By: Brian Wong Global Fishing Watch (GFW) uses cutting-edge technology to visualize, track and share data about global fishing activity in near real-time and for free. Their primary dataset comes from data about a vessel’s identity, type, location, speed, direction and more that is broadcast using the Automatic Identification System (AIS) and collected via satellites… Read More
by Guillermo Ortuño Crespo and Gabrielle Carmine We are in the midst of two global crises on climate and biodiversity. Fewer places represent the seriousness of these challenges better than the global ocean. The global ocean has absorbed much of the excess carbon dioxide and heat that humans have generated, while experiencing a ruthless loss… Read More
Innovations in animal tracking technology are changing the way we think about how the world’s oceans are connected, providing knowledge on the migratory connectivity of populations and species to inform worldwide conservation and sustainable use. An new study is available in Proceedings B on “The importance of migratory connectivity to global ocean policy,” co-led by… Read More
The Duke University Marine Lab hosted a Girls Exploring Science & Technology (GEST) event on April 13th, 2019, where over 200 middle school girls from local, neighboring, and distant counties (even as far as Virginia!) came to learn and have fun with a broad range of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) activities. … Read More
by Sarah Poulin From February 2-9, 2019 the MiCO sea turtle team migrated down the coast to Charleston, South Carolina for the 39th International Sea Turtle Society (ISTS) Symposium. The symposium convenes each year to help bring together the community of sea turtle biologists, conservationists, educators, and advocates to promote the sharing of knowledge and… Read More
On April 1 (no fooling!), MGEL and a consortium of over 50 partners launched the Migratory Connectivity in the Ocean (MiCO) system at a side event at a United Nations meeting in New York. The inter-governmental conference was the culmination of years of work by a preparatory committee to engage member nations in discussions for… Read More
Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ), established by the 1982 United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea, account for 64% of the world’s oceans and thus more than 45% of the planetary surface. While some ABNJ are found above to the continental shelf, most lie beyond the continental shelf break, making most ABNJ oceanic… Read More
On April 1st, 2019 the MiCO System launches at the 2nd Intergovernmental Conference on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ). Underlying the discussions and negotiations for a new international legally binding instrument are important considerations of how areas within and beyond national jurisdictions are connected, highlighted… Read More
Cetaceans are protected worldwide but vulnerable to incidental harm from an expanding array of human activities at sea. Managing potential hazards to these highly-mobile populations increasingly requires a detailed understanding of their seasonal distributions and habitats. Pursuant to the urgent need for this knowledge in U.S. waters of the western North Atlantic and Gulf of… Read More
In December, following the Society for Marine Mammalogy’s 20th Biennial Conference on Marine Mammals in Otago, New Zealand, we conducted 1-day workshops at the University of Otago and University of Auckland. Thanks to all who attended! A special thanks to the workshop organizers, Judy Rodda and Rochelle Constantine. At the workshops, we presented introductory lectures on MGET,… Read More