You wanna get deep, man?

I’m not talking about philosophy, but maybe I am. After all, Nietzsche once said if you stare too long into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you. Well, my friends, buckle up because this week we’re going deeper than the abyss. We’re going to Hades, the mythical place that Homer’s Odyssey describes as beyond the gates of the sun, just past the land of dreams. You might ask, “What the heck does Greek Mythology have to do with the Ocean?” To which I’d reply, touché. It has everything to do with the Ocean. The deep, deep, deep Ocean. The hadal zone (hadalpelagic zone if you’re fancy) is located at 6,000-11,000 meters, just below the abyss (or abyssal zone). It’s named after Hades, the Ancient Greek underworld populated by gods and monsters. There are 47 known hadal zones in Planet Ocean. Best known among them is the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean southeast of Japan. The deepest part of the Mariana Trench is Challenger Deep. I told you we were getting deep this week… Challenger Deep is named after the H.M.S. Challenger, the ship that first plumbed the Mariana Trench in 1875. The creatures dwelling in the hadal zone are ghostly, transparent, large-eyed, bony. Even old Homer couldn’t have imagined such creatures. As scientists discover more about the deep Ocean, we will find ourselves staring into the abyss. Will it stare back?

Got Microplastic Breath? Don’t Blame the Ocean.

A recent study found that the vast majority of airborne microplastics enter the atmosphere from land, not the ocean. Land is responsible for over 20 times more microplastic particles than the ocean. Once airborne, the atmosphere carries these particles to the furthest reaches of the Earth. We all have microplastic breath. It’s concerning, but the same study found that the volume of airborne microplastics has been “dramatically overestimated.” Still, inhaling plastic-laden air can’t be good for us. And, although researchers are working on learning more, the effects on our health is still uncertain. although researchers are working on learning more. Once inhaled, microplastic particles can affect us in myriad ways. Observational studies have found that inhaled microplastic causes inflammatory responses. Particles can even penetrate the walls of our respiratory system, winding up in our blood and organs. For sea-dwellers, exposure to microplastics is also perilous. Microplastics decrease photosynthesis and growth in microalgae, depress the feeding activity of zooplankton, accumulate in the gills, stomach and hepatopancreas of crabs and alter the histology and biomarkers of fish. Stay tuned for more information on just how airborne plastic affects us. For now, join me in a collective (plastic) sigh of relief. There’s less plastic in the air than previously thought.

Save the Coral

Often referred to as the rainforests of the sea due to their Amazonian contribution to marine biodiversity, coral reefs need our help. In the last 75 years, worldwide coral reef coverage has decreased by 50%(!) due to the effects of overfishing, pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change. Since humans are the reason that coral reefs have been dying off for decades, the responsibility of restoring them rests on us. Make sense? The good news is that humans have been trying to clean up their mess for decades. Beginning in the 1970s, we began restoring reefs by adding coral-friendly habitat and transplanting baby corals from nurseries in a lab. The not so good news is that transplanted coral survives at a piddling rate of 12%. But before we raise a white flag, let’s take a look at some exciting research by scientists at the University of Miami. An interdisciplinary team focuses on improving survival rates of transplanted coral has discovered that raising the alkalinity/decreasing the acidity of the water surrounding transplanted baby corals increases their survival rate to 52%, a roughly 400% increase. This astounding improvement was achieved by seeding the coral onto cement tiles that contain sodium carbonate. A simple, accessible technique that produces heroic results. Having dove in areas where living coral is almost nonexistent (Florida) and areas where the coral is psychedelically alive (Fiji, Raja Ampat, Bonaire), I was heartened to hear that there’s new hope for coral restoration success. If you’re reading this post, you probably feel the same. Hi, friend 👯

Ocean Nibbles

• Federal Support for Fisherman. The USDA has long supported traditional farmers by offering low-interest loans, subsidies, crop insurance and disaster assistance. A brand new Office of Seafood will extend USDA benefits to support fisherman 👏

• POTUS Whiffs on Wind. When the Trump administration tried to stop construction on five offshore wind farms in December, a federal court shot them down. Last month, the government missed the deadline to challenge the rulings. Up to 2 million homes will soon be electrified by wind 💨

• Antarctic Hot Springs. A Korean research team recently discovered hydrothermal vents on the seafloor 1,300 meters beneath Antarctica. Previously unobserved, these “hot springs” pump out 300 degree water like it’s their job. Hot water meets cold. Quite the yin-yang, don’t you think? ☯️

SOS Wish List

Sig Sauer ZULU6 HDX PRO MARINE Binoculars, 18 x 50

$2,099.99

Holding binoculars steady while on a boat is an art, not a science. These stabilized marine binoculars from Sig Sauer solve that problem while looking cool. All expensive tech needs to look cool. Buy your new favorite optic aid at Sig Sauer, Amazon or B&H.

