Ocean Conservancy

08/29/2026

🎉 Huge news out of Oregon – let’s celebrate! 🎉

A federal judge upheld a statewide law ensuring plastic producers pay their fair share for the waste they produce … and take the burden off of us, the taxpayers. This is a major win for consumers across the state and our ocean.

Our Director of Plastics Policy Anja Malawi Brandon, PhD sums it up perfectly:

This decision affirms that states have every right to innovate to solve the plastic pollution crisis. It is not only a victory in the fight to end plastic pollution, but a victory for our ocean and a great day to be an Oregonian. As someone who has dedicated my life to fighting plastic pollution and who calls Oregon home, myself, I will be celebrating!

Kudos to all involved for securing a win in the fight against ocean plastics.

08/29/2026

Did you know that horseshoe crabs are basically living fossils? They actually predate the dinosaurs! The oldest known horseshoe crab species, Lunataspis aurora, was discovered by scientists in 2008 and is estimated to be nearly 450 million years old.

While they’ve certainly experienced a few evolutionary adaptations, horseshoe crabs' physiology has remained largely unchanged over time, which is why they’re so often referred to as ‘living fossils.’

Ancient *and* awesome, if you ask us! 🌊

Learn more about horseshoe crabs and why they're counting on us to protect the waters they've depended on for millennia: https://bit.ly/45OGPQW

📸 Photo by Eric Hian-Cheong.

Horseshoe crabs get their name from their horseshoe-shaped exoskeleton, called a carapace.

08/24/2026

Happy ! 🌿

For their size, manatee diets may surprise you. While weighing up to around 1,200 pounds and eating about 10% of their body weight every single day, these vegetarians have a salad-type diets of mangrove leaves and seagrass!

Manatees are affectionately nicknamed “sea cows” for their relaxed, constantly grazing manner—and they only move at an average of five miles per hour, with the exception of small, short bursts every now and then around 15 miles per hour. So, while they do eat largely vegetarian diets, their slow lifestyles filled with frequent eating explain why these animals are so adorably plump.

Learn all about manatees and how you can help us protect the vulnerable habitats they depend on: https://bit.ly/4xouOgY

📸 David Schrichte / Ocean Image Bank

08/22/2026

Though cone snail shells are often colorful and intricately patterned, that is *not* an invitation to be touched or picked up! ⚠️

Cone snails’ shells are narrow at the base and wide at the opposite end and have spires, or coils. Though their shells are often colorful and intricately patterned, you should never touch or pick one up. There are at least an estimated 600-700 species of these marine gastropods, from the family Conidae, ALL of which are venomous. 😳

They are actually some of the most venomous animals on Earth, so you can look ... but DON'T touch! ✋

Learn more (from a distance): https://bit.ly/4gkpeqe

08/21/2026

👏🏼 Exciting news in Florida! 🌊

We are thrilled to partner with the Jupiter Narrows Conservation Alliance and the Andrew "Red" Harris Foundation to restore disappearing mangrove islands in the southernmost part of the Indian River Lagoon. This multi-year restoration project will give the mangrove islands a new lease on life, dramatically help revitalize the ecosystem and reverse decades of erosion.

"Mangroves are a linchpin species of the Florida ecosystem ... by protecting them, we're doing a lot to protect important aspects of the Floridian wildlife that we love." - Ocean Conservancy Florida Conservation Director J.P. Brooker

Over the coming months and years, we'll share updates on how this project is developing as one of northern Palm Beach County's most valuable coastal ecosystems is restored.

08/20/2026

Far below the ocean’s surface—where sunlight disappears, pressure skyrockets and temperatures plunge—some of the strangest animals on the planet have evolved to survive. Some have transparent heads, glowing bodies, needle-like teeth or tentacles that seem straight out of science fiction. And yet, these bizarre sea creatures are very real!

An estimated one million deep-sea species remain undiscovered. In fact, many deep-sea creatures have only been seen a handful of times because their habitats are so vast and difficult to explore.

Jump in and discover 7 ocean animals that prove our blue planet can be just as strange as outer space! 👽

Learn more:

Seven ocean creatures that prove our blue planet can be just as strange as outer space - they look just like aliens

08/18/2026

If you ask people which American states depend on the ocean, Kansas probably wouldn't top the list.

No beaches, no ports, no salt air ... But that is exactly why Kansas is such a powerful reminder of something ocean lovers everywhere have long understood. The ocean does not stop mattering at the shoreline.

Learn how the Sunflower State reveals why our ocean matters far beyond the coast:

Kansas is a powerful reminder of something ocean lovers everywhere have long understood: The ocean does not stop mattering at the shoreline.

08/17/2026

This , we’re sending waves of gratitude to all the passionate ocean advocates who have helped us fight for our ocean since 1972! 🌊

There are so many ways you can support Ocean Conservancy on this special day and every day, including:

🗣 ADVOCATE | Take action via our action center: https://bit.ly/4fSKQqf

🎁 DONATE | Give back to the ocean that gives us all so much: https://bit.ly/3UDnL5S

🚮 CLEAN UP | Join the , and be sure to download the Clean Swell app to track all the trash you collect: https://bit.ly/3JzI9Qt

🔁 AMPLIFY | Show your love for the ocean by sharing our posts and resources with you friends, family and community. The more people who know about the challenges our ocean is facing and the solutions we can use to care for it, the better we can protect our blue planet.

📱 SUBSCRIBE | Join our mobile list to stay in-the-know on all the latest ways you can support our work to secure a healthy ocean and a thriving planet, forever and for everyone: https://bit.ly/4x0BFgJ

Reshare this post and comment below and tell us why YOU love making waves with Ocean Conservancy!

📸 Photos via Ocean Conservancy + Blue Wesley Productions, T Jennings Photography and Grant Thomas Photography via The Ocean Agency.

08/16/2026

The waters of the Indo-Pacific provide an ideal environment for many sharks, with more than 200 of an estimated 500 known species documented as being identified in these tropical waters.

There is one shark species, however, that proves to be both peculiar and phenomenally fascinating at the same time. Ocean lovers, meet the tasseled wobbegong, whose trademark look may surprise you: This shark has a beard! 🧔‍♂️

Learn all about this curious creature and how you can protect wonderfully unique animals like these: https://bit.ly/4c8RUzY

08/15/2026

It's true: Scientists have more detailed maps of the moon than of the deep seafloor! 🗺

This is because our moon is airless, waterless and directly observable from orbit, while the deep seafloor is hidden under miles of opaque ocean. The deep seafloor is also VERY vast, covering over two-thirds of the Earth’s surface. That's roughly 10 times greater than the moon’s surface area!

But visibility and size tell only part of the story. So, what else makes the deep sea, which is sitting right in our own backyard, harder to explore than the moon, which is more than 200,000 miles away? How do scientists manage to study the deep sea despite the obstacles to observation? And why does deep-sea exploration matter ... now more than ever?

Find out! ➡️ https://bit.ly/3UlW41f

📸 NOAA / NOAA ROV Hercules