Hundreds of volunteers participated in first-ever International Plastic Pellet Count
From Wisconsin to Copacabana 52,458 plastic pellets were collected from beaches, streams, and lake shores.
Oceans
Home to diverse wildlife from the smallest krill to the biggest whale, our country’s oceans — and the ecosystems they support — are worth preserving for future generations.
The Latest on Oceans
Rare sighting: two dolphin “super pod” events make waves off California coast
Why we must protect the Grand Canyon of the Atlantic
Updates
Update: California Ocean Day 2025
Six highways in the sky aid in seabird migration
Whale songs share similiarities to human language
Featured Resources
Ocean appreciation workbook for kids
Which whales live near you?
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is still wreaking havoc on the Gulf of Mexico
The risks of deep-sea mining: Disruption on a massive scale
The Latest
Type
Darth Vader or deep sea creature?
A "supergiant" deep sea isopod earns a sci-fi name for the ages.
Wildfires in Los Angeles: Impacts on wildlife and ocean ecosystems
The wildfires burning in Los Angeles continue to burn, threatening human lives and buildings and scorching an area bigger than San Francisco. Wildfires also threaten local wildlife and potentially our oceans.
Whales’ baleen holds clues about the species’ reaction to whaling
A forgotton collection of baleen helped Smithsonian scientist discover evidence of the stress caused by a resumption of whaling.
More of our ocean wildlife spared from drilling
The Biden administration’s action blocks offshore drilling in the Pacific, Atlantic, Eastern Gulf of Mexico and parts of the Bering Sea.
STATEMENT: West Coast whale entanglements reach a 6-year high
NOAA statistics show need to protect whales; ropeless gear a prudent solution