Welcome!
Welcome to the Lenfest Ocean Program Web site. We support scientific research on living marine resources that will help decision makers both understand the causes and consequences affecting the global marine environment, and design and implement policies that will sustainably manage ocean ecosystems.
NEW!
January, 2010 - New Study Suggests Antarctic Minke Whales Are Not Preventing Recovery of Larger Whales
Using genetic analyses scientists estimate that the long-term population size of Antarctic minke whales falls within the range of estimates from three modern-day surveys of minkes in the Southern Ocean. The study's findings indicate that the Southern Ocean minke whale population around Antarctica has not grown unnaturally large in the wake of industrial whaling, which decimated populations of other larger whales in the region. Click here to learn more.
December, 2009 - New study challenges assumptions about ecological benefits of catch share programs
A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that implementation of catch share programs provide only minor changes in fisheries health, but do improve the consistency of the fisheries. Click here to learn more.
June, 2009 - Study looks at global conservation status of 64 shark species
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Shark Specialist Group, made up of 15 experts from government agencies, universities, NGOs and institutions from around the world, has released a report that finds that 32 percent of the shark species they examined are threatened with extinction, primarily due to overfishing. Click here to learn more about the study.
February, 2009 - Whales & Fish Interactions: Are Great Whales a Threat to Fisheries?
A new paper in the journal Science finds that culling whales will not increase fisheries catches in tropical waters. The scientists used global and regional data, validated through scientific workshops in Senegal and Barbados, to determine whether competition was occurring. To view information about the research, both the Senegal and Barbados Workshops and to download high resolution whale pictures, click here.
October, 2008 - Atlantic Sharks at Risk: An Expert Working Group Report
An expert working group convened by the Lenfest Ocean Program in the summer of 2008 develops recommendations for limiting or prohibiting catch for the pelagic shark and ray species caught in International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) fisheries.
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