Cocaine Salmon

Is your salmon acting odd? Staying up all night, sleeping all day. Blabbering nonstop. Turns out your salmon has a little cocaine problem. Or maybe he just likes how it smells. Before you judge your salmon, check out a recent study that found cocaine (and its metabolite benzoylecgonine) in surface water at concentrations of 362 nanograms per liter. Analysis of the Hudson and East rivers found that 60% of the water contains cocaine 🤯. Why is that a problem, you ask? Because even at low concentrations, substances like cocaine can have life-changing effects. Just ask your old college buddy who moved to New York for a finance job, partied too hard and ended up living with his parents. But I digress. Drugs change Salmon’s lives. A recent Swedish study found that salmon exposed to cocaine swam almost twice as far as they typically do. If a fish ends up in an unfamiliar location, there are major implications for its survival, including what they eat and which predators may eat them. And cocaine isn’t the only substance that salmon contend with. Fish are “exposed to a wide range of human-made drugs on a daily basis.” Current water treatment tech doesn’t effectively remove these substances. The next step for the Swedish study researchers will be determining the effects of cocaine on salmon survival and reproduction.

Deadly Denizen of the Tropics Moves North, Oh Boy

I’ve always been fascinated by the Portuguese man-of war. Maybe it’s their dual beauty/danger nature. I often find them washed up on the beach in late summer when the tropical Gulf Stream angles towards our shores. And, though I didn’t really want to, I’ve warned more than one tourist against picking up their balloon-esque bodies. Although we refer to them as jellyfish, man-o-war aren’t true jellies. They belong to a classification of organisms called siphonophores. Each man-o-war is a colony of zooids (animals that lives as part of a colony) that have different tasks contributing to the survival of the colony. The stunning neon blue and purple balloon that distinguishes a man-o-war is its pneumatophore. It serves as a sail, using the wind to carry the colony thousands of miles. Sometimes carrying it onto a beach in Montauk, New York… Worldwide, there were thought to be just four species of man-o-war. Now, Japanese researchers have identified a fifth species that they named the “crescent helmet man-o-war” after the samurai warrior Date Masamune who wore a striking crescent moon helmet in battle. The man-o-war was discovered stranded on a beach in northern Japan. Researchers posit that warming ocean temperatures are making wider ranges habitable for these beautiful assassins. Maybe that means more blue “balloons” on the beach this summer. Except these balloons won’t be emblazoned with “Happy Birthday, Princess.”

At 90 years old, Sylvia Earle is Still a Force to Be Reckoned with

Sylvia Earle began exploring the ocean before most of us were born and she’s not stopping any time soon. In 1964, she was the only female on a six-week expedition to the Indian Ocean. In 1968, at four months pregnant, she lived 100 feet below the surface in an underwater habitat in the Bahamas. In 1979, she was the first human to dive untethered 1,250 feet beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean. In 1990, she was the first female Chief Scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Dr. Earle’s life is a catalog of firsts yet she never rested on her laurels. For decades, her voice has been chief among ocean conservation advocates. An organization she founded in 2009 and still leads, Mission Blue, is dedicated to “inspir[ing] action to explore and protect the ocean.” If you haven’t yet, check out Mission Blue and Chasing Coral on Netflix. Be inspired. The ocean needs us.

Ocean Nibbles

• Later, ‘gator. A Texas fisherman was fined after live-streaming his two-hour fight with an 8-foot, 200-pound alligator. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department cited the man for illegal possession of an alligator, intentional feeding of a free-ranging alligator and not having a hunter education certificate, and gave him a warning for hunting without a license. “Intentional feeding” 🤣

• The Mystery of the Golden Orb. In 2023, scientists were puzzled when a “golden orb” was found more than two miles deep on the seafloor of the Gulf of Alaska. Any guesses? Hint: it wasn’t a golden goose egg. The big reveal.

• How to Start a Competitive Fishing Team. Want to quit your job and make money winning fishing tournaments? I got you. Save up about $10 million and read this article in Marlin magazine.

SOS Wish List

Antigravity A1 Drone. Created by Insta360 and a team of drone engineers and enthusiasts, the Antigravity A1 is a beginner-friendly FPV drone that captures 360 footage in 8K. Press the shutter button when aloft and marvel at the first person perspective of everything. Shoot first, edit later. Buy yours here.

