New Executive Order Threatens Decades of Shark and Ocean Protection in USA Waters

A new directive from the White House threatens to undo decades of hard-won marine conservation in the name of deregulation. President Trump’s recently signed Executive Order, titled “Restoring American Saltwater Angling and Recreation,” takes direct aim at the federal fisheries management systems that protect important marine habitat and our most vulnerable marine species, including sharks.

Under the guise of eliminating “unnecessary restrictions” and cutting red tape for recreational anglers and charter businesses, the administration is actively dismantling the safety nets that prevent overfishing and habitat destruction.

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Finning Bans Alone Are Not Enough: End the Overfishing and Trade Driving Shark Declines

A new Nature Communications analysis finds that shark-finning regulations, while important, have not produced a statistically significant change in global shark-product exports, imports, domestic consumption, or trading partnerships. The study by UCSB researchers McDonald et. al result is a clear warning: preventing the wasteful act of finning at sea must be paired with enforceable fishing limits and meaningful controls on the shark-fin trade. What does this mean for the sharks?

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Federal Government Placing California’s Coastal Authority at Risk- Comment Today

Under the Trump administration’s direction, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has begun a review of California’s Coastal Management Program. As part of the review, the federal government is seeking public input on offshore oil drilling, pipeline infrastructure, desalination, undersea cables, deep seabed mining, spaceport development and other projects that could shape the future of California’s coast. Tell NOAA that the Coastal Zone Management Program is critical to protect the health and economic vitality of coastal communities

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Letter to NOAA Against Opening Fishing in the Papahānaumokuākea

I am writing to express our strenuous opposition to the recent final action taken by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC) to restore commercial fishing within the Pacific Remote Islands, Rose Atoll, Marianas Trench, and Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monuments. This recommendation to allow longline and purse seine fishing within 50–200 nm of these protected areas is a direct assault on some of the world’s last remaining intact marine ecosystems and must be rejected by NOAA Fisheries.

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The Super El Niño and Great White Sharks

With the “super” El Niño in 2026 driving historic sea surface temperature increases, scientists anticipate a larger-than-normal influx of juvenile sharks along the California coast. More young white sharks does not necessarily mean more human – shark interactions, or “shark attacks.” Learn what you can do to minimize your risk of a shark bite this summer.

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The Super El Niño, and What it Might Bring to Californiaʻs Marine Wildlife

In June, NOAA’s National Weather Service officially reported the onset of an El Niño pattern supporting predictions of an extreme weather disruption dubbed the “Super El Niño” in fall and winter of 2026/2027.  So what can we expect this fall in the Gulf of the Farallones and along the Bay Area Coastline?

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Emergency Shark Fishing Regulations- Make Permanent

On June 17, the California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to approve an emergency regulation to strengthen restrictions on fishing gear, in order to improve public safety and prevent fishers from illegally targeting white sharks near California beaches and piers.

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