Ocean News Archive

All ocean news articles

Shoreline at Otter Rock. Photo by Kirt Edblom.

Speak Out Now on Offshore Research Priorities

Shoreline at Otter Rock. Photo by Kirt Edblom. Given the predilections of the incoming administration, the possibility of a federal push to allow oil and gas leases or mining permits in federal waters off Oregon’s shore looms larger than it has for a generation. That makes the current public comment period for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)...Read more
Photo of kayakers at Haystack Rock by Sonja Peterson.

Last Chance to Contribute to a Survey on Coastal Values

Kayakers at Haystack Rock. Photo by Sonja Peterson. What areas of the coast do you consider most precious? Which stretches of shoreline need better protection? What do you like to do when you visit the coast? How strongly to you support marine reserves, wave energy development or ocean planning? A research team at Portland State University would like to know,...Read more
Mussels harbor countless other species and are a key component of intertidal diversity. Photo by Sara Schreiber.

Fall Seminar Series in Charleston Open to Public

Mussels harbor countless other species and are a key component of intertidal diversity. Photo by Sara Schreiber. The Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (OIMB) offers a seminar series each fall. The talks take place on Fridays at 4 p.m. in the Boathouse auditorium. These are serious scientific lectures, not casual presentations for interested laypeople. Those...Read more
Photo of Otter Rock from shore. Marine reserves are closer than you think! Photo by Cathy Tronquet.

Watchers Can Help Monitor and Protect Marine Reserves

Otter Rock from shore. Marine reserves are closer than you think! Photo by Cathy Tronquet. The boundaries of Oregon’s new system of five marine reserves are largely being honored, but there is a need for citizen observers to help keep things that way. That was the chief message delivered by Sergeant Todd Thompson of the Oregon State Police’s marine fisheries...Read more
Coos Bay entrance--invasive organisms in ballast water keep out! Photo by Alex Derr.

State Will Take Public’s Views about Ballast on Board

Coos Bay entrance--invasive organisms in ballast water keep out! Photo by Alex Derr. Oregon Shores played an active role in advocating for the state’s original regulation of ballast water back in the ‘90s, so we feel a certain proprietary interest in how these protections are administered. Water drawn on board to serve as ballast on one side of the ocean and...Read more
Nearshore Ocean Strategy addresses undersea habitats. Photo courtesy of ODFW.

Revised Oregon Conservation Strategy for Nearshore Ocean Released

Nearshore Ocean Strategy addresses undersea habitats. Photo courtesy of ODFW. Oregon has adopted its new version of the Oregon Conservation Strategy , the first update of the policy framework for managing fish and wildlife resources since 2006. The new document was unveiled at the Sept. 2 meeting of the...Read more
Polluted water from outfall crossing Nye Beach. Photo by Cathy Tronquet.

Advisories Lifted, but Summer Alerts Revealed Beach Water Problems

Polluted water from outfall crossing Nye Beach. Photo by Cathy Tronquet. The Oregon Health Authority has continued to issue new health advisories throughout the summer. The last major alerts were announced in August, for the Newport and Neskowin areas; the advisories for ocean waters touching the shore in these areas have now been lifted. However, the...Read more
Photo of "Oyster" wave energy device in operation.

Rules for Ocean Energy Siting Are on the Horizon

"Oyster" wave energy device in operation. All has been seemingly quiet on the ocean energy front for some years now. It was nearly a decade ago that early prospectors for wave energy sites set off a flurry of interest and concern. The state’s Ocean Policy Advisory Council (OPAC) and a subsequent Territorial Sea Plan Working Group began to wrestle with...Read more
Condos at Cape Kiwanda--we have questions about coastal management. Photo by Sonja Peterson.

Oregon Shores Seeks to Bolster Coastal Management through NOAA Comments

Condos at Cape Kiwanda--we have questions about coastal management. Photo by Sonja Peterson. Thanks to the Coastal Zone Management Act, states potentially have a great deal of control over their own coastal destinies. Under the CZMA, if a state’s coastal policies are accepted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the federal government...Read more
Black Oystercatcher with chick. Photo by Heather Roskelley.

Catch These Opportunities for Oystercatcher Survey Training

CoastWatch sponsors a great deal of citizen science activity, but some of our partners in the Oregon Marine Debris Team also offer opportunities to assist in scientific observation. One of these is Portland Audubon, which sponsors a Black Oystercatcher survey and is looking for new volunteers. Black Oystercatcher with chick. Photo by Heather Roskelley....Read more