overfishing

Coral Reefs 101: Everything You Need to Know

Coral Reefs 101: Everything You Need to Know

Quick Key Facts What Are ‘Coral Reefs’? Coral reefs consist of hundreds of thousands of coral polyps — marine animal invertebrates with hard calcium carbonate exoskeletons. Different species grow to form a variety of measurements and shapes — from the size of a pinhead to as large as a foot in diameter. Coral colonies are […]

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    How Fishing May Contribute to Climate Change

    How Fishing May Contribute to Climate Change

    From coral bleaching to ocean acidification, there is lots of discussion about how the climate crisis harms marine life. But is it possible that the loss of undersea animals could actually worsen the impacts of climate change?  A study published in Science Advances last year found that the amount of carbon sequestered as fish dung […]

    The Food You Feed Your Pet May Contain Endangered Shark Meat

    The Food You Feed Your Pet May Contain Endangered Shark Meat

    Ambiguous pet food labels like “fish,” “ocean fish,” or “white bait” may be hiding a secret ingredient: endangered shark meat.  A new study published in Frontiers in Marine Science Friday found that 31 percent of samples of pet food tested by the researchers contained shark DNA.  “The majority of pet owners are likely lovers of […]

    2 in 5 Shark Species Threatened With Extinction, Says IUCN

    2 in 5 Shark Species Threatened With Extinction, Says IUCN

    More than a third of shark and ray species are directly threatened by extinction, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) warned on Saturday. The revelation came in the IUCN’s updated Red List assessment on endangered wildlife, which was released at the body’s World Conservation Congress in Marseilles, France. The most comprehensive survey […]

    Who’s to Blame for the Lawbreaking and Habitat Destruction in U.S. Fisheries?

    Who’s to Blame for the Lawbreaking and Habitat Destruction in U.S. Fisheries?

    By Reynard Loki There is one main U.S. law that governs the management of marine fisheries in federal waters: The Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). Originally intended to address the concern over foreign fisheries operating near U.S. waters, the MSA, which was passed in 1976, extended the nation’s exclusive fisheries zone from 12 […]

    5 Things to Know About the Fate of Wild Salmon

    5 Things to Know About the Fate of Wild Salmon

    By Tara Lohan It’s not too hard to find salmon on a menu in the United States, but that seeming abundance — much of it fueled by overseas fish farms — overshadows a grim reality on the ground. Many of our wild salmon, outside Alaska, are on the ropes — and have been for decades. […]