Rising Sea Levels Will Isolate People Long Before They’re Underwater

Time and tide wait for no man. Neither does sea level rise.

May 25, 2023 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

For Marine Species, Hidden Divisions Abound

The little sand lance is unexpectedly split in two, revealing a breadth of genetic diversity that could help it survive.

Feb 24, 2023 | 650 words, about 3 minutes

Ship Noise Kills Crabs’ Libidos

For green crabs, ship noise is like an anti–Barry White.

Jan 4, 2023 | 550 words, about 2 minutes

How Increasing Wildfires Could Transform the Arctic

Wildfires, and the nutrients they bring, could make the Arctic Ocean more productive.

Nov 7, 2022 | 550 words, about 2 minutes

The Pandemic Changed How People Buy Fish—and Small Fishers Couldn’t Keep Up

Small-scale fishers, often overlooked by government aid, were less able to adapt to changing market conditions than large companies. As a result, many lost out to bigger players.

Jul 4, 2022 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

So Long to Open-Net-Pen Salmon Farms?

In British Columbia and Washington, legislators are simultaneously weighing whether to allow this controversial farming practice to persist.

Jun 22, 2022 | 900 words, about 4 minutes

Scientists Found a Nitrogen-Fixing Seagrass

Adopting a strategy that is all but unheard of in the sea, this seagrass produces an essential nutrient the same way peas do.

Jan 26, 2022 | 450 words, about 2 minutes

China’s Surprisingly Robust System of Marine Protection

China is not slouching on its marine protection efforts—domestically, at least.

Jan 5, 2022 | 750 words, about 3 minutes

Scientists Are Running Out of Salmon to Study

With west coast salmon populations withering, these researchers are heading for the Great Lakes.

Dec 1, 2021 | 750 words, about 3 minutes

Want to Save a Failing Fishery? Take the Long View

Half a millennium of fishing records shows Canada could have saved the Atlantic cod.

Nov 17, 2021 | 650 words, about 3 minutes

How Might Fish Farms Be Affecting Lobsters?

Let us count the ways.

Jul 19, 2021 | 650 words, about 3 minutes

How Aquaculture Is Spreading a Salmon Virus

A genetic analysis of Piscine orthoreovirus shows how it was repeatedly transported from Norwegian salmon farms to aquaculture operations around the world—and on to wild Pacific salmon.

May 26, 2021 | 900 words, about 4 minutes

Are COVID-19 Lockdowns Really Causing Nature to Heal?

It’s complicated.

May 26, 2021 | 800 words, about 4 minutes

US Fisheries Hit Hard by COVID-19

Demand for fresh seafood has plummeted as people avoid dine-in restaurants.

Jan 13, 2021 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

Canada Gives BP Okay to Explore in Marine Conservation Area

How protected is a marine refuge, really, if oil drilling is allowed?

Nov 27, 2020 | 650 words, about 3 minutes

What Tear Gas Does to Fish

Previous work shows the main ingredient in tear gas can kill fish—but little else is known about how riot control agents affect the environment.

Sep 23, 2020 | 900 words, about 4 minutes

Overlooked Sea Louse May Be a Big Problem for Salmon

Most scientific research has focused on one species of sea louse—failing to account for the other, far more common, species.

Sep 16, 2020 | 600 words, about 3 minutes

COVID-19 Is Not All Good for Wildlife

Empty beaches are both a boon and a curse for endangered sea turtles.

May 6, 2020 | 750 words, about 3 minutes

Kelp Rafts Are Bringing Invaders to Antarctica

Animals have long rafted around the planet, but the southern continent was considered too remote, too isolated, and too cold for that to be a problem—until now.

Feb 26, 2020 | 600 words, about 3 minutes

Where Should the World Focus Its Ocean Conservation Efforts?

A new map shows areas of the ocean that conservationists agree are in need of protection.

Dec 4, 2019 | 500 words, about 2 minutes

Considering the Nuclear Option in Controlling Invasive Species

Rotenone: when you absolutely, positively have to kill every last fish in the lake.

Nov 7, 2019 | 750 words, about 3 minutes

Hatchery Fish Are Less Successful at Reproducing in the Wild

Genetic experiments show hatchery escapees that breed with wild fish have fewer offspring.

Apr 25, 2019 | 550 words, about 2 minutes

Aquaculture Doesn’t Reduce Pressure on Wild Fish

If anything, the rise of farm-raised fish has increased our desire for seafood.

