Even the deep ocean isn't immune to #PlasticPollution! And while a toy may appear innocent, the associated problems are not. That's why @montereybayaquarium.org supports legislation and international agreements that reduce unnecessary plastic at the source. bit.ly/3V4SNUu

Plastic pollution

Explore the impacts and solutions to plastic pollution in the ocean.

bit.ly

MBARI@mbarinews.bsky.social · 3d ago

I am the terror that floats in the dark.⁠ I am the immortal plastic toy that's growing its own ecosystem.⁠ I am deep-sea duck! 🦆🌊😱⁠ ⁠ Our ROV cameras spotted this unlikely deep-sea visitor on the seafloor. Even miles beneath the ocean’s surface, we find trash, much of it plastic.

Then Assemblymember Dave Jones was inspired to create the fund after learning about the threats facing sea otters during a 2005 visit with his family to the Aquarium. Laird co-authored the original legislation. www.dailynews.com/2006/04/03/a...

Assemblyman tries to save sea otters

SACRAMENTO – Assemblyman Dave Jones, D-Sacramento, was visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium last summer when he and his family learned that the threatened California sea otter population is not thriving...

dailynews.com

While the fund doesn't directly support the Aquarium’s Sea Otter Program, it has raised $5 million since 2006 for other organizations whose work complements all that we’re doing to recover this iconic species. bit.ly/3Upflix #WildlifeConservation #MarineMammal #SeaOtter #ActForTheOcean

Huge thanks to @governor.ca.gov for signing into law a bill by State Sen. John Laird to re-establish California Sea Otter Voluntary Contribution Fund. The Fund will again appear on the 2026 state income tax return; to remain active, it must attract at least $250,000 in contributions each year.

...These aren’t just minor adjustments—this is a fundamental dismantling of our most effective guardrail against #extinction. We must firmly oppose these changes and fight to restore the full strength of the #ESA! www.montereybayaquarium.org/about-us/abo...

...and the communities & coastal economies that rely on a healthy coast and ocean. This administration's rollbacks are contrary to the congressional intent of the #ESA to protect and recover species by protecting their habitat and maintaining healthy ecosystems.

The continuing rollbacks of the #EndangeredSpeciesAct are a direct assault on our environment. A healthy economy cannot exist without a healthy planet, yet the latest round of attacks on the ESA threaten California’s treasured marine life and special places...

The strength of conservation is measured not when it is easy, but when it is tested. Last week's changes to the U.S. Endangered Species Act regulations weaken protections that have helped recover some of America's most iconic wildlife. #EndangeredSpecies #WildlifeConservation

We joined 15 partner aquariums to oppose this change and speak up for a strong ESA and foundational protections for marine life. Read more here: mbayaq.co/4furc6T

For more than 50 years, the ESA has been successful at preventing extinction because it protects habitat. This change sacrifices science-based management for industrial development.

Development that degrades or destroys a species’ habitat is no longer considered “harm” to their survival or recovery.

Today, the federal government finalized a major change to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to remove vital habitat protections for endangered species.

Habitat destruction is the single greatest driver pushing species to extinction. Without habitat protection, vulnerable marine species are in peril. #EndangeredSpeciesAct

We’ve seen what happens when we gamble with our coasts. We can’t afford to repeat it. #California #WestCoast #OffshoreDrilling #Energy #Ocean

Monterey Bay Aquarium@montereybayaquarium.org · 10mo ago

Today, the California coast we cherish and the delicate ocean ecosystems just beyond it face a renewed threat from offshore drilling. We oppose the Trump Administration’s 5-year oil and gas leasing program and will continue to defend our coastline, wildlife, economy, and health from this threat.

More #offshore drilling doesn’t serve the public. It serves the #oil and #gas industry at the expense of #ocean health, human #health, #climate resilience, and the coastal communities who depend on a clean, thriving ocean.

Monterey Bay Aquarium@montereybayaquarium.org · 10mo ago

Read and share our official statement on offshore drilling: mbayaq.co/48dJaWJ

Reopening the Pacific #OCS to drilling ignores everything we learned from #Deepwater Horizon, #Refugio, and #Cosco-Busan. It steers us backward toward the same risks that devastated communities, #wildlife, and coastal economies.

Monterey Bay Aquarium@montereybayaquarium.org · 10mo ago

Read and share our official statement on offshore drilling: mbayaq.co/48dJaWJ

My years at #NOAA responding to the #Deepwater Horizon disaster—the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history—left an unforgettable mark on me. That’s why the newly proposed National Outer Continental Shelf #Oil and #Gas Leasing Program is so alarming.

Monterey Bay Aquarium@montereybayaquarium.org · 10mo ago

Today, the California coast we cherish and the delicate ocean ecosystems just beyond it face a renewed threat from offshore drilling. We oppose the Trump Administration’s 5-year oil and gas leasing program and will continue to defend our coastline, wildlife, economy, and health from this threat.

