Category: Coastal News

Remarkably Bright Creatures: A Story of Octopus Intelligence Set in the Pacific Northwest

7/14/2026 - By Janet Green Hammerman, best4boats.com. The Netflix adaptation of Shelby Van Pelt's bestselling novel Remarkably Bright Creatures is drawing renewed attention to one of the ocean's most fascinating inhabitants — the giant Pacific octopus. Set in a fictional Pacific Northwest coastal town, the story follows an aging widow, a drifting… SEE MORE

Eyes On The Deep: How Ocean Imaging Is Transforming Underwater Discovery

7/7/2026 - By Elise Hugus, whoi.edu. From ancient shipwrecks in the Black Sea to a lost WWI submarine off San Diego, the ability to see — and share — what lies on the ocean floor has never been more powerful. A new feature from WHOI's Oceanus magazine profiles Dwight Coleman, the institution's… SEE MORE

Sudden Danger: The Science And Stakes of Flash Flood Forecasting

7/2/2026 - By research.noaa.gov, research.noaa.gov. Though not as feared as tornadoes, hail, or lightning, flash floods are one of the deadliest weather hazards in the United States. While the number of fatalities can vary dramatically from year to year, the national average for flood deaths is 88. Lightning accounts for an average of… SEE MORE

Michael Peñuelas, a Seattle scuba diver, examines a large sunflower sea star in the Edmonds Marine Park in Puget Sound, Washington, in 2021. (Image credit: Courtesy of Zachary Gold)

New eDNA Tool To Help Track Recovery Of Sunflower Sea Star, a Pacific Coast ‘Apex Predator’

6/30/2026 - By noaa.gov, noaa.gov. A wasting disease that surged during the intense 2013-2016 Pacific marine heatwave known as the Blob decimated numerous species of sea stars and triggered the collapse of vast coastal kelp forests from the Aleutians to the Baja Peninsula. One of the species most affected was the sunflower sea star, an… SEE MORE

A fish-eye view of the wake of a ship out at sea. Here's an ocean fact: The surface layer of the ocean is teeming with photosynthetic plankton. Though they're invisible to the naked eye, they produce more oxygen than the largest redwood trees. (Image credit: NOAA)

What World Ocean Day Can Look Like in 100 Years

6/29/2026 - By noaa.gov, noaa.gov. More often than not, when we talk about ocean conservation, the conversation naturally gravitates toward what we stand to lose if we don’t act. This is only natural, as the urgency of the climate and biodiversity crises forces us to consider a future where our most cherished… SEE MORE

A person tends to oyster beds at an oyster farm in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. (Image credit: NOAA Fisheries)

NOAA Strengthens Commitment to Aquaculture Through New Cooperative Institute

6/28/2026 - By noaa.gov, noaa.gov. Today, NOAA announced the University of New Hampshire as host institution for the new NOAA Cooperative Institute Fostering Aquaculture Research and Markets (CIFARM) to expand NOAA’s impact and strengthen efforts to boost American seafood competitiveness. After a highly competitive application process, this new five-year cooperative institute will harness partnerships… SEE MORE

An aerial photo of the green waters of harmful algal bloom in western Lake Erie, July 20, 2020. (Image credit: Courtesy of Zachary Haslick, Aerial Associates)

Moderate Harmful Algal Bloom Predicted for Western Lake Erie

6/27/2026 - By noaa.gov, noaa.gov. NOAA and its research partners are forecasting a moderate harmful algal bloom (HAB) in western Lake Erie this summer. This year’s bloom is expected to measure 3.5 on the HAB severity index, with a potential range of 3 to 4.5. “Toxic algae affect not only the health… SEE MORE

Sailboat moored in Padanaram Harbor, South Dartmouth, MA at sunset

2026 Best Harbor Contest Winners Announced!

6/23/2026 - Padanaram, South Dartmouth, MA Wins Best Harbor Padanaram, Massachusetts is the Grand Winner, Best Harbor in the U.S. for 2026 Boaters and coastal enthusiasts in Padanaram, South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, got out the vote this year to take the prize as our Grand Winner, returning to the top spot in US… SEE MORE

A Tale of Two Gulf of Alaska Crossings: Yacht and Tugboat

6/23/2026 - By Norris Comer, best4boats. The Gulf of Alaska is one of those bodies of water that commands respect from anyone who's crossed it — or plans to. In a vivid first-person account for Best4Boats, editorial director Norris Comer recounts two very different passages across the gulf: one aboard a 1965… SEE MORE

Vessels from the West Coast squid fleet followed market squid north into Oregon as ocean waters warmed, leading Oregon to adopt its first regulations for squid fishing in the state. Photo courtesy of California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

7 Ways El Niño and Large Marine Heatwave Could Affect West Coast Marine Species

6/23/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. A large marine heatwave has bathed parts of the West Coast in very warm ocean waters over the past year, breaking temperature records in the Pacific. NOAA has also announced that El Niño has developed in the tropical Pacific and is predicted to intensify to a moderate or strong level this… SEE MORE