In the ocean you find a symphony of sound, from the clicking of snapping shrimp to the long mournful wails of whales, and zips of dolphins. Now imagine this oceanic soundscape shattered by dynamite-like blasts, every 10 seconds for days and even weeks on end. Blasts so loud they can...

Belize is home to the largest coral reef system in the Western hemisphere -- the Mesoamerican Reef, which stretches 560 miles, 186 of which lie in Belizean waters. In the past decade the Belizean government secretly leased rights to drill for oil in its reef -- including the...

In the first State of the Union address of his second term, President Obama sought to mark the beginning of a time where he will take bolder action on job creation and on divisive issues, including climate change. But while his rhetoric makes for great intentions, conservationists will be holding...

Last week the European Union, the world's fifth largest fishing power, made a historic move to protect its threatened fisheries as members of the European Parliament (MEPs) overwhelmingly voted to overhaul the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

The overarching legislation for fishing in the EU, the CFP has an enormous influence...

On New Year's Eve, a 266-foot oil drilling rig owned by the Shell Oil Company that had been adrift for days, ran aground off of Kodiak, Alaska. In response, this week, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced a review of the 2012 Arctic Ocean drilling season. Let's hope this...

Tropical coral reefs and lush rainforests have long captured the public imagination and the lion's share of conservation efforts. But this week, the country of Chile took an historic step to recognize the importance of a less celebrated but no less spectacular ecosystem: seamounts.

Seamounts are underwater mountain ranges, where...

If you love the oceans you will love this news: State regulators in California just adopted a groundbreaking new policy that sets a new direction for forage fish. Allow us to explain why this is so exciting.

When you think of the marine life of the California coast, some iconic...

Today is World Food Day. Established in 1979 by the United Nations, the day was meant to bring attention to, and ignite political will for, the fight to end world hunger. At Oceana this day means a lot to us. We believe that ending world hunger and establishing...

Last week, a report came out that helps answer one of the most important (and disputed) questions in the world of fisheries -- how much trouble are the world's fisheries really in?

About six years ago another report was featured in the journal Science,...

Earlier this week, Shell Oil called off its plans to drill for oil in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas off Alaska after its oil containment dome, equipment designed to cap an oil spill, was damaged during testing in the very un-arctic like waters of Bellingham, Washington.
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It's been twenty years since the famous 1992 UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. And this year's conference, better known as Rio+20, has the world talking yet again about how to "reduce poverty, advance social equity and ensure environmental protection on an ever more crowded planet."...

Hunger is the world's leading health risk, according to the United Nations World Food Programme. It kills more people every year than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. But despite our advances in medicine, food production and technology, 925 million people still do not have enough to eat. Of...

Here's some food for thought on this upcoming Earth Day: Agriculture is the leading contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the world. It even beats out transportation. The food we raise, especially meat like pork, beef and chicken, is contributing more to climate change than the cars and SUVs that...

In Belize, thousands of citizens are in an uproar about the government's determination to drill for offshore oil. The government, represented by Prime Minister Dean Barrow, was just narrowly re-elected -- but despite a clear message from the people, it continues to ignore the significant outcry against offshore drilling.

This week, 200 of the world's leaders in ocean conservation are descending upon Capella, Singapore for the World Oceans Summit.

The U.S. is strongly represented among the international community, with top representatives from government and nonprofits. Oceana is joining world leaders from Iceland, Singapore, Indonesia, and the...

Leatherback sea turtles migrate an astonishing 6,000 miles across the Pacific to feed on jellyfish in the waters off the U.S. West Coast.

Along the way these gentle giants face a gauntlet of threats, including fishing gear, pollution and plastic bags that look like food. Scientists have reported that...

Here's a scary fact: Last year, the biggest five oil companies alone scored $76 billion in profits.
And here's an even scarier fact: Last year, the oil industry received more than $4 billion in tax breaks.

These numbers don't lie -- it's clear that Big Oil doesn't need...

This week ExxonMobil scored a deal to explore for oil in the Russian Arctic Ocean, and in exchange, the Russian state-owned Rosneft apparently got the right to become a part-owner of deepwater drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico.

But what is a win-win agreement for Exxon...

It's almost summer, which means many of us will be heading to beaches -- and seafood markets and seaside restaurants -- in the coming months. Maybe you'll use a sustainable seafood guide to make a smart choice for your family. But what if the fish you find in the market...

I am a Californian now, but I was born a child of the desert. My parents raised me in Arizona, where my father worked as an archaeologist, and my mother took me to wander the scrubby ravines near our home. She saw beauty everywhere. As a small boy I just...