Oceana in the Mid-Atlantic

05/04/2026

On May 2, people around the world participated in a plastic pellet count.

These pea-sized pellets, which are the building blocks for most plastic products, are regularly spilled during manufacturing and transportation. Each year, over 490,000 tons of these pellets flood the world's oceans and environment.

In Washington DC, and in Middletown, NJ we collected 62 and 97 plastic pellets respectively during our survey event.

Events like these are a strong reminder of the importance of community science and how people can come together to protect our blue world. Thank you to everyone who participated!

You can help! Urge your member of Congress to pass the Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act:
https://act.oceana.org/page/190056/action/1?ea.tracking.id=field

04/29/2026

Oceana was happy to send a few folks from the Mid Atlantic to this successful event.

This Earth Week, together we saved the Endangered Species Act.

The incredible power of our coalition and the advocacy of people all over the country saved the Endangered Species Act. ESC activists, members, and supporters sent more than 58,000 emails to their representatives, and made hundreds—if not thousands—of phone calls defending the Endangered Species Act.

This week’s success has been years in the making and a resounding testament to the power of people, activism and the integral coalition work we do each and every day.

https://www.endangered.org/this-earth-week-together-we-saved-the-endangered-species-act/

04/29/2026

Take part in community science!

On Saturday, May 2, people around the world will participate in a plastic pellet count.

Plastic pellets, which are the building blocks for most plastic products, are regularly spilled during manufacturing and transportation. More than 490,000 tons of these pea-sized microplastics flood the world's oceans and environment every year, polluting important natural habitats

And now, you can be a part of the solution.

Stand up to plastic pollution by joining a local pellet count or start your own: https://oceana.ly/4uhUZ7I

04/23/2026

Oceana is teaming up with Environment America for the International Pellet Count!
Join us on Saturday May 2 at our two locations in the Mid-Atlantic: Washington, DC or Middletown, NJ, or count pellets on your own time. Learn more and sign up at the link below:

Oceana protected over 4.5 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea turtles, sharks, dolphins, and other sea creatures – but there is still more to be done. Donate to Oceana today to protect the world's oceans.

04/22/2026

Join Oceana and partners for a screening of We're All Plastic People Now in Virginia Beach. A discussion with expert panelists after the screening will help you make sense of the plastic pollution crisis and what we can do to combat it together!

We hope to see you Friday May 8th at 6pm at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center South Building Theater.

Register here: https://www.cleanvirginiawaterways.org/film-screening

Clean Virginia Waterways LRNow Sierra Club Virginia Chapter Old Dominion University

04/14/2026

Delaware residents - we have two chances to reduce plastic pollution in DE. Please send this message to your state legislators. Thank you!

Oceana protected over 4.5 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea turtles, sharks, dolphins, and other sea creatures – but there is still more to be done. Donate to Oceana today to protect the world's oceans.

04/02/2026

BREAKING: The Trump administration just issued an exemption to the Endangered Species Act (ESA), putting threatened and endangered species in the Gulf of Mexico on a fast track to extinction.

To clear the way for oil and gas drilling, the U.S. government removed the safety net for species on the brink of extinction.

Now, animals like giant manta rays, hawksbill sea turtles, and Rice’s whales are at risk.

Help stop other threatened and endangered species from losing their protections: https://oceana.ly/4tcilei

03/31/2026

Microplastics are everywhere – infiltrating our environment, bodies, and food on a global scale.
But that’s no secret. In the past few years, awareness of microplastics has been spreading almost as fast and as far as the plastic particles themselves.
So now that we know that these bits of plastic are everywhere, it’s time to take action – and some members in the U.S. Congress aim to do just that.
Learn more: https://oceana.ly/4v1srQX

03/27/2026

🐋Take action with Oceana and tell NOAA: Protect North Atlantic right whales! 🐋

North Atlantic right whales have shattered a 15-year record this calving season, already welcoming 23 new calves! Now, the mothers and their newborns are journeying back north to their feeding grounds. Federal safeguards, including minimizing the risk of vessels striking these whales, are essential to making that journey safe and successful. But those protections are now on the line.

Oceana protected over 4.5 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea turtles, sharks, dolphins, and other sea creatures – but there is still more to be done. Donate to Oceana today to protect the world's oceans.

03/24/2026

A great Op-Ed in NJ today on protecting the Endangered Species Act -

Protecting wildlife is part of what makes New Jersey, New Jersey. Former Sen. Raymond Lesniak explains why efforts to weaken the Endangered Species Act threaten animals, ecosystems and the balance we all depend on.

01/21/2026

The strongest "Sip the Stuff" law in the country was signed in NJ this week -

Yesterday, now-former Gov. Phil Murphy signed New Jersey’s “Skip the Stuff” bill (S-3195/A-5157) before the end of his term.