The Ocean: Our Greatest Natural Resource
I wrote recently for the State Department’s Our Planet blog about the importance of the ocean as a natural resource. Here’s an excerpt: Despite the fact that our planet is 70 percent water, it’s easy to take...
The Ocean: Our Greatest Natural Resource
Do you know the Gulf of Mexico? Do you really know the wildlife that lives in its waters or how we use its resources—for better or worse—to support our economy? I thought I had a grasp on this before beginning a multi-ye...
The Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem: There’s a Map for That
Red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) are one of the Gulf of Mexico’s signature fish. They are extremely popular among recreational fishermen and a prized offering at restaurants and seafood markets, as well as a top predat...
10 Key Facts About Red Snapper
Each year in September, citizen scientists around the world mobilize during the International Coastal Cleanup® to remove plastic trash and other debris from the world’s shorelines, waterways and underwater habitats. Tall...
What Does 10 Million Pounds of Trash Look Like?
Every year around Mother’s Day I’m reminded of how lucky I am to have both a mother and grandmother who have been there to guide me during the challenging times in life. Recently, this got me thinking that there a...
A Tribute to Mothers: A Look at the Ocean’s Great Moms
Our top tweets of the week range from innovations and milestones in scientific study of the ocean to the tangible impacts of trash and pollution we’ve seen recently–and a little hope for a lot of sharks, mant...
This Week’s Top Tweets: March 9 – 15
Yes, there are ghosts in the ocean. Not your typical ghouls, goblins or gremlins; but there are innumerous inanimate creatures posing far greater danger to the underwater realm: ghost nets. Ghost nets are just one compon...
Ocean Ghosts Are Deadly
In honor of Valentine’s Day, we’ve rounded up a crew of ocean companions for you to check out–which ones are fickle lovers and which ones are lifers–the players and the player-haters, as it were....
Be My Valentine? A Look at the Ocean’s Lovers, from Long Term to Transient
Even though we won’t know if winter will last another six weeks until Punxsutawney Phil makes headway on Saturday, I’m sure that some of you are hungry for starting up a few DIY projects at home as the weathe...
Saving the Ocean, One Tip at a Time
Here’s some sad news from an article to be published in Marine Pollution Bulletin about fish and microplastics in the English Channel. Of the 504 fish collected, 36.5% had plastics in their gastrointestinal tracts....