Here’s how we help an iconic California fish survive the gauntlet of today’s highly modified waterways
New ‘facilitated migration’ framework gives water managers a playbook for getting more juvenile Chinook salmon from the Central Valley to the sea
Rhythmically trained sea lion returns for an encore—and performs as well as humans
Animal research on biomusicality, which looks at whether different species are capable of behaving in ways that show they recognize aspects of music, including rhythm and beat, remains a tantalizing field at the intersection of biology and psychology. Now, the highly trained California sea lion at UC Santa Cruz who achieved global fame for her ability to bob her head to a beat is finally back: starring in a new study that shows her rhythm is just as precise—if not better—than humans.
Economically, culturally important marine species vulnerable to changing climate, new study shows
Dungeness crab, Pacific herring, and red abalone are among the marine species most vulnerable to the changing climate’s effect on California’s coastal waters, a new study led by UC Santa Cruz researchers finds.
Fewer than 7% of global hotspots for whale-ship collisions have protection measures in place
A UC Santa Cruz scientist who specializes in research at the intersection of big data and marine-life conservation has contributed to a new study that shows the vast majority of “hotspots” where ships collide with whales in the world’s oceans lack protections for the majestic giants.
Ecological Society of America names Dan Costa a lifetime fellow
Dan Costa, distinguished professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and director of UC Santa Cruz’s Institute of Marine Sciences, has been named a 2024 Fellow of the Ecological Society of America.
Industrial fishing poses greater risk to marine life due to untracked activity, UC Santa Cruz researchers find
A new study led by a scientist at UC Santa Cruz’s Institute of Marine Sciences finds that blue whales, tunas, and other top predators in the northeast Pacific Ocean face greater risk of harm from industrial fishing than previously thought.
Global analysis shows where fishing vessels turn off their identification devices
A new dataset of intentional disabling of Automatic Identification System devices by fishing vessels provides insights into illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing activity
Biologist Daniel Costa receives Outstanding Faculty Award
Daniel Costa, distinguished professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and director of the Institute of Marine Sciences, has received the 2021-22 Outstanding Faculty Award from the Division of Physical and Biological Sciences.
‘Water’s Extreme Journey,’ a new exhibit at the Seymour Center, opens in September
A new exhibit opening in September at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center features a maze and interactive activities highlighting the challenges of keeping our water clean.
Two UCSC grad students are finalists for prestigious Knauss Marine Policy Fellowships
The finalists for the John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship program include UCSC graduate students Austen Stovall and Ellen Willis‑Norton.
Mosquitofish: Menace or Messiah?
The problem, experts say, is that the mosquitofish don’t discriminate between snacking on the rice-sized offspring of disease-ridden mosquitoes and critically endangered marine life
UCSC leads a large collaborative effort to help coastal wetlands mitigate climate change
Healthy coastal wetlands can help combat climate change by absorbing large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it for the long term. A large interdisciplinary team is now working to help the wetlands maximize their impact.