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Seeing first-hand the effects of #redtide. The whole beach in Fort Myers is littered with dead fish

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It’s a well-noted phenomenon that humpback whales, often in duos, protect smaller animals who are hunted by marine predators like orca whales. In 2009, a humpback whale hoisted a seal out of the water to protect it from oncoming orcas. In 2012, a pod of humpback whales off the coast of Monterey Bay, California attempted to protect a gray whale calf from being hunted by orcas.

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Solutions discussed at the Sea Kevel Rise conference @miamichamber

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Coconut Octopus uses shells he's found on the ocean floor to protect himself.

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Guess who’s back? Back again?

Tuna crabs are back—tell a friend! Once again, swarms of pelagic red crabs—aka tuna crabs, Pleuroncodes planipes—beached themselves on Monterey Bay beaches yesterday.

First seen in October of last year, there have been a handful of these mass strandings of juvenile crabs—a normal part of the lifecycle of this species—during our 2015-2016 El Niño. 

Pushed northward by currents and pleasant climes, tuna crabs are one of the most prominent indicators of these changed seas at the hands of El Niño. They were last seen in Monterey during the 1982-1983 ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation).

Hot on the tails of these tasty treats are hordes of blue whales—twenty individuals were spotted recently near Moss Landing! We even saw a blue whale lunge feeding on the surface from the back deck of the Aquarium, drawn in by fresh and delicious Mexican food.

As the ocean continues to warm due to climate change, these events may become more commonplace in our area, as southern seas slowly slink north. 

The return of the tuna crabs is a reminder that slight changes in temperature can drastically affect the community of animals living in the ocean—and bring a trip to Mexico to our backyard.

You can learn more about tuna crabs in our blog posts:

El Niño is feeling kinda crabby!

They’re baaaaaaack!

What does it mean?

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Carmel Beach

Saw this tweet today, had to share

From my walk on Carmel beach #California #mobilephotography pic.twitter.com/3u3uI63chg

— jim perdue (@jimm_perdue) December 7, 2015

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Pacific Vortex turned 3 today!

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Marine life scatters as huge patches of unusually warm water emerge in the Pacific.

CNN: Blob of warm Pacific water threatens ecosystem, may intensify drought

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We are all connected. PLANETARY the movie is now available on Vimeo

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Most of the oxygen we breathe comes from the world’s oceans.....

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Unify #LoveWater 2015 78% of Earth's surface is water, but only 01% is fresh and drinkable. We have polluted almost 95% of all water on the planet!!! More people die from water-borne illness than from war. Visit http://unify.org/ and find out some ways you can make a difference.

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Help save our Oceans. Learn about the Pristine Seas Expeditions from National Geographic.

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FIrst in the series: 

Garbage Island: An Ocean Full of Plastic

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Watch the new series Changing Seas - WPBT2 Public Television