Mar 7, 2019 | 500 words, about 2 minutes

Fish Parasites Are on the Rise

The number of parasitic worms in ocean fish has increased as much as 90-fold.

Dec 21, 2018 | 600 words, about 3 minutes

Near Fish Farms, Lobster Catches Plummet

Proximity to open-net-pen aquaculture seems to have a big influence on the lobster catch in southwestern Nova Scotia.

Nov 1, 2018 | 600 words, about 3 minutes

Virtual Reality Preserves Disappearing Land

Coastal communities are capturing their cultures and landscapes in virtual reality before sea level rise steals them for good.

Jun 18, 2018 | 750 words, about 3 minutes

Unmasking a Salmon Virus

The previously unknown cause of a common chinook salmon disease has turned out to be a familiar foe.

May 18, 2018 | 600 words, about 3 minutes

How Island Bats Took Over the Mainland

South America’s short-faced fruit bats are the descendants of “reverse colonists.”

Feb 20, 2018 | 450 words, about 2 minutes

Saving Canada’s Wild Salmon Policy

Canada already has a forward-thinking salmon management plan on the books. Now it just needs to implement it.

Sep 8, 2017 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

Quiet Please, the Fish Are Flirting

Fish that fart together stay together.

Jun 21, 2017 | 650 words, about 3 minutes

Fish Farms Can Be Disease Accelerators

Much like terrestrial animal farms, fish farms are incubators for disease.

Apr 7, 2017 | 950 words, about 4 minutes

The Effects of Invasive Pythons Slither through the Everglades

Pythons may be setting off a cascade of ecosystem changes.

Feb 15, 2017 | 550 words, about 2 minutes

Competition Pressured Killer Whales into Menopause

Selfish daughters, not altruistic grandmothers, could explain the evolution of menopause.

Jan 12, 2017 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

Florida’s White Ibises May Be Spreading Disease

The increasingly urban birds are carrying salmonella.

Dec 14, 2016 | 550 words, about 2 minutes

Is This the Year Governments Protect Antarctica’s Seas?

The odds world governments will finally agree to establish marine protected areas in the Southern Ocean are looking better than ever.

Oct 25, 2016 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

Making Monster Waves in the Lab

Rogue waves are rare in nature, but new research is making them perfectly common.

Oct 13, 2016 | 450 words, about 2 minutes

Keeping Track of Deep-Sea Mining

A new website uses ship location data to track deep-sea mining exploration.

Oct 5, 2016 | 650 words, about 3 minutes

Brexit Vote Will Likely Cause Problems for UK Fishers

Fishers were part of the “Leave” push, but it may not work out as they’d hoped.

Jun 29, 2016 | 550 words, about 2 minutes

This Scientist Is Making Batteries Out of Recycled Crab Shells

Shellfish chitin is a starting material ripe for chemical modification.

Jun 21, 2016 | 550 words, about 2 minutes

Clawing Their Way to Victory

Research suggests fiddler crabs with regenerated claws have distinct fighting strategies.

Apr 13, 2016 | 450 words, about 2 minutes

No, Britain Isn’t Naming a Ship RRS Boaty McBoatface

Never let the Internet name things.

Mar 21, 2016 | 350 words, a quick read

The Ghosts of Fishers Past

Lost fishing gear keeps on doing the job it was designed for long after its owners are gone.

Jan 22, 2016 | 2,100 words, about 10 minutes

When Good Fish Die Young

Rising temperatures are suppressing survival rates for young fish.

Jan 12, 2016 | 450 words, about 2 minutes

A Fishy Plan

Canada’s new government says it’s going to expand the country’s marine protected areas. Scientists worry the government is cutting corners to hit its goal.

Dec 7, 2015 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

The Living Lice Comb

Aquaculture adopts integrated pest management techniques for water-borne pests.

Nov 9, 2015 | 750 words, about 3 minutes

Oil Sands Dilbit Causes Developmental Problems in Fish

Scientists have very little idea what the environmental effects of an oil sands “dilbit” spill would be.

Jul 22, 2015 | 950 words, about 4 minutes

Blood in the Water

Proteins from salmon blood can stop bleeding and alleviate pain.

Jul 14, 2015 | 900 words, about 4 minutes

Repelling a Hunter

Scientists are still not really sure if, or how, magnetic shark repellents work.

Jul 6, 2015 | 1,000 words, about 5 minutes

Fish Fight

In Maine, indigenous tribes have severed ties with the state.

Jun 3, 2015 | 650 words, about 3 minutes