Costa Rica bans fishing of hammerhead sharks
Despite being critically endangered, hammerhead sharks have been bought and sold in Costa Rica for years, with demand being driven by shark fin soup.
Marine conservation
Oceans cover more than 70% of Earth’s surface and support the food, climate, and biodiversity systems that billions of people depend on. This archive tracks real progress in marine conservation — from expanding protected areas and restoring coral reefs to reducing plastic pollution and rebuilding fish populations. Each story focuses on what’s working and who is making it happen.
Hawaii becomes first U.S. state to ban shark fishing
Hawaii just became the first U.S. state to protect all shark species—a move that recognizes these keystone predators as both ecologically essential and culturally sacred. Sharks keep ocean food webs balanced, yet more than 100 million are killed annually and populations have plummeted 70 percent since 1970. The law allows Native Hawaiian cultural practices while penalizing illegal capture, with enforcement powers to address bycatch. This sets a template for ocean protection worldwide: when we anchor conservation in both science and culture, entire ecosystems stand a fighting chance.\n\n**Word count: 83**
Australia’s environment minister uses their powers to rejects coal mine for the first time in nation’s history
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef just got a powerful new defender: for the first time ever, a federal environment minister has blocked a coal mine using national environmental law. The proposed open-cut mine would have operated for about 20 years just 10 kilometers from the reef, with sediment and runoff likely to harm its already fragile waters. Public response was overwhelming — more than 9,000 submissions poured in during a 10-day comment window, most urging rejection. Minister Tanya Plibersek agreed, calling the environmental risks simply too great. The decision won’t save the reef on its own, but it proves that federal environmental law has real teeth — and that everyday voices, gathered in numbers, can still shift what governments are willing to do.
Thailand bolsters efforts to curtail environmentally damaging illegal coral trade
For years, Thailand has focused on curtailing its illegal trade in terrestrial wildlife. Recently, the country has been doing the same for coral species, a critical element of its marine ecosystems.
30% of Barbados seas to be protected under innovative “blue bond” financing scheme
The Nature Conservancy announced it will work with partners to buy a piece of Barbados’ national debt and refinance it to facilitate this goal.
Manta ray populations are surging in Indonesia’s Raja Ampat archipelago
A new study from the University of Auckland shows that reef manta ray populations in the region have seen up to 10.7% compound annual increase from 2009-2019.
U.S. passes legislation banning the shark fin trade within the nation
Before the Senate passed this legislation, 14 states and three U.S. territories had already banned the sale and possession of shark fins. The new bill will prohibit the fin trade across the entire U.S.
In historic deal, nearly 200 countries agree to protect 30% of land and sea to protect biodiversity
Nearly 200 countries just agreed to protect 30 percent of the planet’s land and oceans by 2030 — a leap from the 16 percent of land and 8 percent of seas currently safeguarded. The deal, struck in the early hours of a December morning in Montreal, also commits wealthy nations to send $30 billion a year to developing countries for nature protection. Crucially, Indigenous communities — who steward an estimated 80 percent of the world’s remaining biodiversity — won language protecting their land rights and traditional knowledge in how these areas are governed. Past pledges have faltered, and enforcement remains the open question. But for a world losing species at rates unseen since the dinosaurs, having nearly every nation in one room agreeing to reverse course is a milestone worth marking.
Shark-fishing gear banned across much of Pacific in conservation ‘win’
The measure adopted by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission is seen as a major and potentially precedent-setting win for conservationists.
Niue designates its entire exclusive economic zone as a marine park
The small island nation in the South Pacific Ocean has designated its entire exclusive economic zone — an area about the size of Vietnam — as a multiple-use marine park called Niue Nukutuluea.