been hard at work building a Roadmap to realize these goals. The Roadmap lays out a plan to achieve each target, who will lead that effort and the support needed. Crucially, Pact members have committed to report their progress against these goals annually to ensure accountability. Ocean Conservancy has been an active participant in the Roadmap’s development. Leveraging our decades of expertise in plastics policy, we also contributed to a parallel effort to develop the priority policies that will support the targets and more broadly support the transition to circular plastic packaging.

As impressive as the U.S. Plastics Pact’s progress to date has been, it’s important to note that this is just the beginning. Within the Pact, members are called Activators to emphasize the need for action at all levels. At Ocean Conservancy, we are determined to do our part.

Ocean Conservancy was a strong champion of the Save Our Seas (SOS) 2.0 Act which was signed into law in December 2020. We worked with our Trash Free Seas Alliance® (TFSA) to build support for the legislation. The law requires the U.S. government to undertake an assessment of new markets for recycled plastic by the end of this year. The act mandates a follow-on study by the end of 2022 on the technological and economic feasibility of recycled content standards. Ocean Conservancy, in consultation with the TFSA, recently launched new research to provide a robust technical analysis that will inform this effort and to support the broader goals of the U.S. Plastics Pact. As we start our journey, we challenge all Activators to ask what they can do to realize our joint vision.

Learn more about the U.S. Plastics Pact Roadmap here.

The post The Roadmap That Supports a Plastics Free Ocean appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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Vote for Your Favorite Photos 📸

I don’t mean to pier pressure you … but we sea-riously need your help. We’ve received hundreds of submissions to our 2021 Photo Contest, and now we need YOUR help to pick the winners. There are simply too many ink-credible images to choose from.

The voting round for our annual Photo Contest starts NOW and continues through this Friday, June 18, 2021. Not only can you help hand-select our category winners with your votes—you also get to tell us what kind of oceanic pictures you like to see. I personally haven’t been able to get to the ocean as much as I’d like to this past year and a half, and combing through these images helps remind me of the beauty that awaits me once I’m able to return. Take a moment to scroll through the fin-credible submissions that help us remember why we work so hard to protect the ocean.

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I want to make sure we select the very best of the best to share with our community of ocean lovers around the world (and to award with our awesome prizes, of course). Kelp out a friend and vote for your favorites today!

I don’t want you to miss out—voting is otter-ly free and easy to do. Simply register with your name and email, then vote for your favorite photo. Pro tip: you can vote again each day this week and YES, you can vote for your own photo, too.

I can’t wait to see which photos you choose. Don’t miss this chance to decide which photographers take home the winning titles this year before voting ends at midnight June 18. Vote today!

The post Vote for Your Favorite Photos 📸 appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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Dive into the For the People Act

As ocean lovers, we’re always searching for effective ways to conserve and protect all the ocean holds and provides. To some of us, that’s organizing local beach cleanups or conducting a study on coastal water quality. No matter our skillset or where we live, we are all connected to the ocean and we each have the potential to contribute. One crucial—but sometimes overlooked—action we can take to support our ocean is to use our collective voices and exercise our right to vote.

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State and federal governments regulate the ocean and its resources. That means the officials we elect play a significant role in making decisions and enacting policies that impact the ocean and the coastal communities that rely on it. As voters and ocean advocates, it is our responsibility to communicate what type of future we’d like to see for our ocean. It is also vital that public servants ensure that the democratic processes in which we participate, like elections, are secure, fair and more accessible—not less. We need a strong, productive democracy to enact positive change for our ocean, and it’s up to all of us to keep our democracy intact and our public officials accountable.

A historic bill called the For the People Act (H.R.1/S.1) has the potential to advance these goals, and Ocean Conservancy is proud to endorse this legislation. The For the People Act has already passed the House of Representatives and is currently being considered in the Senate, remaining a priority piece of legislation as officials seek to further secure our democratic process. If passed, it would, among other measures: “expand Americans’ access to the ballot box, reduce the influence of big money in politics, strengthen ethics rules for public servants and implement other anti-corruption measures for the purpose of fortifying our democracy.”

Here is a snapshot of the more notable pieces of this bill:

To eliminate unnecessary barriers to voting, which remain more prevalent than some of us may perceive, the For the People Act would:

• Promote vote-by-mail opportunities in federal elections, which was shown to increase voter turnout in the 2020 federal election
• Expand early voting in all 50 states
• Provide voters with online, automatic and same-day voter registration options
• Restore the full protections of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a bill that outlawed discriminatory voting practices and allowed the federal government to step in when these practices were being used

To further promote integrity and security in our elections, the bill would:

• Prevent partisan gerrymandering by requiring states to deploy nonpartisan commissions to establish congressional districts
• Dedicate funds to strengthen the security of our election infrastructure, including cybersecurity
• Advance restrictions on corporate spending and empower smaller donors to ensure that our elections reflect the values of The People as a whole, as opposed to those of a wealthy few

To take a deep dive into all the valuable pieces of the For the People Act, you can reference the full bill text here.

The For the People Act has the potential to further empower citizens from all walks of life and foster effective, ethical-political action which continues to be so important for our ocean and coastal constituencies. This aligns with Ocean Conservancy’s mission to bring everyone along in our efforts to create science-based solutions for our ocean. We also recognize that passing the For the People Act would significantly benefit Black, Indigenous and people of color who have historically and continuously faced countless barriers to participating in elections. It is no coincidence that these disenfranchised communities also remain overrepresented among those most vulnerable to climate change. Despite it all, underserved communities continue to be generational stewards of our ocean and coastlines. We must push for marginalized voices to be heard and respected in our democratic processes.

“We know that in order to deliver on Ocean Conservancy’s mission, we must have a functioning, working democracy.  Everyone has the right to vote and have their voice heard. Our coastal communities, particularly those Black, Indigenous and communities of color, are on the frontlines of the many changes occurring in our ocean, including impacts from climate change. The For the People Act will support accessible voting methods and help make sure that our voting systems are secure. We can only protect our coastal communities, ways of life and ocean by ensuring a strong democracy that will listen and respond to citizen’s voices calling for change.”

Janis Searles Jones

CEO

Ocean and coastal communities continue to face mounting and compounding challenges, from ocean acidification and warming to sea-level rise, shifting fisheries and plastic pollution. To tackle these challenges, we need a whole-of-society shift towards action, which requires that we all come together and act inside and outside of the political sphere. The For the People Act would help advance the collective efforts we need to protect our ocean. We must demand that Congress pass this critical legislation, for The People, for our ocean and for our planet.

The post Dive into the For the People Act appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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