Oceans Stories

Our oceans provide food, regulate Earth’s climate, and are rooted in cultural traditions and community livelihoods around the world. When we work on ocean conservation, we are inherently also working with people dependent on the ocean, particularly those who live along coastlines.

Alexandria Abuzanuq Ivanoff, who is from Unalakleet, Alaska, a small hunting and fishing community on the northwest coast, discusses how warming waters and increased shipping could impact Indigenous peoples and wildlife. 

 

More than one-third of all sharks, rays, and chimaeras are now at risk of extinction because of overfishing, according to a new study re-assessing their IUCN Red List of Threatened Species extinction risk status. Governments and regional fisheries bodies must act now to stop overfishing and prevent a global extinction crisis.

Did you know that mangroves only cover 12% of the world’s coasts, but you can see them from space? 

As of June 2020, Indonesia had designated more than 7% of its marine area as MPAs, protecting some 43% of coral reefs, 25% of mangrove forests, and 37% of mapped seagrass beds.

Jack Sagumai grew up in a coastal community in Papua New Guinea, where much of his life revolved around the ocean; now he works with WWF and other community members to save it.

WWF's senior vice president for ocean conservation, Johan Bergenas, tells us why he loves the ocean, and why we cannot afford to lose it.

An exorbitant amount of plastic waste continues to plague our oceans, threatening marine life and the people who depend on these waters for their livelihoods. Despite the dire scope of this crisis, the growing momentum to address it is promising.

Being an archipelago nation made up of over 300 islands, Fiji is rich with marine life and biodiversity. With such close ties to the ocean, fishing is a major part of traditional Fijian life and many communities self-manage their resources.

How a handful of the Arctic’s abundant wildlife would be impacted by offshore drilling and a potential oil spill in the Arctic.

Coastal communities are the stewards of the ocean, and their livelihoods directly depend on its health. Six people living at the intersection of land and sea around the world tell us why they are so committed to the ocean and what it has brought to their lives.

Every late winter and early spring, gray whales navigate to the protected bays of the Baja Peninsula, to mate or give birth to their young. Getting up close to these amazing animals is an unforgettable experience.

Dr. Vineetha Aravind is the lead coordinator for shrimp and cephalopod fisheries that are working to improve their sustainability through fishery improvement projects. She's helping to introduce new fishing nets that will reduce the amount of bycatch.

WWF invited some of the women leading the charge against plastic pollution to share their thoughts on the significance of the plastic waste crisis being felt in all corners of the planet.

Climate change is rapidly changing the Arctic, and its implications are global. More oil to burn would only fuel the climate crisis and put the Refuge and everything living within it at risk from toxic spills and mishaps. Now is the time for bold action that permanently protects the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Protecting whales is crucial to protecting healthy oceans for all of us. Yet even these ocean giants are being impacted by the "deadliest predator in the sea": plastic pollution.

Investing in open-ocean seaweed farming could help move the needle on climate change.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has denied a permit for developers to build the controversial Pebble Mine in Alaska, marking an important moment in the decade’s long effort to protect Bristol Bay.

Harmful fisheries subsidies fuel harmful fishing practices. Rather than subsidizing fishing activities that hurt the ocean, communities, and the economy, governments have an opportunity to reroute funding toward efforts that bring benefits to marine health and human well-being.

Ghost fishing gear includes any abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear. It is the deadliest form of marine plastic debris and often goes unseen. Learn more about how you can help stop this silent killer and protect the health of our ocean its inhabitants.

A partnership with Sky Ocean Rescue and Swansea University, the WWF project aims to restore a total of around five acres of seagrass this year.

WWF president and CEO Carter Roberts talks with Julie Packard, founding executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, about coping during COVID-19 and creating a place where marine life shines.

Many of the practices that lead to unsustainable fishing are also rooted in some of the same underlying conditions that lead to human rights abuses. Learn more about the tools that WWF is implementing to help address these critical issues. 

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is located in one of the largest remaining natural areas on the planet: Alaska. The species that call the refuge home have been protected from the risks of unsustainable development for decades, but now the US government is moving forward with plans to open the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge to allow for oil and gas drilling.