Coral reef fisheries expert Dr. Tim McClanahan highlights the resilience of coral reefs and the conservation efforts that will help them adapt to changing conditions.
In a survey of the Chagos Archipelago in the central Indian Ocean, due south of the Maldives, marine scientists found a huge array and high numbers of fish. The area was declared a no-take zone just a few years ago.
Reflecting on the American Museum of Natural History’s captivating new whale exhibition, Dr. Howard Rosenbaum, director of WCS’s Ocean Giants program, describes the challenges these beloved, but troubled creatures face in today’s oceans.
Reporting on the aquarium’s comeback following Hurricane Sandy, ABC News visited Coney Island to talk with WCS Vice President and Director of the New York Aquarium, Jon Forrest Dohlin.
A pair of courting cormorants soak up the sun in a newly minted marine protected area in Argentina. These seabirds share the Isla Pingüino Coastal Marine Park with sea lions, penguins, and dolphins.
Proposals to protect five species of sharks, freshwater sawfish, and two manta ray species have been accepted by CITES. These protections are critical to ensuring that international trade does not threaten the survival of commercially valuable shark and ray species.
Hurricane Sandy damaged the New York Aquarium, as well as other Coney Island landmarks. For months, the aquarium has been closed to the public while repairs are made, but WCS has just announced that the facility will partially reopen during late spring 2013.
A study co-authored by WCS conservationists shines light on the important question of how many humpback whales swam the North Atlantic before commercial whaling. This historical information will help guide future conservation goals for the species.
Animal lovers from around the globe are smitten with Mitik, the orphaned walrus calf who recently joined the New York Aquarium. Writing for the Huffington Post, WCS's President and CEO discusses Mitik's condition, as well as larger concerns about protecting wild walruses and their habitats.
WCS and several partner organizations undertook the first range-wide genetic study of bowhead whales, their findings revealing good and bad news. Although these ocean giants expertly navigate seemingly impassable portions of the ocean, the species has lost genetic diversity.
Mayor Bloomberg and WCS President and CEO Cristián Samper announced new funding and designs for the New York Aquarium’s “Ocean Wonders: Sharks!” exhibit. The 57,000-square-foot building slated to open in 2015 will house 115 species of marine animals, including 25 shark species, along with 500,000 gallons of water.
A recent blog for National Geographic NewsWatch celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Hol Chan Marine Reserve in Belize, the country's first marine reserve and one that protects the greatest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere. Conservation efforts there ensure continued success for blue striped grunts and other precious fish and marine animals.
Fitted with a tiny camera on its back, an imperial cormorant dove to the ocean floor to pursue a meal. Although conservationists know these seabirds seek underwater snacks, they never anticipated the depths of their fishing feats, as captured in this video. The WCS team that worked with the National Research Council of Argentina to track the “super-bird” has studied cormorant feeding behavior in the Patagonian Sea for the past decade.
Although conservationists have long known that turtles return to their natal beaches to lay eggs, direct evidence of these pilgrimages is scant. With sea turtles more imperiled than ever, conservationists can’t help but delight in success stories like this one.
John Calvelli, WCS Executive VP for Public Affairs, discusses threats to global shark populations and the devastating legacy of Jaws. As demand for shark fin soup grows, Calvelli emphasizes that efforts to conserve vulnerable shark species must incorporate a curb on the trade of their fins.
For the past year, WCS scientist-divers have been visiting the waters off Montauk, N.Y., to document the Lightburne, a vessel that famously sank during 1939. The conservationists are studying the sea life that swarms around this and other local shipwrecks to inform work on a new $150-million exhibit at WCS’s New York Aquarium, Ocean Wonders: Sharks!
The first satellite tag study for the world’s largest ray, conducted by researchers from WCS, the University of Exeter, and the Mexican government, reveals its habits and hidden journeys.
With support from the Summit Foundation, WCS conservationists and their local and international partners have introduced a new system of managed access to the Glover's Reef Marine Reserve’s conch fishery.
When local fishers in Kia Island opened a protected coral reef to fishing for a short-term community fundraising effort, the effects of the harvest bore long-term consequences for the reef's health.
Marine mammals contend with new industrial developments in the Arctic as local waters become increasingly ice-free during the summer and fall.
A study by WCS and partners presents a novel approach for establishing new large-scale protected areas in Madagascar’s waters.
The Government of Bangladesh declares three new wildlife sanctuaries for Ganges River and Irrawaddy dolphins. A WCS collaborative study with the Bangladesh Forest Department helped pinpoint the locations of the new protected areas.
Researchers from WCS, Columbia University, and other institutions find an unusual divide in song themes sung by humpback whales in Madagascar and Western Australia.
A newly released study finds that people are increasingly consuming marine mammals—including some very rare species, like the Fraser’s dolphin—in more than 100 countries around the world.
A WCS marine project to reduce bycatch in Kenya and Curacao through a low-cost, low-tech fish trap design takes the top honor in a contest sponsored by Rare, in partnership with National Geographic.
Researchers find that fishery closures in Belize’s Glover’s Reef help barracudas, groupers, and other predatory fish recover while the parrotfish and other herbivores essential for reef recovery still need more protection.
WCS track the epic journey of “Jackson,” a young male elephant seal. Elephant seals are potential indicators of marine ecosystem health and may show how climate change influences the distribution of prey species in Patagonia’s oceans.