Ctr4BioDiv Ocean

E&E News: Groups urge NOAA to keep commercial fishing out of monuments They also said the Trump administration has not used a transparent process for getting input from the public.

What do more than 230 scientists and 53 ocean conservation organizations have in common? They just told the Trump administration to protect our marine national monuments. Read more about our work to protect our monuments from industrial fishing: tinyurl.com/4d9xaa6e

Close up of jungle plant life. There is a quote from Jane Goodall in white text over the image. It reads: "What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make."

The conservation world lost one of its guiding lights on Wednesday when renowned primatologist Jane Goodall passed away at 91.

Over 65 years studying chimpanzees in the wild, Goodall proved that primates are a lot like people. But her impact goes far beyond chimps. 🧵

Hard-Fought Treaty to Protect Ocean Life Clears a Final Hurdle

🐳🌊🦈🐢🌍!!!!

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/19/c...

YouTube video by Scientific American Nodules: Deep-Sea Life Giver or Key to Our Energy Future?

Can you help me get to 10,000 views on our @sciam.bsky.social short film about the clash of scientists and corporations in the deep sea? 🪸

This would make our funder @pulitzercenter.org very happy. ☺️

It’s free to watch now on YouTube. We are half way to our goal! 📈

youtu.be/1jcmfjDtS1Q?...

✊🌍 HIGHLIGHTS: Ahead of the final plenary a coalition of member states, scientists, civil society groups & rights-holders united for a press conference with one message:

📢 A weak treaty fails the world. Delegates must choose ambition to protect people & the planet! #PlasticsTreaty #INC52

'Defending Paradise': Julia Louis-Dreyfus Takes on Big Oil in California Actress and activist Julia Louis-Dreyfus is fighting to block new oil drilling in Santa Barbara in the wake of a massive 2015 spill.

The fight over restarting oil drilling near Santa Barbara will determine both the fate of "the single largest threat to California's coast," and whether Gov. @gavinnewsom.bsky.social has what it takes to stand up to more "Trumpian" offshore drilling proposals. @rollingstone.com covers.

😡

Scientists solve mystery of what’s killing billions of starfish off California and the West Coast Die-off has affected the health of kelp forests and sparked years of scientific detective work

Scientists have figured out what's killing billions – yes, billions – of sunflower sea stars off the West Coast. It's a big step for these magical creatures and their Pacific ecosystem. Now the fed gov needs to finalize the sea star's protections under the ESA!
www.mercurynews.com/2025/08/04/s...

✊ One day before the final round of negotiations for a Global #PlasticsTreaty start, hundreds of citizens and civil society organisations gathered at the UN Place des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, to demand an ambitious & legally binding treaty! www.breakfreefromplastic.org/2025/08/05/s... (1/5)

Petrostates take Trump’s help to fight for plastics at UN summit A group of oil-producing nations could derail efforts to strike a deal tackling plastic pollution at the source.

It's not a surprise if the US goes full MAGA at the #plasticstreaty. What else would you expect from the "drill baby, drill!" crowd? The question is, will the rest of the world cower in fear or dismiss US diplomacy as incoherent and toothless? It's time to vote. www.politico.eu/article/petr...

“It’s been a terrible year for whales off the West Coast, and we can’t afford to let federal officials waste any more time delaying action on ship strikes,” said David Derrick, a staff attorney at @biologicaldiversity.org.

thehill.com/homenews/sta...

A gray whale breaches the ocean surface with mountains in the background, image courtesy of Merrill Gosho/NOAA.

At least eight gray whales have been killed by probable ship strikes so far in 2025 — and that's just in the Bay Area. It doesn't have to be like this.

We're launching a new lawsuit to help protect them from ship strikes in California. Learn more: biodiv.us/46uGlBf

We saved elephant seals, sea otters from extinction. Congress puts that at risk. | Opinion Congress is working on a proposal that would gut the Marine Mammal Protection Act and erase legal protections for dolphins, otters, seals and whales.

Jeff Corwin is spot on about the MMPA.

"Our shared natural treasures belong to every American to be wisely used, cared for and then passed on to future generations to harvest and cherish."

www.usatoday.com/story/opinio...

Top U.N. Court Says Countries Must Act on Climate Change

“This decision gives moral and legal heft to all of us around the world fighting for the swift transition off fossil fuels,” said Jean Su, director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s energy justice program in @nytimes.com ⬇️

🌍 We need a #PlasticsTreaty that can deliver meaningful impact to protect the environment, biodiversity, human health, and human rights.

Swipe to learn the 10 priorities for a successful Plastics Treaty. 👉

#BreakFreeFromPlastic #INC52 #PlasticPollution

E&E News: Legal fight grows over offshore drilling’s impact on endangered species Environmentalists filed a revised lawsuit Monday contending that federal assessments of oil and gas projects fail to meet Endangered Species Act standards.

If you were taking a look at how offshore drilling could hurt endangered birds, sea turtles and other Gulf animals, don't you think you'd consider major oil spills? 🤔

We thought so — so we told the fed govt in court that they'd missed something big.

subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...

Opinion: What does Rep. Nick Begich have against Alaska marine mammals? Alaska’s congressman has proposed a truly heartless piece of legislation that would gut the remarkably successful Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Alaska's Rep. Nick Begich has proposed text that would drastically weaken the incredible Marine Mammal Protection Act. Cooper Freeman, the Center's Alaska director, explains why these changes would be terrible for Alaskans and the state's wildlife. 👇

www.adn.com/opinions/202...