10% 3% of Ocean Now Officially Protected

I’m not great at math. Just look at my budget. But before you judge me, here’s a reminder that scientists aren’t always great at math, either. “Aichi Target 11” is one of 20 targets devised by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at its tenth meeting, which took place in October 2010 at Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The goal of Target 11 was conserving “10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services” by 2020. The UN declared victory this week, albeit six years late... Achieving this goal required the global establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) where biodiversity could flourish. While reported MPAs cover about 10% of Planet Ocean, efficaciousness varies. Is the MPA just a grid on a map? How effective is the enforcement mechanism? Does the MPA even have an enforcement mechanism? Turns out, only about 3% of the world’s MPAs can be qualified as highly effective or fully protected. The remaining 7% are not getting the job done. To see a map of MPAs in your area, check out Protected Planet’s site.

ChatGPT, Design me a Fish Farm

Fish farms have come under fire for their impact on the environment. Excess feed in the water results in bacteria growth and some of that bacteria is harmful to native species in a particular farm’s locale. But don’t blame the farmers. Estimating piscine appetites is tricky. Just ask your fisherman friends. It’s really tough to know how much a fish wants to eat. Which is why fish farms, in an effort to maintain their inventory, tend to overfeed. In fact, gauging feed quantities is the number one challenge in aquaculture. Enter AI. Equipped with AI powered cameras and algorithms, fish farms are getting better at feeding their salmon, tilapia and trout without negative repercussions to the local marine environment. Several companies, e.g. Wisefish and ThisFish, market their AI-forward software to the aquaculture industry. Due to cost, most of the early adopters are industrial scale farms such as Cooke Seafood and Atlantic Sapphire. However, a new business model promises to offer affordable options to smaller operators via an equipment leasing model. According to a recent article on Civil Eats, a single underwater microphone a/k/a hydrophone costs tens of thousands of dollars per pen. Renting the same equipment reduces the cost to a couple thousand dollars a month. Can AI aquaculture be the key to feeding the world in an environmentally responsible way?

Sperm Whales are Chatty

Sperm whales are eloquent. According to a new research paper, sperm whales communicate using a complex vocabulary of clicks. Stringing clicks together to form phrases known as codas, the whales are able to maintain their characteristic “small, matrilineal social units.” Sperm whale pods typically consist of 15-20 females and their calves. Males leave the pod as they get older, living solitary lives except for mating season when they group into “bachelor herds.” This unique “social complexity and sophisticated behavior” requires strong communication. Researchers even discovered aspects of sperm whale language analogous to human vowels(!). Further, they believe many of the sounds made by the whales are learned rather than innate. We still don’t know what exactly they’re saying, but maybe AI can help. Just ask David Gruber, a professor of biology and environmental science at Baruch College who founded Project CETI to decode cetacean language using a combination of AI and bioacoustics. My dream is to one day be able to know what a whale is telling me, and respond. Am I just dreaming?

Ocean Nibbles

• Windsurfers: Love to hate them. I’ve never tried windsurfing, but I gotta admit it looks fun. Still, seeing a windsurfer wipe out is among my guilty pleasures. Now imagine a whale taking out a windsurfer 🤯 Pass the popcorn.

• I’m the king of the world! The RMS Titanic sank on April 15, 1912 after striking an iceberg. A recent article in the Cape Cod Times discusses the sinking of the ship and how Bob Ballard found its wreck 73 years later.

• Water wings for whales? In an effort to save a humpback whale that’s been stranded off Germany for weeks, rescuers plan to deploy air cushions. It’s been incredible to see the tireless efforts by humans trying to save this poor guy.

SOS Wish List

Van Staal Titanium Fishing Pliers. You already know that Van Staal makes the best surfcasting reels out there. Now you can match your Rolex-adjacent reel with a pair of pliers that promises to last a lifetime or two. Lightweight and indestructible, this is an essential tool for those who spend time semi-submerged while fishing long night in front of Montauk lighthouse. Order yourself a pair from Cabela’s here.

