Experts have interviewed fishers, tourism operators and recreational sea users in 50 marine protected areas to see how well any negative human impacts are being reduced.
Reef manta rays open their mouths wide while feeding around Manta Ridge, one of their important feeding areas in the Dampier Strait, Raja Ampat, Southwest Papua.
Edy Setyawan
Edy Setyawan, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
While they can travel vast distances, our research revealed reef manta rays in Raja Ampat live mostly within a relatively small underwater ‘town’ – which urgently needs better protection.
Egg cases found along the foreshore can tell scientists a lot about the abundance and life cycles of sharks and rays.
Ross Mahon/Shutterstock
Egg cases of sharks and rays can be found washed up on the shore. Citizen science data helps scientists understand the life cycles of these marine animals and how to best conserve them.
A new report has found the marine reserve covering the Heard and McDonald islands must urgently be expanded.
Endangered North Atlantic right whale Snow Cone, entangled in fishing rope, with her newborn calf off Georgia in 2021.
Georgia Department of Natural Resources/NOAA Permit #21731, via AP
Even when female North Atlantic right whales survive entanglement in fishing gear, it may affect their future ability to breed, increasing the pressure on this critically endangered species.
The oceans are rapidly warming and Canada’s marine protections must be able to adapt quickly to meet these changes.
(Brittany Griffin, Unsplash)
As oceans warm, Canada’s marine protections system looks woefully inadequate. New monitoring systems and flexible governance can help Canada protect the areas most likely to have the greatest impact.
Edy Setyawan, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
This research provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date description of how young reef manta rays use Wayag Lagoon in Raja Ampat as their nursery habitat.
Corals and fish in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, San Pedro, Belize.
Andre Seale/VW PICS/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
As nations pledge to preserve swaths of ocean within their territorial waters, a marine scientist explains why some marine protected areas shelter ocean life more effectively than others.
Marine ecosystems across Canada’s coasts, such as eelgrass meadows that provide an important habitat for juvenile species, are threatened by human activities and climate change.
(Nicolas Winkler)
It is time to acknowledge and address the rapid shifts in Canada’s oceans. To meet this challenge, Canada’s marine conservation toolbox — starting with the Oceans Act — needs an overhaul.
An underwater forest formed by the purple gorgonian (Paramuricea clavata) off Marseille at a depth of 60 metres.
Romain Bricoult / CC BY-NC-ND