BLOG ArcticUncategorized June 19, 2019

Finding Innovative Solutions to Marine Debris on St. Paul Island

Today’s guest blog comes from Lauren Divine, Director of the Ecosystem Conservation Office at the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island. She also represents the Tribal Government of St. Paul Island through the Aleut Interna...

BLOG ArcticUncategorized June 19, 2019

Finding Innovative Solutions to Marine Debris on St. Paul Island

Taking my morning walk across the Thames River in London to an International Maritime Organization (IMO) meeting, I notice something different than most days. As I get closer I realize that there is a protest taking plac...

BLOG ArcticUncategorized June 18, 2019

Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Global Shipping

Our Ocean Conservancy team—Andrew Hartsig, Patty Chambers and me—recently returned from a week-long trip to St. Paul Island to help with a marine debris cleanup that removed almost 20,000 pounds of trash. This cleanup wa...

BLOG ArcticUncategorized June 10, 2019

Hard Work, Partnership and Nearly 10 Tons of Trash

The Arctic spans roughly 5.5 million square miles at the top of the globe. Its icy waters are home to supremely adapted wildlife including bowhead whales, narwhals, walruses and ice-dependent seals. The region also provi...

BLOG ArcticUncategorized June 6, 2019

6 Arctic Myths That Need Debunking

Bristol Bay. At this time of year, conversation among my commercial fishing friends here in Bellingham and other places, turns from ski conditions to fish prices, from bikes to boats as they prepare for another season in...

BLOG ArcticUncategorized May 30, 2019

Open-Pit Mine Threatens Bristol Bay’s Rich Salmon Runs

China will soon launch its second icebreaking research vessel, the Xue Long 2. Chinese companies are heavily invested in the Yamal Liquid Natural Gas project in the Russian Arctic, and is expecting some 3 million tons of...

BLOG ArcticUncategorized May 29, 2019

China and the Arctic

Early last year, I wrote about the initial meeting of a new group called the Aleutian Islands Waterways Safety Committee. The committee provides a forum for mariners and other stakeholders to exchange information and est...

BLOG ArcticUncategorized May 28, 2019

New Shipping Safety Plan Adopted in Aleutian Islands Region

Ships generate waste like sewage and greywater as a normal part of operations. We all know what sewage is, but what about greywater? The International Maritime Organization defines it as “the drainage from dishwater, sho...

BLOG ArcticUncategorized May 27, 2019

All You Need to Know About Greywater Discharge From Ships

The Trump administration recently finalized changes that will weaken key provisions of an offshore drilling safety rule commonly known as the “Well Control Rule.” The rollback is a big step in the wrong direction. The We...

BLOG ArcticUncategorized May 14, 2019

Trump Administration Weakens Offshore Drilling Safety Rules

As much as I was excited to be in Rovaniemi, Finland with the United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and his counterparts from the Arctic nations to participate in the 11th Arctic Council Ministerial meeting, let...