From supply chain instability to consumer demand for sustainability, the private sector has every reason to support an ambitious #GlobalPlasticsTreaty that reduces plastic production, drives innovation, - and protects human and environmental health. #INC5 www.forbes.com/sites/kriste...

Why U.S. Business Has A Vested Interest In A Plastic Pollution Treaty

Instead of defunding international groups like UNEP that tackle environmental issues, the U.S. could negotiate on behalf of American businesses.

forbes.com

Our oceans now contain 27 million tonnes of #nanoplastics, particles invisible to the naked eye but impossible to ignore. These tiny fragments infiltrate every level of the marine food web with devastating consequences for ecosystems, seafood, and human health. #PlasticPollution

I’m honored to join a panel hosted by @ChathamHouse #thinktank and the ISC @sciencecouncil.bsky.social to inform what may be the final round of negotiations for a #globaltreaty to end #plasticpollution. 🗓️ 14 July 2025 | 5:00–6:30PM BST 📍 Chatham House + Online www.chathamhouse.org/events/all/r...

778 pieces of plastic in a seabird chick, in one of the most pristine corners of our planet. This is a signal of a global crisis, #plastic has deeply infiltrated ecosystems and food chains. A #GlobalPlasticsTreaty must prioritize science and the health of our planet. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05...

On a pristine Australian island the birds are so full of plastic they crunch

It's an exclusive tourist destination and one of the most pristine places on the planet. It's the last place you would expect to find birds with bellies so full of plastic that they crunch if you sque...

abc.net.au

What are the research gaps needed to fully understand microplastic impacts to our health? What mitigation strategies can states, including #California, use to reduce exposure sources? Final webinar about #microplastics and human #health recording here: tinyurl.com/ebaje4w3

Negotiations on a global #plasticstreaty (INC 5.2) resume in Geneva in early August. Our ISC Expert Group on Plastic Pollution outline 4 key elements for an effective treaty and related provisions in the Chair’s negotiating text for further scientific input - www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Cristian’s #snowyplover #tattoo is more than beautiful art, it’s a symbol of protection, family, hope, and the power of conservation. The #EndangeredSpeciesAct isn’t just about saving wildlife—it’s about protecting the balance that sustains us all. 💙 Let’s keep lifting up voices like Cristian’s!

Monterey Bay Aquarium@montereybayaquarium.org · last yr.

Tides and Tattoos 🌊🖊️ Meet Cristian from our Conservation and Science team! Growing up, his mom used to tell him he had a bird watching over him. His fascination with feathered friends started at a young age, and he’s commemorated that with a snowy plover tattoo. www.youtube.com/shorts/PxuvN...

We know #plastics are not just a “waste” problem, plastics are also a #climate problem. We are glad to be part of the first report to comprehensively assess the existing peer-reviewed data on climate impacts of plastics and outlines research and policy recommendations we can start on right now.

I’m excited to join an incredible group of experts at the @nationalacademies.org Plastic Roundtable Workshop: Circularity and Plastics in Washington, DC this week. Our workshop will explore and identify actionable pathways to achieve a future state of plastics within a circular economy.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine@nationalacademies.org · last yr.

#Recycling and other #sustainability strategies can mitigate #PlasticWaste and its impacts on human and #EnvironmentalHealth. Explore #circularity for #plastics in packaging, building materials, and textiles at our May 13 – 14 workshop: buff.ly/JSJVVg2

The @nationalacademies.org panel on microplastics in the environment & human exposure pathways from March 20 is online! It features me, Bart Koelmans, @traceywoodruff.bsky.social, Jane Muncke of @fpffoundation.bsky.social & @margaretspring.bsky.social. Full vid: www.youtube.com/watch?v=96rI...

Distribution of Microplastics in the Environment and Human Exposure Pathways

YouTube video by National Academies - Earth and Life Studies

youtube.com

How can knowledge of microplastics hotspots inform decision-making that protect human health? Join @nationalacademies.org for a webinar on 3/20 on the distribution and sources of human exposure. RSVP: www.nationalacademies.org/event/44668_... #Microplastics #PublicHealth

🧪 @royalsociety.org speaks out. "Scientific evidence & those who advocate for it are under attack by those who wish to undermine rational debate... The Royal Society will use its voice and the expertise of our Fellows to resist the various challenges to science." royalsociety.org/news/2025/02...

Science under threat | Royal Society

The Royal Society will use its voice and the expertise of our Fellows to resist the various challenges to science.

royalsociety.org

We Have the opportunity to demonstrate to the world that a California with less single-use plastic is within reach! Plastic pollution impacts not only the health of our ocean but also our communities, ecosystems, and planet. @governor.ca.gov, we urge you not to delay the SB 54 regulations.

Julie Packard@juliepackard.montereybayaquarium.org · 2y ago

California stands at a critical juncture, with our state’s continued leadership essential to reducing #PlasticPollution in our ocean and communities. It's time for action. www.latimes.com/environment/... #SB54