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.
Read MoreGood 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.
Read MorePublic 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.
Read MoreFaces of the ESA: Humpback Whales
Before a final moratorium on commercial whaling in 1985, all populations of humpback whales were greatly reduced, most by more than 95 percent. Today, thanks to two groundbreaking federal laws and with the help of a third, those songs have returned.
Read MoreBasking Shark-California’s Biggest Fish
International Basking Shark Day Recognizes the Second Largest Fish, and Works to Protect Them
The basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) is the second-largest living shark. It is one of three plankton-eating shark species, along with the whale shark and megamouth shark.
Read MoreCelebrating 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.
Read MoreCelebrate (and Defend) our National Marine Sanctuaries and Endangered Species
National Marine Sanctuary Day is celebrated annually on October 23 to honor the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972. This Act established the National Marine Sanctuary System to protect marine waters and wildlife, heritage, and the economy, and to promote stewardship and engagement. As Congress dithers, there are forces at work to weaken the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, allowing industry to bypass permitting and environmental assessment. At the same time, proposals to weaken the Endangered Species Act and The Marine Mammal Protection Act would allow taking and harming protected marine wildlife. Additionally, the Trump administration intends to open up the East and West coast to oil drilling in the upcoming 5-year Offshore Leasing Program.
We must act now to defend almost 50 years of habitat and wildlife protection in our ocean!
The Near Extinction of the Southern Sea Otter
By the 1900s, the southern sea otter almost completely vanished along the west coast of North America. By the mid‑20th century, counts indicated numbers as low as fifty, to a mere few hundred individuals. Two major laws: the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act helped provide an umbrella of protection against extinction. Today, under the Trump Administration, these important keystone predators that shape and conserve marine ecosystems like the giant kelp beds, are at risk of extinction.
Read MoreAssault on the Endangered Species Act
March 25, 2025 The Trump Administration and Congress are Weakening a 52 Year Law That has Pushed Back Extinction The Endangered Species Act (ESA), passed in 1973, has long been […]
Read MoreHope for the High Seas- New Global Treaty Signed
In the Northeast Pacific, adult white sharks annually migrate far from USA and Mexican protection and are vulnerable to being killed as bycatch on international longliners or shark finning on the high seas. This is one of the reasons we celebrate their return to Sanctuary during Sharktober each year!
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