How we’re keeping the ocean healthy

As the oceans have warmed, these gentle (and endangered) giants are increasingly swimming into busy shipping lanes. Even at the size of a school bus, whale sharks — the world’s largest fish — are no match for cargo ships in busy shipping lanes: When the two collide, the sharks always lose. “Whale sharks’ risk of being struck by these massive ships could increase dramatically if fossil fuel use continues to run wild — driving climate change and making our oceans hotter than ever,” said Conservation International marine biologist Mark Erdmann, a co-author of the study. The new research points to ways to protect whale sharks.

Find out here.

© Mark Erdmann

Slow moving and surface feeders, whale sharks are uniquely vulnerable to collisions with large ships.

Catch a wave: Surf spots are climate hotspots, study finds

It’s no surprise that the world’s top surf spots are in some of the most picturesque places in the world. What may come as a surprise, though, is that the forests and marshes surrounding these places store massive amounts of climate-warming carbon. In a groundbreaking recent paper, researchers from Conservation International and elsewhere mapped more than 4,800 popular surf spots across 113 countries and found that they store the same amount of carbon as the emissions from 77 million gas-powered cars. It’s the first time the carbon stored in the mangroves and forests surrounding popular surf spots has been measured, bolstering the argument for their protection.

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© 2019 Wonderful Nature/Shutterstock

Surf spots store about 88 million tons of carbon, equivalent to the emissions from 77 million cars.

Where ‘ghost gear’ haunts the seas, divers unite to clean up

Nearly a third of fishing lines are lost or discarded at sea. This so-called “ghost gear” — along with lost nets and traps — is deadly for marine animals: Experts estimate that more than 300,000 whales and dolphins die each year after getting tangled in them. With far more “ghost” nets than any one person can possibly handle, Conservation International’s Edgardo Ochoa created a course to teach recreational divers how to safely remove ghost gear from the sea. Over the past five years, that course has certified nearly 100 divers in six countries.

Find out more here.