The Dark Side of Renewable Energy

Variability ranks high among the challenges of renewable energy. Coal generators are constant (i.e., non-variable) and reliable. Windmills are not. They require a minimum wind speed, a “cut-in” speed, of 7-9 MPH. The newest tech can work at 5 MPH. But in the summer, when electricity demands are highest, the chance of sub-optimal winds is also highest. This means that stronger winter winds generate surplus power that’s never used. For solar energy, clouds are the real party poopers. Get the picture? Variability is a “riddle wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” Ideally, we would be able to store the electricity for use during lean periods, but current storage technology is not scalable. Giant batteries like Tesla’s “megapacks” offer promise. Manufacturing giant batteries requires hella lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese. The environmental cost is sub-optimal. Deep sea mining may lead to the extinction of rare ocean flora and fauna. Cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are unregulated disasters. Now, Raja Ampat, a pristine area of Indonesia straddling the Pacific and Indian Oceans is on the chopping block. Nickel miners eager to cash in on the lithium battery demand are vying for the right to exploit nickel deposits in the archipelago. According to reef biologist Mark Erdmann, “[t]here’s nowhere on Earth that has as many fish, corals and everything else packed into one small place.” Having dove Raja in 2024, I take this one personally. Preserving marine habitats is essential. So is weaning ourselves from fossil fuels. What to do?

The Gulf Stream: Here for a Good Time, not a Long Time?

Rudolph Steiner once posited that the heart is not a pump. Rather, our blood is propelled by momentum much like the Gulf Stream is carried northward by a vacuum of cooling seawater in the arctic. Near Greenland, rapidly cooling water gathers momentum as it sinks. That momentum effectively pulls the Gulf Stream along on its journey from its origin in the Gulf of Mexico to its terminus in northern Europe. We should all love the Gulf Stream. It’s the reason that pelagic species like tuna, marlin and mahi mahi visit the northwestern Atlantic during summer. These large ocean predators are attracted by baitfish who, in turn, are attracted by the plankton-rich tropical waters carried north by the heroic current. But what if the Gulf Stream stopped, well, streaming? What if dense fresh water from glacier melt slowed the momentum to a crawl? The Gulf Stream is an essential part of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) that circulates seawater from the antarctic to the arctic. Cooling water captures carbon, sinking it to the ocean floor and thus preventing it from escaping into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. According to Johan Rockström, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, “[t]he ocean has been our greatest ally, absorbing a quarter of human–made CO2 emissions.” If the Gulf Stream ceases, this “overturning” circulation ceases. The result would be a massive increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide with disastrous results for glaciers and hotter, less stable weather in the southern hemisphere. Globally, sea levels would rise considerably. Enjoy Miami while you still can.

Humpbacks Be Humpin’

A record number of 513 humpback whales was observed by researchers aboard the super-yacht/research vessel M/Y Solace while on an expedition at the Navidad Bank, a shallow reef ~62 miles off of the Dominican Republic. Humpback whales are a success story, growing from a pre-whaling ban population of about 10,000 to a current estimated population of 135,000. Based on the unprecedented number of whales sighted by the Solace, the species’ rebound continues. The Navidad Bank is known to be one of the world’s most productive breeding grounds, but seeing 513 humpbacks in a single day must have been awe-inspiring for the scientists from the Fundación Puntacana and Fundación Dominicana de Estudios Marinos/FUNDEMAR. And I thought seeing a half dozen whales from a beach in Montauk was special…

Ocean Nibbles

• What won’t a golden retriever retrieve? Apparently, not much. An unfortunate golden in England recently swallowed a fishing lure and needed a visit the vet to have two treble hooks removed from his mouth and nose. I feel lucky that George (see photo above) only chases ducks!

• 20 Years of Data Reveal Shifting Patterns for Maine Marine Life. The study aims to track populations of economically important animals such as lobster, herring and shrimp. Along with less diversity among fishery-relevant species, the study found that many fish species are moving deeper and further northeast.

• Sea Shepherd Founder in Hot Water…Again. In 2024, Paul Watson was held for 5 months in a Greenland prison while awaiting extradition to Japan for charges stemming from an encounter with a Japanese whaling boat in the Antarctic. He was subsequently cleared of charges and released. Without skipping a beat, Capt. Watson was back at it. This time, one of his ships bumped a krill fishing vessel near the Antarctic peninsula in an effort to disrupt the large-scale krill kill.

The Wish List

The all new Pursuit S 388 Sport is my latest infatuation. Triple Yamaha 450s and a 500 gallon fuel tank give you the speed and range to fish the farthest canyons. Even at a top speed of 59 MPH, the boat has a range of 229 miles! At a more reasonable 30 MPH, you can sail 352 miles without re-fueling. I just pinned a photo of the S388 to my vision board. Manifest away, universe.

