It turns out whales don’t just get louder when commercial ships pass by - they change how they talk 🐋 In my latest newsletter, I'm highlighting reporting by Emma Bryce on how sperm whales in Dominica alter their “codas” to deal with human noise🧵👇 taltysoceandispatch.substack.com/p/whales-tel...

Whales Tell Each Other When Ships Are Nearby, Scientists Say

Plus: a new axolotl fossil is discovered and why a super El Niño could be a disaster for West Coast fisheries.

taltysoceandispatch.substack.com

Happy Sunday

Jennifer P. Mushrooms@jenyetagain.bsky.social · 3d ago

hey.

Facing 50 degree water, huge currents and sharks, Sachi Cunningham photographs surfers at Mavericks during winter swells when waves can reach to 60+ feet. She is one of the few who photographs these epic waves while swimming herself. Full story here: open.substack.com/pub/taltysoc...

Inside the Impact Zone with Big-Wave Film Maker Sachi Cunningham

The legendary photographer on swimming with 20-pound cameras at Mavericks, her new documentary and the evolution of big wave women. Plus: what it’s like to cold plunge with Kara Swisher.

open.substack.com

Back to regularly scheduled ocean programming aka super yikes!

Need some good ocean news today? 🌊 The Atlantic bluefin tuna makes a massive comeback. 30 years of tracking data and a de facto protected area in the Gulf of Mexico have helped this 1,400-kilo giant rebound. Good conservation policy actually works! 🧵 taltysoceandispatch.substack.com/p/atlantic-b...

Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Makes Its Comeback

Plus: two indicators of ocean health predict a worrying future and swimmer Catherine Breed continues her way down the California coastline.

taltysoceandispatch.substack.com

An edible home whose decorations can move with you? Sign me up!

It is very ~2026~ that a bot took down a Nobel laureate’s papers for “self-plagiarism.”

David Ho@davidho.bsky.social · last mo.

Two papers by Max Planck, the legendary Nobel laureate in physics, were retracted by Springer Nature in 2011, likely due to an algorithm flagging the papers for self-plagiarism and copyright infringement. Read on for how stupid it all is. 🧪

Can one human swim 900 miles down the California coast? 🌊🤿🏊‍♀️ Meet Catherine Breed, the 7x world record holder tackling the ultimate endurance test. From Great Whites to 52-degree water, here is a behind-the-scenes before the 33-year-old embarks: taltysoceandispatch.substack.com/p/900-miles-...

900 Miles, Four Months and One Woman's Quest in the Pacific

Meet Catherine Breed, the world-class athlete attempting a historic swim down the entire California coast.

taltysoceandispatch.substack.com

Absolutely glued to this story:

Hunter Walker@hunterw.bsky.social · 2mo ago

WORLD EXCLUSIVE: I have obtained a photo of the cursed vandals who are sullying American's reflecting pool.

Before full time journalism, I worked as the Aquatics Director at a beach club, for which I had to take a multi-day pool management courses. And then as a reporter, I’ve covered harmful algal blooms. All of which to say, this news story is my Roman Empire: www.nytimes.com/2026/06/15/c...

Trump Ordered ‘American Flag Blue’ for the Reflecting Pool. It’s Green Again.

nytimes.com

After living in China, where there are scores of low-to-no gas car or motor scooter options available for less than $1,000, this American man's re-tooled Barbie car highlights how badly American car companies have fumbled the smaller, more efficient car market. www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-QN...

High gas prices drive Georgia man to create a "mini car," costing about $3 to fill up

YouTube video by CBS Evening News

youtube.com

This is a must-read on the status of women’s health in America. Thank you to @fieseler.bsky.social for this personal reportage. Sending you all the positive healing vibes ❤️ sciencepolitics.org/2026/06/16/w...

This week, I dive into the massive, two year rescue campaign that secured a future for 30 captive beluga whales left in limbo at Marineland Ontario. 🐳 More here: open.substack.com/pub/taltysoc...

After Being Stranded for Years, 30 Canadian Beluga Whales Will Find a Home

Plus: El Niño is here and China launches first underwater data center.

open.substack.com

It’s Ocean Month! Two stories to watch: ⛏️ Deep-Sea Mining: The US is bypassing the UN to fast-track mining in international waters 🦩 Flamingo Revolution: Albanians continue protesting Jared Kushner-backed luxury development Full breakdown here: taltysoceandispatch.substack.com/p/ocean-mont...

