Oceans Stories

Our planet’s health—and our own well-being—is dependent on a vibrant ocean rich with nature, like fish! While sustainable fishing can be an effective way to keep our oceans healthy, one big barrier is standing in the way: taxpayer-funded support for unsustainable fishing operations.

A gold and copper mine proposed for the headwaters of Bristol Bay would hugely impact the watershed—but the federal agency assigned to evaluate the mining company’s plan says there’s no risk. That assessment doesn’t stand up to a fact check.

Seagrass is crucial to the health of our ocean and provides food and shelter for a ton of animals. But this leafy green marvel’s real superpower is the rate at which it captures heat-trapping carbon.

What should be frozen solid is now thawing and melting away—and communities are already dealing with the consequences. From Alaska to Miami to Bangladesh, learn how ice loss and sea level rise are impacting communities.

Drastic and swift-moving changes to our oceans and the cryosphere—the Earth’s snow and ice-covered places—are one of the most dramatic consequences of global warming.

An analysis of satellite imagery determined the annual sea ice minimum in 2019 tied the record for second-lowest.

A close look at the coastline reveals thawing permafrost oozing over the snow along the Chukchi Sea. The Arctic is warming twice as fast—and quite possibly faster—than any other place on the planet.

Located on a tiny island in the Chukchi Sea, just north of the Bering Strait and 20 miles below the Arctic Circle, Shishmaref has struggled for decades with coastal erosion and flooding attributed to climate change. Arctic Youth Ambassador, Gabriel Stenek share's its story.

The ground has shifted beneath the Pacific walrus. We need to take urgent action to limit the worst impacts of climate change and decrease the strain on these creatures.

Miami is often dubbed the "ground zero" for climate change. But as sea levels rise, so, too, does a generation of leaders showing the world what climate action looks like and fighting for the only home we know.

Manatees love mangroves; they use them for food and a quiet place to rest and raise their young. But these two key features of the Florida coasts are in trouble.

Seaweed is highly nutritious, easy to grow, and beneficial to ocean ecosystems. Learn more about this hardy, resilient macro algae is becoming an increasingly valuable commodity.

Whales don’t recognize national boundaries. But they do have core geographies and habitats where they most often roam—whether to rest, mate, frolic, or feed. Discover a few of the Antarctic’s whales.

As global temperatures shoot up, the vast storehouse of ice in Antarctica is at risk. A team tags whales, shares data, and works together to protect a changing ecosystem at the bottom of the world.

Plastic has only been mass-produced since the 1940s, but it’s having a devastating impact on sea turtles. Many of us are doing our part to reduce plastic pollution by recycling and reducing single-use items, but governments must also step up to take accountability and end this pollution epidemic.

The problem of plastic in nature, particularly in our oceans, is a global crisis. Learn what WWF is doing to stop plastics from leaking into our oceans.

Lauren Spurrier, vice president for oceans conservation, describes how our seas are transforming in unprecedented, life-altering ways—and lays out how WWF is working to save them for us all.

The network of cameras on purse-seine tuna vessels, combined with the enhanced monitoring system, prevents illegal, unreported, and unregulated catches from entering the marketplace.

Microplastics have accumulated abundantly in the Mediterranean. WWF is analyzing traces of plastic we find in whales to understand the strain that rising pollution puts on our oceans and marine life.

Ghost nets don’t only catch fish; they also entangle sea turtles, dolphins and porpoises, birds, sharks, seals, and more. Since hundreds of animals can be caught in a single net, you can see just how monumental this threat is.

In fishing, money is a strong motivator that can incentivize people to improve practices and fund the management necessary to reduce fishing’s footprint on the natural world. But spending money in the wrong ways can also exacerbate the consequences of overfishing.

Using new technology, like drones and digital tags, researchers have found that nearly every part of the Antarctica peninsula is important for whales’ feeding and resting. But it is also a hotspot for global climate change. WWF is calling for the protection of this remote wilderness in or effort to preserve 30% of the oceans by 2030.

Though the US government is meeting some of its commitments in the Arctic, not enough is being done and, in many instances, the government is backsliding, according to a new analysis.

Focusing on shrimp and salmon, WWF is working to improve aquaculture practices through tech innovations like forensic analysis of farmed products and traceability software.