Rice’s Whales and the “God Squad”

Rice whales are a critically endangered species of baleen whale that live their entire lives in the Gulf of Mexico. Identified as a unique species in 2021, there remain only 51 individuals on planet ocean. All 51 of them live in the northeast part of the Gulf of Mexico. Know what else happens in the northeast part of the Gulf of Mexico? Fifteen percent of America’s crude oil production. Enter the “God Squad.” Officially known as the Endangered Species Committee, the “squad” consists of 6 high-level feds who decide whether to grant exemption to endangered species protections. For critically endangered species like the rice whales, the “God Squad” is a savior or an executioner. This past Tuesday, the “squad” voted to exempt oil drilling companies from adhering to protections for the Rice’s whale. At the brief meeting, Secretary of Defense err Death oops War Pete Hegseth stated that removing Endangered Species Act protections for the Rice’s whales “is a critical matter of national security.” Because, drill baby drill. Right?

Atlantic Sturgeon Make a Comeback

Sometimes referred to as a living fossil, sturgeon look like bluefish donning body armor, but larger. Much larger. Atlantic sturgeon measure up to 14 feet in length and weigh up to 800 pounds! With fossil records dated from 160-200 million years ago, these babes once swam in oceans patrolled by pterodactyls. Indigenous people prized sturgeon for their meat and their roe a/k/a caviar. When British settlers landed in Jamestown in 1607, Atlantic sturgeon were the primary food source that kept John Smith and friends alive. The “Black Gold Rush” of the late 1800s ushered in a period of overfishing that culminated in a 1998 moratorium by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. 7,000,000 pounds of Atlantic sturgeon were caught in 1887. By 1905, the total catch decreased to 20,000 pounds. By 1989, it was 500 pounds. The fishing moratorium that began in 1998 can be credited with preserving the species. Commercial bycatch remains an impediment to restoring the sturgeon population on the eastern seaboard, but restocking efforts are slowly tipping the scales in their favor. Other efforts such as dam removal and fish ladder installation are also helping. Like salmon, sturgeon are anadromous. They spawn in a fresh water river, migrate to the ocean, then return to the same river to lay their eggs. Dams made reproduction nearly impossible in rivers like the Connecticut river. Today, Atlantic sturgeon numbers in the Connecticut and Hudson rivers are on a gradual upswing. How can you help? By reporting any sightings, alive or dead, to NOAA here.

New “Roadmap” of the Ocean Floor

On Wednesday, the Ocean Discovery League founded by National Geographic Explorer Katy Croff Bell released an interactive map highlighting 10,000 “target spots” in water deeper than 650 feet. The goal of the map is to increase public awareness of the unexplored nature of the deep sea, as well as to encourage exploration by researchers. Only by knowing the deep ocean’s flora and fauna can we effectively preserve their habitat while also allowing for resource exploration. Due to the extreme environment, researchers will need new technology. The Ocean Discovery League has a solution called the Deep Ocean Research & Imaging System (DORIS). DORIS is an untethered, unmanned submersible with a relatively low $10,000 price tag designed to simplify exploration without specialized engineering expertise. Other programs aimed at exploring the ocean floor include the Argo Program, Seabed 2030, Ocean Census and Challenger 150. The Argo Program uses “a fleet of robotic instruments that drift with the ocean currents” to collect data. Seabed 2030 is “a global community working with partners across industry, governments, research, philanthropy, NGOs, and civil society” whose goal is a complete map of the entire global seabed. Ocean Census aims to discover and catalogue all ocean life “using advanced technology, international collaboration, and open-access data sharing.” Challenger 150 “provides an umbrella, under which individual research projects can operate, and in doing so contribute to a global research effort coordinated towards a set of common objectives and standards.” For ocean lovers like you and me, isn’t this the best time to be alive?

Ocean Nibbles

• Double-Crested Cormorants Return to Montauk. This past week, I noticed several cormorants perched on the inlet markers. Only until I began living out here full time did I realize that cormorants migrate away from our area in the winter. Smarter than humans?

• Bait Heist Captured on Camera. The culprits? A den of thieves consisting of an otter and a heron caught on a wildlife camera by their victim, a commercial fisherman in Northumberland, England, who noticed bait missing overnight from his fish box!

• Canned Seafood is the New Caviar. Spaniards have long prized seafood like mussels and octopus seasoned and stuffed into small tins. Now, so can you. Check out online gourmet retailers like Caputo’s and Fishwife. My favorite products include The Spicy Trio by Fishwife that bundles Fly By Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp Smoked Salmon, Slow Smoked Mackerel with Chili Flakes, and Sardines with Hot Pepper. Deeelish!

SOS Wish List

Avet Reels make it feel like cheating when hooked into a 100+ pound bluefin tuna. The ergonomic handles and gearing are unparalleled IMHO. I’d spend a paycheck or three on one of these technical dreams. HBU?

