A new study estimates that fully restoring oyster reefs in the ten countries with the greatest potential would deliver $12 trillion in ecosystem benefits, although the estimates come with significant uncertainty.
Two juvenile humpback whales that had become stuck on sandbars off Fire Island returned to open water. In one case, the rising tide and care from response crews helped the animal, which eventually freed itself.
Two studies in Hawai’i show that playing sounds from healthy coral reefs can increase coral larval settlement and the presence of juvenile fish on artificial structures. Combining sound, suitable surfaces and living bacterial coatings opens up new possibilities for reef restoration.
Two weeks after its launch, the Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellite sent its first images and measurements. Its data will help monitor the oceans, land and atmosphere, as well as long-term changes linked to climate change.
An analysis of 20,736 scientific publications shows that climate systems with low estimated tipping thresholds do not necessarily attract more research. Only 8.1% of studies explicitly examined features such as abrupt change, self-reinforcement and irreversibility.
The Oscar-winning Netflix documentary follows Craig Foster for a year as he forms a bond with a wild octopus in an underwater kelp forest in South Africa, documenting the fragility of life and a connection with nature.
Researchers at Hawaiʻi Pacific University published a study on microbiome succession in yellow tang larvae, showing that it changes significantly with development and diet.
To mark World Octopus Day on 8 October, Mongabay brings together discoveries made this year: a possibly giant fossil octopus, developing embryos in Patagonia and a new species in the Galápagos.
In April 2026, Brazil banned imports of meat from endangered sharks, but angelsharks of the genus Squatina are still sold freely in southern markets and appear in recent public tenders; weak enforcement and the generic label “cação” conceal the illegal trade.
South Korea has revised its national human trafficking guidelines to make forced labor and abuses against migrant fishers easier to identify. But organizations say the problem is enforcing the laws, not the guidelines.
A new global assessment shows that countries' commitments could increase land protection from around 20% to 27% by 2030, but oceans, funding and the actual effectiveness of protected areas remain far behind.
The new Planetary Health Check 2026 report finds that seven of the nine planetary boundaries are now outside the safe operating space, with ocean acidification the latest breach; scientists warn that the risk of large-scale, persistent and potentially irreversible changes is increasing.
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