Ocean Stories
Anthropocene brings some of the best minds to bear on tough questions about the future of the Earth’s largest ecosystems: Should nations farm their EEZs—and how can they do it ecologically? Are there economically viable ways to harvest plastic waste? Can we cultivate acid- and heat-resilient coral reefs?
Taming the Blue Frontier
Should the U.S. cultivate giant offshore fish farms in its piece of the sea or keep taking most of the fish we eat from foreign waters?
Closing more of the ocean to fishing actually means there’ll be more fish to eat
Researchers calculate that protecting just 5% more of the ocean could boost fisheries by as much as 20%.
Eyes on the High Seas
Illegal fishing is getting harder, thanks to public surveillance from space
The unrealized potential of seaweed farming to clean up agricultural pollution
A research team calculated how strategically-planted beds of seaweed could help to clean up one of the world’s most polluted coastal environments, the Gulf of Mexico
How many fish are in the sea?
Researchers are getting closer to an answer—and improved management—by identifying the DNA traces that fish leave behind in seawater
Can marine reserves work if they still allow fishing? One UK bay suggests “Yes.”
On the southwest coast of the England, near the town of Lyme Regis, scientists found that fish populations boomed when reefs were protected, even though some kinds of fishing continued.
Letting the big fish get away could be an unexpected climate solution
Big fish sinking to the bottom of the sea could sequester millions of tons of carbon
Researchers calculate the value of bivalves’ appetite for pollution. It’s huge.
If coastal cities planted clam beds along the urban edge, they could save millions in nitrogen clean-up costs
Researchers connect the dots between aquatic biodiversity and human nutrition
That more diverse an aquatic area, the more nutrients make it to our plates
Lab-cultured seafood is coming. But can it actually relieve pressure on global fisheries?
Replacing wild-caught fish with lab-grown seafood is more complex than it may at first appear