Scientists Observe Sperm Whales Headbutting Each Other

For the first time, scientists have observed young sperm whales ramming their business ends against the bodies of other sperm whales. While we’ve had anecdotal evidence of such intra-species violence for centuries, official confirmation has been elusive. Beginning with the 1820 sinking of the whaling vessel Essex by an aggressive sperm whale, these massive blunt-headed whales have struck fear in the heart of sailors. When Moby Dick (loosely based on the story of the Essex) dropped in 1851, sperm whales were crowned the bony-headed demons of the sea. Yet, despite the perceived danger, whalers continued to target sperm whales for their superior oil and spermaceti until 1986 when the International Whaling Convention banned whaling globally. Check out the video that shows drone footage taken in three different spots in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea near Mallorca. Scientist are not sure why the whales do this. Could it be rough play? A way for rebellious males to transition from living with their mothers to a solitary life in the sea?

Mining the Deep Sea (for New Species)

In past posts, I’ve mentioned that we know more about the surface of the moon than the ocean floor. Can you imagine discovering 1,000 heretofore unknown creatures living on this planet? The Sustainable Seabed Knowledge Initiative (SSKI) is a project with that mind-blowing goal. Launched at 2022’s UN Ocean Conference by the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the SSKI aims to gain better understanding of the potential harm that would result from mining the seafloor by mapping the location and population of life. Some of the species we know, many we don’t. The ISA is now accepting proposals from explorers willing to plumb the depths in search of 1,000 new species. Pro tip: bring a flashlight.

200 Foot Wave? Eddie Would Go

Garret McNamara better get ready for the sequel to his hit HBO series. According to a study published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), satellites mapping the height of the ocean from outerspace land are registering waves at least as high as 115 feet. A 2024 storm in the Pacific Ocean generated that “rogue” wave and sent many more marching towards the entire western seaboard of North and South America. Using satellite data to analyze ocean heights has helped dispel a theory that wave height was distributed according to a bell curve. That theory left no room for the observations relayed by sailors of rogue waves over 100 feet high that seemed to come from nowhere. Thanks to satellites, we now have confirmation that mega waves do not necessarily require mega storms.

Ocean Nibbles

• Raise your hand if you want to fish for giant bluefin tuna in Japan. A recent article in Marlin magazine discusses Japan’s respect for one of my favorite animals, the bluefin tuna. I’m one click away from booking a charter boat to fish the Tsugaru Strait. Who’s with me?

• North Atlantic right whales were frisky in 2025. Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has counted 23 right whale calves so far this year. Species preservation isn’t always as boring as it sounds, huh, humans?

• How to build a better fish trap. “Bycatch” refers to the tragic accidental netting of non-targeted or illegal species such as turtles, seabirds, dolphins and sharks by commercial fisherman. No one wants this. Especially not the animals killed senselessly. A recent article published by Nature Sustainability found 42 measures that reduced bycatch without reducing the harvest of targeted species.

Imagine finding an old vinyl record in your grandfather’s collection, popping it onto ye olde turntable and dropping the needle to hear the alien, almost obscene clicks, whistles and groans of an adult male humpback. Your experience would not be far off from how scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Falmouth, Massachusetts uncovered a historic recording of a humpback whale “singer” while digitizing archived audio records. The 1949 recording, assumed to be the oldest recording of whale song, was originally captured by a group of scientists testing sonar systems near Bermuda. With a then-state-of the-art Gray Autograph dictation machine aboard their research vessel, they captured an unknown cacophony. Intrigued by what they were hearing, the scientists kept the recorder running and practically shh’d everyone on board the vessel to better hear the whale song. The existence of the recordings today is remarkable for a few reasons. First, a humpback’s ability to “sing” was not discovered until 1967 by Roger Payne, who later produced an album called Songs of the Humpback Whale. The 1970 record is credited with raising global awareness of whale sentience and kicking off the Save the Whales movement that culminated with a 10-year moratorium on whaling beginning in 1972. I don’t know about you, but I’m still on a Save the Whales movement… see below. Second, the Gray Autograph dictation machine wrote to plastic discs rather than then-prevalent audio tapes. Plastic discs last for decades, tapes do not. Finally, along with the whale song, the disc contains audio of an underwater environment with far less human-generated noise pollution. This fact results in clearer audio of the whales and may even help marine biologists determine how human activity has altered the singing style of today’s humpbacks.

NOAA to Remove Whale Protections? (Alternate title: What the #%$^!?)

