Report in Brief >> California's draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan—a draft plan to conserve habitat for endangered and threatened species, while continuing to divert water to agriculture and domestic water users in central and southern California—is incomplete and contains critical scientific gaps. The Bay Delta is a large, complex ecosystem that supplies water from the state's wetter northern regions to the drier southern regions, and als... More >>

All six species of sea turtles found in U.S. waters are listed as endangered or threatened, but the exact population sizes of these species are unknown due to a lack of key information regarding birth and survival rates. The U.S. Endangered Species Act prohibits the hunting of sea turtles and reduces incidental losses from activities such as shrimp trawling and development on beaches used for nesting. However, current monitoring does not provid... More >>

With seafood consumption rising and wild stocks of marine life decreasing, mariculture -- the cultivation of marine organisms in their natural environments -- is becoming an increasingly important source of bivalve shellfish such as oysters, mussels, and clams. However, mariculture operations can affect the integrity of natural ecosystems where they are located, for example, by disturbing marine flora that provide habitat for fish an... More >>

Drakes Estero, 25 miles northwest of San Francisco, is a marine estuary home to harbor seals, waterfowl, fish, and other marine organisms. Congress designated the estuary a Potential Wilderness in 1976, signifying the intention to incorporate the area into an existing Wilderness area in Point Reyes National Seashore. Drakes Estero is also the site of commercial oyster farming since the 1930s, and Drakes Bay Oyster Company continues to operat... More >>

Marine environments support the livelihoods, economies, and quality of life for communities around the world, but growth of coastal populations and increasing demands on marine resources are putting the future of ocean and coastal resources at risk through impacts, such as overfishing, wetland drainage, climate change, and pollution of coastal waters. Given these demands, it is vital to build capacity--the people, the institutions, and th... More >>