February 28, 2006

Oceans: Resources for Getting Involved

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Oceans: Resources for Getting Involved

Ocean Biogeographic Information System

Cruise over to iobis.org and click on the interactive map to discover what species swim anywhere in the world’s waters.

UN Atlas of the Oceans

Trawl for information on all aspects of ocean life.

Smart Gear Competition

The World Wildlife Fund is offering prizes for the best ideas for reducing bycatch. Submit an entry at smartgear.org

Oceana

Go to to join its campaigns against oil pollution, destructive fishing, and dirty seafood. oceana.org.

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

This feisty group got its start ramming whalers, and it still confronts illegal fishing on the high seas. Follow its exploits at seashepherd.org.

Deep Sea Conservation Coalition

Visit savethehighseas.org to learn about its push for an international moratorium on high seas bottom trawling.

Our Synthetic Sea

This documentary by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation follows “nurdles” and other nonbiodegradable plastic ocean waste. Get a copy at algalita.org.

Save the Clean Air Act

More on its drive to get senators to urge the Bush administration to crack down on mercury-spewing power plants at savethecleanairact.org.

Seas the Day

Take action at Seastheday.org to help ensure that the ocean is protected and conserved for future generations.

Sound Off on Sonar

Find out about the Navy’s proposal for a sonar testing ground in a key whale habitat off the coast of North Carolina at the Natural Resources Defense Council’s savebiogems.org.

The Ocean Conservancy

Sign up for action alerts on its efforts to get Congress to reform fisheries management at oceanconservancy.org.

Menhaden Matter

Learn more about the campaign to end the overfishing of the Chesapeake Bay’s big little fish at menhadenmatter.org.

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“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

If you can, please support the reporting you get from Mother Jones—that exists to make a difference, not a profit—with a donation of any amount today. We need more donations than normal to come in from this specific blurb to help close our funding gap before it gets any bigger.

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