As mentioned in last week’s roundup, there are an estimated 384 North Atlantic right whales remaining on Planet Ocean. Now, NOAA is considering whether to do away with speed restrictions in shipping lanes in order to “reduce unnecessary regulatory and economic burdens.” The proposal, open to public comment (email NOAA here) until June 2. NOAA is also asking for ideas from the public for an alternate technological solution that will enable ships to somehow avoid whales and vice versa. So, on one hand, a whale species named by the enlightened whalers of centuries past who donned them the “right” whales to hunt because they tended to stay near shore and loll on the surface, making them an easy target, is finally rebounding thanks to regulations such as ship speed management. On the same hand, ships are saving fuel and $$$ while going slow enough to give whales a chance to dive before getting walloped by a 220,000 ton ocean freight train. And on NOAA’s hand, the Feds are proposing unburdening shipping companies and re-burdening them with presumably costly whale warning devices. I don’t know about you, but I have some thoughts for NOAA. Share in the comments if you feel cute. Might delete.

Dominica Establishes the World’s First Sperm Whale Reserve

Now for some good news from the whale-iverse... Because despite the seeming abundance of not-so-good news, cetaceans have been thriving in recent years. Beginning with an early ‘70s hit album and subsequent whaling moratorium, the world has rallied to support our marine mammal cousins again and again. Dominica’s parliament recently established a Sperm Whale Reserve spanning ~475 square miles on the island’s western coast, a spot that hosts up to 200 sperm whales each year. The related legislation includes strict penalties for anyone harming or harassing whales within the country’s maritime zones and also establishes a fund whose proceeds “will support conservation, education, enforcement and community engagement initiatives linked to the [Sperm Whale] Reserve.” Whale swims will be limited to licensed operators who are educated in whale behaviors to ensure the safety of the humans and, of course, the sperm whales.

Ocean Nibbles

• How do Italians handle an invasive species? On a bed of pasta. Blue Crabs from the east coast of the US have invaded the Italian coast. Having no natural predators in their new home, the crabs are ravaging the local population of eels, clams and mussels. As they say in Sicily, Quando la vita ti dà i granchi, fai gli spaghetti ai granchi.

• Don’t fibonacci me! Humpback whales use several different methods to catch their dinner. Bubble-net feeding is my favorite. One or more whales get directly beneath a school of fish and spiral their way upward in a perfect fibonacci spiral, blowing curtains of bubbles that concentrate the fish in the center. Surfacing with mouths agape, the whales can’t miss. I’ve filmed this behavior several times off Montauk, and, yes, my mouth was also agape.

• Two adjacent offshore wind farms are open for business. Vineyard Wind, located 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard, consists of 62 turbines capable of powering ~400k homes in MA. Revolution Wind, located 15 miles south of Narragansett, RI, consists of 65 turbines capable of powering ~350k homes in RI and CT. Are they ugly? Yes. Do they ruin the pristine horizon we used to cherish? Yes. Is it worth it? I hope so.

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Maine’s Baby Eel Goldrush

A recent article discusses the upcoming closure of the Maine elver fishery lottery for 20 available (out of 425 total) licenses. WTF are elvers? While the lifecycle of American and European eels isn’t entirely clear, we know they are all born in the Sargasso Sea, a two million square mile area of the North Atlantic, that’s a natural nursery due to an abundance of Sargassum seaweed that forms huge rafts on the surface of the ocean (Sargassum is plentiful in the late summer waters south of Montauk, carried here by the Gulf Stream, and often washes up our beaches when we have a few days of high southerly wind.). After being born, the larval eels ride the Gulf Stream north to New England where they slither swim their way towards the fresh water rivers and streams that will be their home for the next several years. At this stage, they are referred to as glass eels. About three inches long, I find dozens of these adorable larvae stranded on our ocean beaches in early summer. Glass eels are transparent except for a faint hint of a spine and “a couple of chia seeds as eyes,” as described in a comprehensive 2024 New Yorker article about the Maine elver fishery. An elver is the next stage of life for glass eels. Elvers have some pigment and are a bit larger. They are caught using fyke nets strung across Maine’s freshwater streams that capture millions of them. The market value of a pound of elvers ranges from $2000 to $5000 due to the steep decline in population over the last 50 years. This decline has prompted many countries in Europe to heavily regulate the elven fishery. The UK considers eels a critically endangered species and the EU has banned exporting elvers outside their natural range since 2010. Canadian government closed the elver fishery in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick only to re-open it in 2025 after overwhelming backlash from the fishing industry. A total of 425 licenses are available for Maine fisherman looking to participate in the elver goldfish. Selected fisherman can renew their license annually and, when not renewed, licenses are redistributed via lottery. This year, 20 licenses are up for grabs. The value of the licenses is substantial. The average take of an elver fisherman in 2023 for the weeks-long season was ~$46,000 based on a market value of $2,009 per pound. Not gold, but still a healthy haul for the elver lottery winners. Elvers, on the other hand, could use some additional regulatory help.

