The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC) announced it has taken final action to restore commercial fishing in parts of the Pacific Islands Heritage, Rose Atoll, Marianas Trench, and Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monuments, citing the need for local community access and economic development. The recommendation includes allowing longline and purse seine fishing within 50–200 nm of specific areas.
Read MoreSaving Endangered Sharks SharkStewards
international discussions to increase trade and catch protection for endangered hammerhead and thresher sharks are underway at the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP15). In Hawaii, the Fisheries Council is taking Trump’s directive to open Marine National Monuments in the Hawaiian Islands and South Pacific to commercial fishing. Meanwhile, millions across the country are a rising tide of momentum to save the ocean and our rights at No Kings.
Read MorePacific Fishery Council Targets Protected Areas
The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council announced its intentions to allow U.S. fishermen to fish in U.S. Pacific Federally Managed Marine Protected Areas at its 206th meeting this week.
Read MoreCMS Conference Proposes New Shark Protection
At the CMS COP15 conference (March 2026), key proposals include listing three thresher shark species—pelagic, bigeye, and common thresher on Appendix I for strict protection. Other sharks proposed for protection due to population declines include great and scalloped hammerheads, various angelsharks, and wedgefishes.
Read MoreListen to the Sea
Taira’s Tide: Listen to the Sea is a short video series following Big-Island born Taira Aoki as she dives into the water, not just as a host but as someone rooted in these islands and striving to expand her knowledge.
Read MoreProtect Indonesia’s Endangered Sharks and Rays
An Urgent Appeal to Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono Indonesia is the world’s largest shark-fishing nation. While the world watches, millions of sharks and rays—including species on the absolute brink of extinction—are […]
Read MoreCoastal Upwelling and the Cordell Bank
A healthy upwelling system is not just an ecological marvel; it is an economic powerhouse. California’s ocean economy generates tens of billions of dollars annually. However, the integrity of this system is currently at a crossroads. Newly proposed groundfish rules under the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) threaten to damage fragile marine habitat and alter the balance of species within these protected zones. Perhaps more concerning is the shadow of proposed oil exploration offshore.
Read MoreGlobal Shark Attacks at Norm in 2025
Global shark attacks were higher in the year 2025 over 2024 reports the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File (ISAF). Despite the attention it gets when an incident involving a shark and human occurs, shark populations are decreasing globally.
Read MoreTell NOAA No to Weakening Blacknose Shark Protection
Add your voice to the public record telling NMFS no weakening protection for the Blacknose sharks. Specifically ask for boat and bag limits to remain unchanged: Alternative D1: Keep the current recreational retention limits for sharks. – No Action
Read More“Safe Seas Act” Unsafe for Sharks
Introduced in 2025, the Florida Safe Seas Act would amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to ban shark feeding in Florida’s federal waters, known as the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). This law would prohibit shark tourism in Federal waters but would allow anglers to legally feed sharks to catch and kill them.
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