Appeals Court backs NMFS decision rejecting Alaska effort to remove ringed seal protections | Alaska Beacon The 9th Circuit uphold a lower court ruling and said the agency was reasonable in rejecting delisting of ringed seals.

“The court rightly recognized there’s no scientific or legal reason for Alaska’s cruel attempt to strip away safeguards these seals need to survive our rapidly heating world,” said Marlee Goska, Alaska staff attorney for the Center. ⬇️

Gray whale washes up in Richmond, the 17th spotted in the Bay Area this year The gray whale was up against rocks along Point Isabel in Richmond.

Dead gray whale washes up in Richmond. Marine Mammal Center says ship strike is probable cause. Gray whale numbers are on the decline -- never recovering from the steep drop off that started in 2019. abc7news.com/post/gray-wh...

Guest column: Cuts to NOAA weaken ability to respond to dangerous spills. Here's how. For decades, I responded to oil spills as part of my job at NOAA. With incoming cuts, our abilities to do this crucial work is being hit hard, explains this guest columnist.

The ability to clean up after oil spills is already really limited and efforts typically don't recover most of the oil. But the Trump admin weakening response teams will make spills even worse, as this expert describes. Gulf communities & wildlife will pay the price.

www.nola.com/opinions/gue...

E&E News: Enviros sue to block ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ The lawsuit accuses the Trump administration and Florida of failing to conduct environmental analyses for the migrant detention center in the Everglades.

The "Alligator Alcatraz" project is absurd, cruel and would harm the Everglades wetlands. Attorneys at @biologicaldiversity.org and Friends of the Everglades just sued to stop it:

subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...

Ten Vital Services Provided by NOAA (Beyond the National Weather Service) Far too much of the media coverage supporting NOAA only mentions one of many things they do: here are 10 more.

You guys are doing it again.

Yes, NOAA is important because of the National Weather Service, but that is not all they do and you should stop saying it is.

I wrote this for the Union of Concerned Scientists. Read it and adjust your messaging accordingly. 🧪🦑🌎🐟

blog.ucs.org/science-blog...

An aerial image displays an oil spill in a marsh environment near Garden Island Bay, Louisiana on April 29, 2025.

The Center and our allies filed a legal petition today calling on the Trump administration to bar oil and gas companies that have failed to plug old wells and remove inactive platforms from obtaining new offshore drilling rights.

More info: biodiv.us/4nkNZUQ

Environmentalists seek offshore drilling ban for companies with abandoned wells With thousands of unplugged wells and platforms overdue for decommission, environmental groups seek ways to limit offshore drilling expansion.

If you haven't learned to clean up after yourself, you shouldn't get more chances to make a mess, right? 🤔Especially if your oily mess is in the ocean, in federal waters that belong to all of us. 🌊

The Center and partners just petitioned to make that a rule:
www.courthousenews.com/environmenta...

A green sea turtle swimming underwater.

We sued the U.S. Air Force and USFWS for failing to release public records detailing the Trump administration’s plans to build landing pads for SpaceX rockets in sensitive marine habitat in the Pacific Ocean including Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.

More info: biodiv.us/4dOFn4i

Letters to the Editor: Why isn’t Gov. Newsom stepping in as Sable Offshore resumes production? 'We know the pipeline is old, corroded and unsafe,' writes an L.A. Times reader. 'We know it is a rupture just waiting to happen.'

Exactly 10 years after a huge oil spill from an onshore pipeline devastated the coastline and led to hundreds of millions of dollars in damages, Sable Offshore Corp. announced that it restarted offshore production in the area on May 15.

Why isn't Gov. Newsome stepping in? ⬇️

Northern California's commercial crab season under threat from migrating whales A high-tech system that involves a remote-controlled pop-up balloon-like device is helping some fishermen from getting their crab cages entangled with humpback whales.

If you've been wondering how pop-up fishing gear works, who's testing it out, and why we need it to protect humpback whales, @cbsnews.com.web.brid.gy did a great story about all of that: www.cbsnews.com/news/crab-se...

Tell Etsy and eBay: Stop Selling Wildlife Products The global wildlife trade poses a significant risk to animals and plants around the world. Yet you can buy wildlife products on Etsy or eBay — and every sale helps push species closer to extinction. C...

Nautilus-shell bolo ties. Taxidermized coyote paws and preserved bobcat hearts. Art and jewelry made from butterflies' wings.

You can buy these things (and others) on Etsy or eBay.

We are calling on these platforms to commit to ending these sales by the end of the year. Add your voice ⬇️

China Says Trump’s Order on Seabed Mining Violates International Law Dozens of countries have called for a moratorium on seabed mining, and have urged restraint until an international authority agrees on rules for the practice.

Trump is trying to bully his way into mining the sea floor in international waters. But “the deep ocean belongs to everyone,” said the @biologicaldiversity.org's Emily Jeffers. “The sea floor environment is not a platform for ‘America First’ extraction.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/25/u...

Promotional image for Earth Day 2025 with the slogan 'For the Wild' and the message 'Earth-friendly food helps protect the planet.' Features a globe graphic and the logo of the Coalition for Biological Diversity.

With so much on the federal chopping block right now, we need local policies that fight climate denial and the cascade of attacks on nature.

#EarthDay is a perfect time to act: Call on your city to celebrate by adopting an Earth-friendly food resolution➡️ bit.ly/4ha2qa3