Right whales and their calves return to Cape Cod Bay

One of my deepest regrets is not having taken drone footage of a dozen or so Northern Atlantic right whales that we spotted on a 2024 tuna trip to Block Canyon. I did snag some photos (above) but an aerial view had epic potential. We were trolling at the time, which makes it very challenging to launch and, especially, land a drone. The boat is moving and stopping the boat with lines out risks disastrous tangling and, worse, time-gobbling detangling. So we didn’t get the footage of one of the rarest animals in the ocean. On March 9th, observers from the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, Massachusetts spotted two mother-calf pairs in Cape Cod Bay. The whales migrate here from their winter grounds off of Georgia and Florida, where calves are born and fed to gain strength needed to swim over 1,000 miles. North Atlantic right whales are critically endangered, with an estimated total population of 384, with 22 newborns recorded as born so far this year. Let’s hope I get another chance to see these beautiful baleens in 2026. This time, I’ll be sure to stop fishing and start filming. It’s important to note that it is illegal to get closer than 500 yards from a right whale. That includes boats, kayaks and, yes, drones. Any video I capture may be from a distance. Stay tuned to my instagram and this substack for developments.

Major UK supermarkets to stop selling mackerel

In an effort to reduce the pressure of overfishing on mackerel stocks, Waitrose supermarkets in the UK have taken the laudable step of refusing to sell mackerel at their stores. Mackerel populations in European waters have dropped to their lowest numbers in more than 20 years, according to a recent article in The Telegraph. All fresh, chilled and frozen mackerel will be removed from Waitrose’s shelves by April 29th. Last year, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea recommended a 70% reduction in the commercial mackerel catch. The UK, Norway and the Faroe Islands subsequently agreed to reduce the fishery by 48%. Will that be enough to preserve the species?

Ocean Nibbles

• Countries worldwide are negotiating rules for deep sea mining but the United States forges ahead in an effort to harvest metals needed for batteries and other electronic products from polymetallic nodules found on the ocean floor at depths of over 10,000 feet. Can you pass me my iPhone?

• We know the Moon more intimately than the deep ocean? Why? The floor of the deep ocean measures approximately 129.3 million square miles and exists hundreds of miles from land. Using submersibles and un-piloted remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), scientists have yet to explore 99.999% (!) of what lurks beneath. Who else finds this potential for discovery thrilling?

• Raja Ampat is a diving paradise. Raja Ampat is an area of Indonesia near often referred to by divers as the Amazon of the Ocean due to its abundant healthy corals and marine life. I dove there two years ago on an eleven-day live aboard trip. The neon soft corals had me blinking my eyes behind my mask as if I were hallucinating. As a bonus, we got to see melanistic almost completely black manta rays up close at a reef cleaning station. If you dive, stop what you’re doing and add Raja Ampat to your bucket list. You’re welcome.

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About the Author

My name is Michael Cuomo, a cinematographer and writer based in the seaside hamlet of Montauk, New York. Since my earliest summers out here on the eastern tip of Long Island, I’ve dreamed of becoming a marine biologist. Dreams often get deferred. Instead of math and science, I studied creative writing (Boston College), then law (Fordham Law School). These days I play a marine biologist on the interwebs ( Instagram: @montaukair ) using a drone and camera to capture the wonder that surrounds us.

Why I started S.O.S.

I started the S.O.S. substack to spread awareness of issues related to the Ocean. From coral reef restoration to sustainable tuna harvesting to migratory patterns of marine mammals, the Ocean fascinates like no other topic.

Are you my people?

I think about the Ocean nonstop. My mind can sometimes be a slideshow of ocean scenes: spouting finback whales —> giant bluefin tuna —> diving gannets —> breaching humpback whales —> surfing bottlenose dolphins . . . ad infinitum. My social feeds? Nothing but Ocean-related images and video. At a dinner party, I dream of swimming with Humpback whales and Hammerhead sharks instead of engaging in political talk. If that sounds familiar, I invite you to take a weekly dive with me into all things Ocean. Even if you’re only “Ocean Curious,” I hope my writing will inspire you to take the plunge into participation.

Syllabus

New content will post every Friday. Free subscribers get a new take on the latest Ocean-related news and events. Some weeks I focus on current issues confronting marine life, while other weeks I discuss my own observations and experiences living next to the Atlantic Ocean. And when I travel, you come along with me. Over the summer, I’ll be fishing offshore frequently. This November, I’m traveling to Dominica to dive with Sperm Whales!

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