Marine Political Ecology Collective

Seas of Consequences: Social and Natural Science Narratives on Environmental Harm and Crime at Sea Seas of Consequences: Social and Natural Science Narratives on Environmental Harm and Crime at Sea workshop, April 15–17, 2026.

Seas of Consequences: Social and Natural Science Narratives on Environmental Harm and Crime at Sea

Seas of Consequences: Social and Natural Science Narratives on Environmental Harm and Crime at Sea workshop, April 15–17, 2026.

Speakers confirmed, registration open, poster proposals by 15 Feb
“Seas of Consequences: Social and Natural Science Narratives on Environmental Harm and Crime at Sea”
April 15-17 2026, University of the Balearic Islands & hybrid format.

Drawing of a roly poly and a rubber ducky isopod

Isopods 🖌

#invert

That’s not a blobfish: Deep Sea Social Media is Flooded by AI Slop Well, it finally happened. Over the last two week, my usually well-curated feeds of videos from the deep sea have been overrun with AI slop masquerading as authentic images of strange and delightfu…

AI slop has made it to the deep sea.

That’s not a blobfish: Deep Sea Social Media is Flooded by AI Slop

www.southernfriedscience.com/thats-not-a-...

The Feds Want to Make It Illegal to Even Possess an Anarchist Zine Daniel Sanchez is facing federal charges for what free speech advocates say is a clear attack on the First Amendment.

“Prosecutors think they’ve found a constitutional loophole — if you can’t punish reporting it, punish transporting it.”

We wrote for @theintercept.com about how efforts to criminalize possession of words threaten press freedom.

Iceland deems possible Atlantic current collapse a security risk Iceland has designated the potential collapse of a major Atlantic Ocean current system a national security concern and an existential threat, enabling its government to strategize for worst-case scenarios, the country's climate minister told Reuters.

www.reuters.com/sustainabili...

Deep Sea Mining Watch Portal A new enhanced public portal that tracks and visualizes vessels engaged in deep-sea mineral activities.

Who watches the mariner miners?
globalfishingwatch.org/platform-upd...

Towards a broader perspective on marine biodiversity change - Marine Biodiversity Biodiversity decline jeopardizes the foundation of natural ecosystems and human well-being, a concern that prompted major global agreements aiming to bend the curve towards a net positive biodiversity...

More than a year ago researchers from @hifmb.de and @icbm-uol.bsky.social started to write about different perspectives on marine biodiversity change from natural and social science perspectives. This morphed into a review paper that was published online today link.springer.com/article/10.1... 🧪

From false flags to fake insurance, in our latest Stage Talk we learnt that there's many warning signs that indicate a ship may be up to no good. You can listen back to our conversation with @pa.nton.cx on tracking vessels by searching 'Stage Talks with Bellingcat'. rss.com/podcasts/bel...

If civilization collapses, how do we preserve our heritage? The ocean has the answer. “Coding Plants” is a #BlueHumanities art-science project that turns Kelp DNA into a living archive of human knowledge. @stevementz.bsky.social
@pederanker.bsky.social
www.terreform.org/venice #publichuamnities

The Abyss Stares Back by Stacy Alaimo is a new #BlueHumanities book that asks what deep-sea discoveries mean in an age of extinction. Science, art, and ethics come together in this timely work of #publichumanities. @stevementz.bsky.social

upress.umn.edu/9781517918736/

This study published in the 'GeoJournal' conceptualizes hunting in the Indigenous cosmologies of Idu-Mishmi and how the State and scientific ways of imagining hunting and conservation bring newer dimensions in the society. www.researchgate.net/publication/...

(PDF) Kanki: Idu Mishmi Nature Warrior PDF | On Sep 1, 2023, Mohan Sharma published Kanki: Idu Mishmi Nature Warrior | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate

This edited volume attempts to give space to the local/Indigenous communities who are the knowledge producer of conservation projects. I was fortunate to meet my friend Kanki who mentored me to look into the complex nature of human-animal relationships.
www.researchgate.net/publication/...

Governing biodiversity: ambiguity and fragmentation in the BBNJ Agreement Read this open access article here: ABSTRACT: As the global ecological crisis intensifies, international efforts to conserve biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ) has become increasingly urgent. The Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement is widely regarded as a breakthrough in ocean governance, yet it enters a legal and conceptual landscape marked by fragmentation and contested definitions of biodiversity.

This article examines how biodiversity, as an object of governance, is framed, interpreted, and operationalized in the BBNJ Agreement.

Read this open access article here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2025.107913

The Pacific island nation of Tuvalu could be submerged in 25 years due to rising sea levels, so a plan is being implemented to relocate its population to Australia. It's the the first-ever planned migration of an entire country.

