Oceans Stories

Harmful fisheries subsidies fuel harmful fishing practices. Rather than subsidizing fishing activities that hurt the ocean, communities, and the economy, governments have an opportunity to reroute funding toward efforts that bring benefits to marine health and human well-being.

Ghost fishing gear includes any abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear. It is the deadliest form of marine plastic debris and often goes unseen. Learn more about how you can help stop this silent killer and protect the health of our ocean its inhabitants.

A partnership with Sky Ocean Rescue and Swansea University, the WWF project aims to restore a total of around five acres of seagrass this year.

WWF president and CEO Carter Roberts talks with Julie Packard, founding executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, about coping during COVID-19 and creating a place where marine life shines.

Many of the practices that lead to unsustainable fishing are also rooted in some of the same underlying conditions that lead to human rights abuses. Learn more about the tools that WWF is implementing to help address these critical issues. 

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is located in one of the largest remaining natural areas on the planet: Alaska. The species that call the refuge home have been protected from the risks of unsustainable development for decades, but now the US government is moving forward with plans to open the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge to allow for oil and gas drilling.

Sharks and rays are some of the most enigmatic and misunderstood creatures of the ocean. They are crucial for the health of our planet. This blog describes five incredible ways in which sharks and rays help the world, from fighting climate change to digging through sand for their neighbors to feeding phytoplankton.

Fishery Improvement Projects—called “FIPs” for short—draw together fishers, industry, researchers, government and NGOs to help improve fishing practices and management. Through a transparent and comprehensive approach, FIPs aim to increase a fishery’s performance and help it meet the sustainability requirements.

Recent rollbacks mean a dramatic decline in the security of America’s Arctic for both people and nature. Places that are so crucial for Arctic biodiversity, such as the Bering Strait—and the people who live there—are increasingly at risk.

Entanglement in fishing nets and lines is among the greatest threats to sea turtles worldwide. So WWF and partners designed the world’s first solar-powered LED fishing net.

Mangroves are a vibrant part of coastal wetlands on five continents. Explore some of the most diverse coastal forests around the world.

WWF is aiding the Fijian government and local communities in their efforts to establish a network of marine protected areas that will cover 30% of the country’s waters by 2030.

Beginning in 1981, the coastal community was forced to move inland when it became clear that erosion, accelerated by retreating sea ice and strong storms, would one day take the town altogether.

For tuna fishing, data is more important now than ever. Most tuna stocks are fully exploited, meaning at best there is little to no room for expansion and at worst, they are in danger of collapsing. That’s why unmonitored tuna fishing is unacceptable. Commercial tuna fishing is increasingly transparent—but more needs to be done

While most of what we learned about coral reefs in 2019 is grim, there's still hope. In this new decade, we can do quite a bit to protect coral reefs and the wildlife and people that depend on them.

Our planet’s health—and our own well-being—is dependent on a vibrant ocean rich with nature, like fish! While sustainable fishing can be an effective way to keep our oceans healthy, one big barrier is standing in the way: taxpayer-funded support for unsustainable fishing operations.

A gold and copper mine proposed for the headwaters of Bristol Bay would hugely impact the watershed—the federal agency assigned to evaluate the mining company’s plan has finally recognized the risk to the watershed but is still delaying a final decision on whether to allow the project to move forward.

Seagrass is crucial to the health of our ocean and provides food and shelter for a ton of animals. But this leafy green marvel’s real superpower is the rate at which it captures heat-trapping carbon.

What should be frozen solid is now thawing and melting away—and communities are already dealing with the consequences. From Alaska to Miami to Bangladesh, learn how ice loss and sea level rise are impacting communities.

Drastic and swift-moving changes to our oceans and the cryosphere—the Earth’s snow and ice-covered places—are one of the most dramatic consequences of global warming.

An analysis of satellite imagery determined the annual sea ice minimum in 2019 tied the record for second-lowest.

A close look at the coastline reveals thawing permafrost oozing over the snow along the Chukchi Sea. The Arctic is warming twice as fast—and quite possibly faster—than any other place on the planet.

Located on a tiny island in the Chukchi Sea, just north of the Bering Strait and 20 miles below the Arctic Circle, Shishmaref has struggled for decades with coastal erosion and flooding attributed to climate change. Arctic Youth Ambassador, Gabriel Stenek share's its story.