California’s Slightly Less Gray Laws on White Sharks

California has new rules restricting white shark fishing, but advocates say the convoluted legislation won’t solve the problem of fishers targeting the protected species.

Dec 2, 2022 | 750 words, about 3 minutes

If a Turtle Is Caught in a Gill Net and No One Is Watching …

Does its capture get recorded in a legally mandated by-catch report?

Jan 12, 2022 | 750 words, about 3 minutes

The Ocean’s Mysterious Vitamin Deficiency

A puzzling lack of thiamine is disrupting some marine ecosystems.

Jan 28, 2021 | 2,700 words, about 14 minutes

Tabulating the Victims of Plastic Pollution

Hundreds of sea turtles and marine mammals have been choked, snared, and hooked by plastic debris.

Nov 19, 2020 | 600 words, about 3 minutes

Gray Laws on White Sharks

A loophole in California law is letting fishers who repeatedly catch great white sharks off the hook.

Oct 1, 2019 | 2,300 words, about 11 minutes

Eating Urchins: Can Gourmet Diners Reverse the Collapse of an Ecosystem?

A company wants to take urchins from the wild, then fatten them up for sale.

Sep 20, 2019 | 950 words, about 4 minutes

The Benefits of Marine Protected Areas Spill into Neighboring Waters

A new genetic analysis demonstrates the spillover effect in action, showing that fish leave marine protected areas for fishable waters.

Jul 12, 2019 | 750 words, about 3 minutes

To Save the Whales, Crab Fishers Are Testing Ropeless Gear

From devices designed to automatically cut the line, to crab pots that use no ropes at all, scientists are working to ease the threat posed by trap fishing.

Jun 24, 2019 | 1,000 words, about 5 minutes

Citizen Science Comes of Age

Increasingly, scientists are relying on data gathered by volunteers to make their research happen.

Feb 19, 2019 | 2,100 words, about 11 minutes

A Faster Way to Find Illicit Fins

Slow, expensive testing has made DNA analysis a poor fit for customs agents on the hunt for protected species—but a new technique could change that.

Feb 4, 2019 | 650 words, about 3 minutes

Fermenting Fish Takes Guts

It may sound gross, but jarring the blood and innards of fish yields a gourmet sauce once prized by ancient Romans and now enjoyed by modern-day foodies. And you can make it in your kitchen.

Jan 15, 2019 | 1,300 words, about 6 minutes

Off the Green and into the Blue

A staggering number of golf balls wind up in the ocean. What happens to them?

Feb 21, 2018 | 1,600 words, about 8 minutes

California Fishermen Are Throwing Explosives at Sea Lions

And it is, surprisingly, legal.

Nov 20, 2017 | 1,100 words, about 5 minutes

California: the State of Salmon

Even if the levees are torn down, chinook restoration faces walls.

Aug 23, 2017 | 1,100 words, about 5 minutes

Hypothesis Confirmed: Sea Lion Mass Deaths Caused by Malnutrition

The warm water Blob hurt a generation of sea lions.

Aug 2, 2017 | 600 words, about 3 minutes

Northern California’s Farmers Want to Drop the Bass

Chinook salmon and striped bass are the focus of a proxy war over California water rights.   

May 31, 2016 | 950 words, about 4 minutes

Practicing the Ancient Art of Cast Netting in San Francisco Bay

The recreational herring fishery is growing—and it’s beginning to catch regulators’ attention.

Feb 9, 2016 | 950 words, about 4 minutes

Feeding the World, One Fish Head at a Time

Entrepreneurs and governments are trying to make use of the whole fish.

Dec 21, 2015 | 750 words, about 3 minutes

Ruled Out

West coast US small-boat fishermen are struggling to stay afloat.

Sep 21, 2015 | 1,000 words, about 5 minutes