Read more: www.wired.com/story/the-fi...

“Our fish are not your marine biodiversity”: tensions in integrating fisheries into the BBNJ Agreement - npj Ocean Sustainability npj Ocean Sustainability - “Our fish are not your marine biodiversity”: tensions in integrating fisheries into the BBNJ Agreement

New collaborative article out today! Discussion of tensions in new BBNJ treaty about implementing different visions and definitions of biodiversity.
#BBNJ #Biodiversity #MarineBiodiversity #Fisheries #MarineEcology #OceanPolicy #PoliticalEcology

www.nature.com/articles/s44...

Marine Political Ecology Collective a group committed to life and other elements of oceany spaces.

We’ve got some!

marinepoliticalecology.net/news/

The First Planned Migration of an Entire Country Is Underway The Pacific island nation of Tuvalu could be submerged in 25 years due to rising sea levels, so a plan is being implemented to relocate its population to Australia.

The Pacific island nation of Tuvalu could be submerged in 25 years due to rising sea levels, so a plan is being implemented to relocate its population to Australia. www.wired.com/story/the-fi...

Please submit public comments on proposed seabed mining off American Samoa
#DeepSeaMining #AmericaSamoa #SouthPacificOcean #publiclands

The U.S. may allow its first deep-sea mining lease off American Samoa—despite huge risks to fragile ocean ecosystems. Most Pacific communities oppose it. Speak up now! We must protect the deep sea, not exploit it. #DeepSeaMining #AmericaSamoa #SouthPacificOcean secure.everyaction.com/401h8fFRgk6I...

Request for Information and Interest: Commercial Leasing for Outer Continental Shelf Minerals Offshore American Samoa
www.regulations.gov/document/BOE...

American Samoa Activities

BOEM will accept comments on the RFI until Aug 15:

You may submit written comments electronically using Regulations.gov, docket No. BOEM-2025-0035. Comments must be submitted by 11:59 PM ET on August 15, 2025.

www.boem.gov/marine-miner...

An interesting opprtunity:

ArtSea Matchmaking

CALLING ALL ARTISTS & DEEP-SEA SCIENTISTS!
We’re excited to launch ArtSea Matchmaking, a new initiative that brings together artists and scientists for creative collaborations inspired by the deep ocean.
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Interior Launches Process for Potential Offshore Mineral Lease Sale Near American Samoa | U.S. Department of the Interior Advancing President Donald J. Trump's strategic focus on domestic critical mineral development, the Department of the Interior today announced it is initiating the process to evaluate a potential mine...

Will share the request for input when up. #seabedmining
#Samoa
"The first formal step will be the publication of a request for information and interest in the Federal Register...seek input from the Indigenous Island community, ocean users, industry stakeholders, government agencies and the public."

The Seabed Mining Activity and Coloring Book 2023 Marine Political Ecology Collective This activity and coloring book can spark joy and wonder about the benthic realm, while also learning about the devastating industry emerging to extract met…

Please enjoy this #zine by our collective!
#bluehumanities #socialoceans #seabedmining #environmentalhumanities #ecocriticism

Volumetric, embodied and geologic geopolitics of the seabed: offshore tin mining in Indonesia This paper explores the impact of seabed mining on tin divers near the Bangka and Belitung Islands, challenging traditional geopolitical approaches to governance. It emphasizes the importance of co…

From our collective:
"research on tin divers’ bodily experience of seabed mining concerning offshore Bangka and Belitung Islands, Indonesia, critical seabed mining sites"
#seabedmining #volume #geography #politicalecology #Indonesia

marinepoliticalecology.net/2024/04/25/v...

Deepwater Alchemy How underwater mediation has transformed deep-sea spaces into resource-rich frontiers   Green energy technologies such as windmills, solar panels, and elec...

What we're reading this month:
@thehanopticon.bsky.social's new book Deepwater Alchemy.
🦑👍

www.upress.umn.edu/978151791594...

Sedimentary relations: cultures of access and the matter of shallow seabed coring. Cultural Geographies 2024. Hine, A., Brinkhoff, T., Bolta, A. P., Peters, K., Sammler, K. G., & Tietje, K. Contemporary cultural geographies have increasingly addressed subterranean and deep sp…

Check out this article from our collective!

This article engages with subterranean and deep spaces, access to earthly materials and extraction, through an investigation into the ‘doings’ or practices of seabed access.
@ameliahine.bsky.social @sharkarms.bsky.social

This is a swimming sea slug. This type of slug, called a dendronotus nudibranch, can grow nearly a foot long in the Vancouver area where this was filmed. While they're often found on the seafloor, they can also fold their bodies to drift with ocean currents
📽️Marcelo Johan Ogata bit.ly/3a8lVQP