marine life

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    USFWS Proposes Expanding Habitat Protections for Florida Manatees

    USFWS Proposes Expanding Habitat Protections for Florida Manatees

    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has proposed new revisions and additions to critical habitats for West Indian manatees near Florida and Puerto Rico.  The proposal includes a revised 1,904,191 acres for Florida manatees plus new habitat protections spanning 78,121 acres for Puerto Rico manatees. “The Service is dedicated to the recovery and protection […]

    Earth Is Close to Passing 7 of 9 Planetary Boundaries, Report Says

    Earth Is Close to Passing 7 of 9 Planetary Boundaries, Report Says

    Scientists have found that Earth may soon pass another planetary boundary, meaning it could be operating outside of the safe limits for seven of the nine defined planetary boundaries. The Planetary Health Check report, prepared by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), is a new assessment that determines the state of the planetary […]

    California’s First National Marine Sanctuary in Over 3 Decades Will Protect 116 Miles of Coastline

    California’s First National Marine Sanctuary in Over 3 Decades Will Protect 116 Miles of Coastline

    More than 116 miles of California’s stunning coastline is in the process of becoming designated as part of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary — the third largest in the country. The designation process reached a major milestone last week when the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) for the marine sanctuary was released. Under the […]

    Ocean Warming Is Driving Sharks Out of Coral Reef Habitats, Study Finds

    Ocean Warming Is Driving Sharks Out of Coral Reef Habitats, Study Finds

    As the oceans heat up, sharks are leaving their coral reef habitats, putting both sharks and entire ecosystems at risk, scientists have found. In a new study, published in the journal Communications Biology, scientists used satellites and underwater acoustic receivers to monitor more than 120 grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) in coral reefs of the […]

    Prozac Contamination in Water Is Changing Fish Behaviors, Study Finds

    Prozac Contamination in Water Is Changing Fish Behaviors, Study Finds

    In a new study, scientists have confirmed that even low concentrations of the antidepressant pharmaceutical fluoxetine, also known by the brand name of Prozac, are affecting fish behaviors in the wild. Biologists from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia and the University of Tuscia in Viterbo, Italy have completed a five-year investigation on how fluoxetine pollution […]

    Monterey, California Beach Closed to Protect Hundreds of Sea Lions

    Monterey, California Beach Closed to Protect Hundreds of Sea Lions

    Local officials have closed the area around Monterey, California’s San Carlos Beach to people following the takeover of hundreds of sea lions. Caution tape was placed along the beach, but crowds continued to gather and take photos of the sea lions resting and frolicking, reported Reuters. The social and playful marine mammals frequently gather on […]

    Florida Keys Coral Practitioners Prepared to Beat the Heat

    Florida Keys Coral Practitioners Prepared to Beat the Heat

    After a devastating and hot 2023 summer, the Florida Keys coral restoration community made sure to be prepped for this year’s heat.  The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) is home to the largest coral barrier reef in the continental United States. In recent years, however, the Florida Reef Tract has suffered a “death of […]