Hope for the Soupfin Shark: CITES Protection and the Fight Ahead

For far too long, the soupfin shark has faced a relentless onslaught of threats, pushing its global populations to the brink. At the latest Conference of the Parties to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), soupfin sharks achieved international protection from trade.

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Tell BOEM NO to Offshore Drilling

The Trump administration’s Department of the Interior is proposing a new 5-Year Offshore Drilling Plan that includes California, the Gulf of Mexico, the previously protected waters off of Florida, and Alaska, including the Alaskan wilderness, where drilling has never been attempted before because of the dangerous risk to sensitive wildlife. Oil spills caused by drilling- like the tragic Deep Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico- will have enduring negative impacts on climate, wildlife and human health. The agency is inviting public comments until Friday, January 23, 2026.

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VOICES OF EXTINCTION: The Southern Sea Otter

The story of the Southern Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) is a compelling narrative of near-extinction, resilience, and the critical role of conservation law. Once thought to be lost forever, this charismatic marine mammal has staged a remarkable comeback, largely thanks to the protections afforded by the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Endangered Species Act is Now at Risk- Act Now!

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USFWS Threatens to Gut the Endangered Species Act

On November 19, the administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), under the leadership of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, announced a sweeping set of proposals to roll back critical protections for our nation’s wildlife.  The USFWS has opened a strict 30-day public comment period ending December 22, 2025.

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Good News for Shark Protection at CITES Oceanic Whitetip

The Oceanic Whitetip Shark (Carcharhinus longimanus} has been officially uplisted to CITES Appendix I at the 20th Conference of the Parties (CoP20) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.The good news doesn’t stop there. CITES CoP20 saw an unprecedented commitment to marine conservation, with every shark and ray proposal tabled receiving adoption. This comprehensive suite of protections covers over 70 species and is a watershed moment for ocean wildlife.

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Public Comments Needed to Defend the Endangered Species Act

On November 19th the Trump Administration has published a proposal by US Fish and Wildlife to roll back Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections, specifically focusing on the removal of the “blanket rule” and its impact on threatened shark species. The public has a December 22nd deadline to comment to prevent the ESA from being weekend.

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Celebrating Sea Slugs- and Sharks?

October 29 is National Nudibranch Day or Sea Slug Day. A day to celebrate nudibranchs, it honors marine biologist Dr. Terry Gosliner, whose birthday is today. Dr. Gosliner, the Senior Curator of Invertebrate Zoology and Geology at the California Academy of Sciences (who literally wrote the book on Nudibranchs), has discovered over 1,000 new species of sea slugs.

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