Maybe. The world is always changing, leaving plants and animals everywhere to adapt to new habitats and living conditions. Evolution offers a pathway for life to adapt to these changes, but it takes time. So as human-caused climate change increases the rate at which the environment is changing, the big question is, can evolution keep […]
Hakai
Marine Protected Areas, Explained
There’s nuance in how we protect our oceans; here are the details. It’s World Ocean Day, a day when the ocean takes the podium and the world professes concern, but also love, for the planet’s life force. It’s a day of celebrations, and also cautionary tales. Marine protected areas (MPAs) are one of the tools […]
Rising Sea Levels Will Isolate People Long Before They’re Underwater
Time and tide wait for no man. Neither does sea level rise. The Chignecto Isthmus—the low marshy strip connecting New Brunswick and Nova Scotia—may be one of the most vulnerable places in Canada to sea level rise. At just 21 kilometers wide, the interprovincial land bridge is battered on its southwestern flank by the famously […]
For Marine Species, Hidden Divisions Abound
The little sand lance is unexpectedly split in two, revealing a breadth of genetic diversity that could help it survive. On land, rivers and mountain ranges can divide species into genetically distinct populations. In the vast expanse of the ocean, where there is seemingly little to stop fish and other sea creatures from going where […]
Ship Noise Kills Crabs’ Libidos
For green crabs, ship noise is like an anti–Barry White. The constant thrum of ship engines and other human noises can be a real nuisance for many sea creatures, disrupting their feeding, navigation, and communication. Now a new study shows that ship noise can also kill the mood for amorous crabs. Read more in Hakai.
How Increasing Wildfires Could Transform the Arctic
Wildfires, and the nutrients they bring, could make the Arctic Ocean more productive. In August 2014, the Arctic Ocean near the North Pole was suddenly awash with microscopic life—gripped by an algae bloom that covered the Laptev Sea, a large chunk of the East Siberian Sea, and part of the open Arctic Ocean. In a […]
The Pandemic Changed How People Buy Fish—and Small Fishers Couldn’t Keep Up
Small-scale fishers, often overlooked by government aid, were less able to adapt to changing market conditions than large companies. As a result, many lost out to bigger players. The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the global fishing industry. Lockdowns, travel restrictions, and disruptions to supply chains all conspired to depress demand for fresh fish in […]
So Long to Open-Net-Pen Salmon Farms?
In British Columbia and Washington, legislators are simultaneously weighing whether to allow this controversial farming practice to persist. This year could see the end of open-net-pen salmon aquaculture on the US and Canadian west coasts. This approach to salmon farming is already banned in California, Oregon, and Alaska, leaving British Columbia and Washington State as […]
Scientists Found a Nitrogen-Fixing Seagrass
Adopting a strategy that is all but unheard of in the sea, this seagrass produces an essential nutrient the same way peas do. The meadows of luscious green seagrass that dot coastal regions around the world are gaining recognition as important marine habitats and carbon sinks, but there is still a lot we don’t know […]
China’s Surprisingly Robust System of Marine Protection
China is not slouching on its marine protection efforts—domestically, at least. China, as the world’s largest producer and consumer of seafood, is well known for its voracious international fishing fleet. But a comprehensive understanding of the country’s efforts on marine protection, at least in its domestic waters, has remained elusive—even to many experts within China. […]