Plans to expand shipping access at Port Everglades have been set back after the US Army Corps of Engineers withdrew its state permit application for a dredging project that critics said could damage adjacent reef systems.

The proposal had caused concerns among scientists and conservation groups due to its proximity to coral habitats along Florida’s southeast coast, including areas supporting threatened species.

Top banner image: Sebastián Losada, CC BY-SA 2.0

The operation, conducted in October 2025 under the international initiative Operation Thunder, began when inspectors in Anchorage, Alaska, uncovered a suspicious shipment of shark fins. This discovery led to a broader investigation, revealing a trafficking route that extended through Anchorage, Alaska; Louisville, Kentucky; and Cincinnati, Ohio. The shipments had originated in Mexico and were destined for Hong Kong. 

Sharks and rays are among the ocean’s most threatened vertebrates, but new research shows that younger evolutionary lineages are at especially high risk of extinction. The findings challenge assumptions that all sharks are equally resilient and point to deep biological differences shaping their survival prospects.

Whale shark tourism is widely promoted as a low-impact way to experience one of the ocean’s most charismatic species. However, new scientific research suggests that rule-breaking is pervasive at some of the world’s most popular whale shark tourism sites, raising serious concerns about animal welfare and the sustainability of the industry.

Coral reef fisheries provide essential food and income for millions of people across the tropics. New research shows that most reefs are currently fished below the level that allows maximum sustainable production. 

While this represents a loss of potential food and livelihoods, it also highlights a significant opportunity: rebuilding reef fish stocks can deliver wide-ranging ecological and social benefits.

Governments meeting at the recent CITES summit have agreed on a major expansion of protections for sharks and rays, marking what conservation groups describe as the most comprehensive advance for these animals in the convention’s history. The decisions significantly tighten international trade controls for more than 70 species, many of which are under severe pressure from overfishing and demand for fins, meat and other products.

In the sheltered waters of Mexico’s upper Gulf of California, a remarkable sighting stirred conservationists: a small pod of vaquitas, the world’s most endangered marine mammal, was observed together, suggesting that hope for recovery may yet exist. The species, long believed to number in the single digits, appears to have shown signs of resilience—albeit fragile—and the sighting has renewed calls for rigorous protection and enforcement.

The United Nations High Seas Treaty has officially crossed the threshold for ratification, with 60 countries now signed on. The agreement, finalised in 2023 after years of negotiations, will come into force in January 2026. It represents the first legally binding framework to protect biodiversity beyond national jurisdictions, covering nearly half the planet’s surface.