Blogs

June 17, 2019 – Spanish and French versions of the MPAConnect guide on the detection and identification of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease are now available on GCFI’s website.

There is growing concern among marine natural resource managers across the Caribbean about the spread of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease. This affects some of the slowest-growing and longest-lived reef-building corals, including the iconic brain corals, star corals and pillar corals. It spreads rapidly and causes high rates of mortality among affected corals. The disease is appearing in parts of the Caribbean and marine natural resource managers need to be on the alert for this very real, new threat.

I know what you’re thinking: Isn’t it though? Depending on what we do now, we’re in for at least hundreds of years of warming. But also you might be thinking, well I know it’s not. We’re experiencing impacts now.

And both those reactions are correct. Climate change is a problem that is happening — accelerating — now, and will have ramifications for the long-term. But it’s that notion of “depending on what we do now…” that I want to pick apart a bit from the perspective of tightening the links between science and action.

What inspired me is a seemingly innocuous line I read in a new paper from Record et al. (2019):

“Climate change is often viewed as a long-term problem, and in this context, mean species range shifts could be a useful tool.”

By Alex Tellez

Most of us in the Puget Sound area are aware that the iconic Southern Resident Orcas and the food chain that supports them are exposed to toxic contaminants, habitat loss, hydropower dams, vessel strikes, noise pollution, ocean acidification, climate change, and overharvesting of Chinook salmon – their primary source of food. But there may be another threat lurking in our waters that is relatively unnoticed: invasive zooplankton.

This blog was originally posted on Medium here. 

I gave a talk recently about linking science with action. In it, I posed the question: What makes science valuable to society?

My answer: Because the world is so much bigger than us… And yet we’re in the driver’s seat.

Reflect on that for a moment, and what it might mean to you. To me, it was an articulation of something I struggle with often, which is the fact that because of anthropogenic carbon emissions, we humans are driving Earth’s overall trajectory. And yet, within that trajectory there is much we don’t know about how severe the impacts will be or exactly how they’ll propagate through ecosystems on to human communities.

By Kelly Martin

Technology could be blamed for many of the environmental problems we face today. It’s no coincidence that unprecedented increases in greenhouse gases began around the time of the Industrial Revolution. So what role does technology now play in solving those problems?

By: Paul Shively

The Ecola Point/Sea Lion Rock area on Oregon’s North Coast is a biologically rich ecosystem that provides breeding habitat for five species of seabirds as well as a host of other marine life. The area’s stunning scenery is also an important part of a robust coastal tourist economy, accounting for millions of visits a year ... Now, for the first time since 1994, Oregon is updating its Rocky Shores Management Strategy, which presents decision-makers with an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of these special places and protect them for future generations. 

By Brittany Hoedemaker

We talk all the time about what we put into our bodies, but it always astounds me how little time we spend talking about what we put on our bodies. Given that our skin is our largest organ, you would think we’d give it a little more airtime.

By: Peter Baker

North Atlantic right whales are among the most endangered of all whales in U.S. waters, with such a small population that even one death a year can push the species toward extinction. Whales, lobster, and cod are among New England’s most iconic marine creatures. Yet despite its status as a symbol of this region’s seafaring past, one of these species—the North Atlantic right whale—needs urgent help if it is to survive.

By: Joseph Gordon, Holly Binns, Leda Cunningham & Thomas Wheatley

Over the past decade, The Pew Charitable Trusts’ U.S. marine conservation team has advocated for an ecosystem-based perspective in fisheries management—one founded on science and on advancing the public interest...

By Ian Stanfield

Here are some words that you’ve probably heard: economic opportunity. The ability to take part in the global market is considered a benefit. We want job growth, we want opportunities to make money and better our living conditions. In this day and age, money makes the world go ‘round. So, what do you do if you’re locked out of the economic opportunities that most of us take for granted?