Ocean Month Kicks Off with a Wave of Controversy

How the US is bypassing the UN to permit seabed mining, plus Albania's "Flamingo Revolution" continues and Malaysia’s threatened reefs.

taltysoceandispatch.substack.com

More not so great news for climate regulations in the US:

Todd Woody@toddwoody.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Breaking: California becomes the latest blue state to retreat on climate goals amid affordability concerns as regulators Friday evening voted to revamp its landmark carbon market to ease costs to the oil industry with $4 billion in incentives. Free link. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

🌊 Canada’s First Nations and British Columbia have officially created the ‘Realm of the Salmon’ coastal reserve! 🐟🇨🇦 Plus, how green turtles in the Red Sea are helping scientists discover hidden eelgrass meadows. Read the latest in Talty’s Ocean Dispatch: open.substack.com/pub/taltysoc...

First Nations and British Columbia Create 'Realm of the Salmon' Coastal Reserve in Canada

Plus: green turtles in the Red Sea are helping scientists find eel grass meadows.

open.substack.com

Louder for the people in the back 🎙️

David Ho@davidho.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Just like climate change, none of us alive will experience a media environment better than what we have today. How much worse it gets depends on whether we’re willing to pay for news.

Since the US defunded research initiatives across the globe, this lack of data is a big topic at international science and ocean conferences. The uncomfortable truth is that without American funding, there may not be enough resources for the kind of information that our modern world relies on.

Helen Czerski@helenczerski.bsky.social · 3mo ago

It's still a shock every time I look at what used to be one of the standard US environmental data services and see that the live data just isn't being updated any more due to funding cuts. It hurts all of us.

I unlocked a career goal reporting this one: freediving for a story 🤿

Mongabay@mongabay.com · 4mo ago

South Africa is home to one of the world's only expanding kelp forests, yet most of it lacks protection. Researchers are now documenting the thousands of species within the Great African Seaforest to drive new conservation efforts. @alexandratalty.bsky.social reports for #Mongabay.

A campaign to protect one of the planet's only expanding kelp forests takes shape - @alexandratalty.bsky.social @mongabay.com news.mongabay.com/2026/04/a-ca...

A campaign to protect one of the planet’s only expanding kelp forests takes shape

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Diving in the Great African Seaforest, with its tightly packed towering kelp stipes that can rise up to 9 meters, or 30 feet, from the seabed, is a surreal experience, even f...

news.mongabay.com

While kelp forests vanish worldwide, South Africa’s Great African Seaforest is growing. To learn more, I snorkeled in this memorizing ecosystem last December and met with marine scientists. #scicomm🧪 #marinescience Check out my full story for @mongabay.com here: news.mongabay.com/2026/04/a-ca...

A campaign to protect one of the planet’s only expanding kelp forests takes shape

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Diving in the Great African Seaforest, with its tightly packed towering kelp stipes that can rise up to 9 meters, or 30 feet, from the seabed, is a surreal experience, even f...

news.mongabay.com

At Seattle Tacoma airport, Microsoft and Amazon employees get their own check-in line at Delta.

Nature is always amazing 🤩

Michelle says: Be kind. Always. ❤️@snarkysillysad.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Drone footage from the Great Barrier Reef Foundation captures 64,000 green sea turtles near Raine Island in Australia's Great Barrier Reef. #AGoodPlace Source: www.reddit.com/r/NatureIsFu...

Huge scoop that Microsoft is pausing its CDR program via @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social + @heatmap.news. If true, this will have big consequences for ocean carbon removal, as Microsoft was one of the biggest funders of mCDR. heatmap.news/carbon-remov...

Sometimes I wonder: what if the media industry tackled this problem instead of the endless 5-year cycle of of re-orgs and re-branding and pivots.

Roxane Gay@roxanegay.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Magazines make it so hard. I have a Vanity Fair subscription. I am logged in. I am trying to read an article but the paywall is there saying I am not a subscriber. Which I am. I click on subscribe just for fun and it says no need you’re a subscriber. Which I am. I refresh. Rinse and repeat. Come on.

Spring in Beijing means chicken ginger soup and classic milk tea with boba.

In a sign of how dang tough it is for local newspapers, the New York Times’ Daily now has an ad recommending that listeners support other, local papers. Rough!

Welcome to the newest geopolitical chessboard. My newsletter this week dives into China's deep sea ambitions. 🌊 The data is wild: Chinese vessels spent only 6% of their time in mining areas. The rest: mapping waters near Taiwan, Guam and Hawaii. taltysoceandispatch.substack.com/p/china-is-d...

China Is Dominating The Deep Sea - and Everyone Else Just Realized

Plus: Singapore’s otters and how Japan is leading the world in ocean carbon credits.

taltysoceandispatch.substack.com

oil prices are about to make polyester a noble fiber

If you’re at Carbon Forward Asia - stop by and say hi! Cohosting an mCDR deep dive workshop on Wednesday, March 25 at 9:00 am ET.