Ocean News Archive

All ocean news articles

Housing and Haystack Rock. Photo by Sonja Peterson.
January 13, 2017

NOAA Completes Evaluation of Oregon Coastal Management Program

haystack_rock_and_houses_sonja_peterson.jpg The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has just released the findings that emerged from its review of Oregon’s Coastal Management Program. For the most part, the findings are very positive—and the biggest black mark against Oregon’s coastal program isn’t something that...Read more
Shoreline at Otter Rock. Photo by Kirt Edblom.
December 8, 2016

Speak Out Now on Offshore Research Priorities

otter_rock-_shoreline_kirt_edblom2.jpg 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 (...Read more
Photo of kayakers at Haystack Rock by Sonja Peterson.
November 4, 2016

Last Chance to Contribute to a Survey on Coastal Values

kayaks_haystack_sonja_peterson2.jpg 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.
September 28, 2016

Fall Seminar Series in Charleston Open to Public

mussels_sara_schreiber.jpg 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 interested into delving into the perspectives of professional biologists...Read more
Photo of Otter Rock from shore. Marine reserves are closer than you think! Photo by Cathy Tronquet.
September 23, 2016

Watchers Can Help Monitor and Protect Marine Reserves

otter_rock_from_shore_cathy_tronquet.jpg 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 unit at a public information...Read more
Coos Bay entrance--invasive organisms in ballast water keep out! Photo by Alex Derr.
September 14, 2016

State Will Take Public’s Views about Ballast on Board

coos_bay_entrance_by_alex_derr.jpg 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 dumped on the other side can harbor...Read more
Nearshore Ocean Strategy addresses undersea habitats. Photo courtesy of ODFW.
September 5, 2016

Revised Oregon Conservation Strategy for Nearshore Ocean Released

marine_undersea_habitat_odfw.jpg 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 Oregon Fish and Wildlife...Read more
Polluted water from outfall crossing Nye Beach. Photo by Cathy Tronquet.
September 2, 2016

Advisories Lifted, but Summer Alerts Revealed Beach Water Problems

nye_beach_outflow_cathy_tronquet.jpg 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 freshwater sources that are...Read more
Photo of "Oyster" wave energy device in operation.
September 1, 2016

Rules for Ocean Energy Siting Are on the Horizon

oyster_wave_energy_device_small.jpg 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...Read more
Condos at Cape Kiwanda--we have questions about coastal management. Photo by Sonja Peterson.
June 12, 2016

Oregon Shores Seeks to Bolster Coastal Management through NOAA Comments

cape_kiwanda_condos_sonja_peterson.jpg 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 is subsequently bound to...Read more