Oceana in North Carolina

12/11/2024

05/07/2024

GREAT NEWS: South Carolina State Parks has announced their plans to quickly eliminate single-use plastic bags and water bottles from their retail stores! Two garbage trucks’ worth of plastic enter the ocean every minute. This is a big win for wildlife and for our oceans! 🌎

The National Parks Service should act swiftly and follow South Carolina’s lead. 🌊 Add your name now to protect our parks and wildlife from single-use plastics:

Join in calling on the Department of the Interior and National Parks Service to act quickly to eliminate single-use plastics from our treasured national parks and other public lands!

03/28/2024

OP-ED from Oceana Board of Directors Chair, Sam Waterston:

"...North Atlantic right whales are on the verge of disappearing. We know what’s killing them, and we know how to stop it, but our government is doing nothing. President Biden and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo are responsible for issuing the update to the vessel speed rule. They must release it immediately if these magnificent creatures are to have a chance at survival."

Read the full article in The Hill here >>

This is an open and shut case: North Atlantic right whales are on the verge of disappearing. We know what’s killing them, and we know how to stop it, and our government is doing nothing.

03/01/2024

SPEAK UP and say farewell to foam!

One of the most common plastics found polluting our beaches and coasts is plastic foam, which is often used for single-use cups, plates, food containers, and packaging. To make matters worse, this plastic easily breaks up into smaller and smaller pieces, making it extremely difficult to clean up. But a new bill in Congress could help change all of that! Add your name to protect our oceans from harmful plastic pollution today: https://oceana.ly/49qoU3j

02/14/2024

It's time to break up with plastic pollution!

A "love affair" with plastic isn't love at all – it's toxic. Plastic foam pollutes our ocean, is incredibly difficult to clean up, and threatens the lives of marine animals like seabirds and sea turtles around the world.

This Valentine’s Day, speak up to show your love for the ocean & say farewell to foam! https://oceana.ly/3wcELnn

02/01/2024

Right Whale Update and Calf #17!

Right whale Catalog #3725 and calf were sighted off Ponte Vedra Beach, FL on January 30, 2024. Catalog #3725 is 17 years old, and this is her first calf. Catalog #3725 is the third first-time mother documented this winter and is the 2007 calf of #1425 ‘Butterfly’ who was also sighted with a calf a few days earlier.

We’ve reached the midpoint of the North Atlantic right whale calving season. So far, 69 right whales have been documented from North Carolina to Florida, including 17 mother-calf pairs, 17 additional females, 3 yearlings, and 15 males/unknown s*x whales. The 17 females sighted are all old enough to be potential mothers, but only two – Catalog #3260 ‘Skittle’ and #3270 ‘Pico’ – have given birth before.

Of the 17 calves documented so far, two have been lost and one was severely injured by a vessel strike. The injured calf and its mother, Catalog #1612 ‘Juno,’ haven’t been re-sighted since January 11. Additionally, the carcass of a young, female right whale washed ashore on Martha’s Vineyard, MA on January 28. Cause of death is still pending an examination, but the whale has rope deeply embedded in the tissue around the base of its fluke which is an indication of chronic entanglement. Entanglement in fishing gear and vessel collisions are the primary threats for this population of approximately 360 individuals.

Add Your Voice: Help Defend North Atlantic Right Whales from attacks in Congress:
https://bit.ly/4bihsbT

01/26/2024

ADD YOUR NAME: Plastic pollution is devastating the world’s oceans, harming marine wildlife, and contributing to the climate crisis. And unfortunately, instead of stepping up as a leader in the fight against plastic pollution, has proposed a plastic purchasing plan that falls short. But your voice can help! Call for the U.S. government to stop purchasing single-use plastics now: https://bit.ly/3OifoGR

Our oceans are under threat like never before as climate change threatens the health of marine life across the planet. But the climate crisis is something we know how to combat – by drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions – and our oceans can play a key role in the battle. But ocean policy...

01/11/2024

TRAGIC NEWS: “We are outraged that yet again, a critically endangered North Atlantic right whale calf is on the brink of death, likely due to a vessel strike,” Gib Brogan of the conservation organization said in a statement to McClatchy News.

News of the boat strike has prompted renewed calls for the federal government to strengthen regulations regarding boat speeds in areas populated by right whales and their calves.

Read more at: https://www.thestate.com/news/state/south-carolina/article284066598.html

NOAA learned of the injuries from videos on social media.