National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - U.S. Department of Commerce

HEART Force: Students help solve community problems Big CIRES logo with smaller CU Boulder and NOAA logos on the right. (Image credit: CIRES at CU Boulder) Download Image July 24, 2026 A unique Colorado program gives students a seat at the table — and helps communities become safer, stronger, and more connected. Office of Education 0 Off

West Coast Gray Whale Population Increases Gray whales were nearly hunted to extinction by commercial whaling. Protections under the MMPA, ESA, and the end of commercial whaling have allowed the species to recover. (Image credit: NOAA Fisheries (Permit #19091).) Download Image July 17, 2026 0 Off

Humpback whale freed in Alaska The NOAA Fisheries response team uses poles with specialized knives to cut entangling lines. (Image credit: Alaska Department of Fish and Game/Jamie Musbach (NOAA Fisheries Permit # 24359)) Download Image July 17, 2026 Fisheries whales 0 Off

Lights, camera, seafood! Bertha Fontaine and the Fisheries Test Kitchen Fontaine (center) frequently demonstrated seafood recipes on television programs. (Image credit: NOAA Magazine, Volume 2 Number 3, July 1972) Download Image July 20, 2026 As the U.S. government expanded its effort in the 1950s and 1960s to promote American seafood, the need for charismatic spokespeople became clear — people l…

Protecting the living waters of the Channel Islands from marine debris Inspiration Point on Anacapa Island provides a glorious view of the Channel Islands. (Image credit: Claire Fackler, NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries) Download Image July 7, 2026 Channel Islands National Park and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary protect some of California’s richest coastal and marine habitats. Keeping …

Adopt a Drifter Program grows this summer Teacher at Sea Susan Dee deploys a drifter buoy. (Image credit: NOAA Teacher at Sea) Download Image June 26, 2026 More than 20 years after the first teacher adopted a drifter, NOAA’s Adopt a Drifter Program , co-led by the Global Ocean Monitoring and Observing Program (GOMO) and the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML), continues to…

The story behind the shot: 2025 winners share tips before the next contest begins Stargazing near the Old Seven Mile Bridge, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (Image credit: Daniel Eidsmoe) Download Image May 19, 2026 Each year, the Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest invites photographers to capture the beauty, biodiversity, and recreational experiences found across national marine sanctu…

Building community resilience through CALM Upper Lake Park bluff tour in 2025. (Image credit: Lydia Salus, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program) Download Image July 10, 2026 The Takeaway: State partners in Wisconsin joined to create the Collaborative Action for Lake Michigan (CALM) Coastal Resilience network to build resilience and mitigate hazards by increasing coordination among local, regional…

Florida partners supercharge teacher workshop at the Guana Tolomato Matanzas Reserve View of the transition between hammock, marsh and the Tolomato River at the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve. (Image credit: Savanna Mathis) July 10, 2026 Environmental educators from different organizations, led by Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, hosted a t…

Minnesota, Texas Sea Grant programs to lead next aquaculture leadership academy Sea Grant Aquaculture Leadership Academy participants tour a Sandbar Oyster Company oyster and salt marsh restoration project North Carolina. (Image credit: LaDon Swann) Download Image April 6, 2026 The leaders will include Fisheries and Aquaculture Extension Educator Julia Grenn and Extension Program Leader and Aquac…

Sudden danger: the science and stakes of flash flood forecasting An aerial view of a valley town with streets and houses overcome by flood waters. (Image credit: Christian/stock.adobe.com) July 1, 2026 Research Weather severe storms flooding forecasts 0 Off

NOAA announces regional priorities to advance America-first seafood strategy July 2, 2026 The United States is a global leader in fisheries excellence, and aligning foreign fisheries to American standards will increase opportunities for American fishermen and women. (Image credit: Shutterstock via NOAA Fisheries) Today, NOAA announced regional priorities to revitalize the U.S. seafood sector focu…

Contract for $99.6M awarded for NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow technology upgrade, essential maintenance July 1, 2026 The NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow sailing near its homeport in Newport, Rhode Island. (Image credit: Katherine McGinnis/NOAA OMAO) Download Image NOAA has awarded $99,637,544.00 to JAG Ketchikan, LLC. in Ketchikan, Alaska, to complete expanded upgrades and maintenance on NOAA Ship Henry …

Ribbon cutting event for new NOAA facility in North Charleston, South Carolina June 25, 2026 Charleston’s waterfront now has a new, state-of-the-art floating pier . The new pier and facility will provide essential support to NOAA Ship Nancy Foster, NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown, and NOAA Corps officers and civilian mariners who rely on safe, resilient waterfront infrastructure to execute scientific a…

Happy 250th USA! Here's your July 4th weekend forecast The NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson passes by the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor in 2021. (Image credit: NOAA) Download Image July 2, 2026 Stars, stripes and lots of sun: Much of the central and eastern U.S. will swelter under extreme heat for America’s semiquincentennial celebrations, as the West enjoys more typical summer temperatures. Her…

New eDNA tool to help track recovery of sunflower sea star, a Pacific Coast ‘apex predator’ 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) June 25, 2026 A wasting disease that surged during the intense 2013-2016 Pacific marine heatwave known as the Blob decimated …

Moderate harmful algal bloom predicted for western Lake Erie Visible blooms could impact coastal recreation by mid-July June 25, 2026 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) NOAA and its research partners are forecasting a moderate harmful algal bloom (HAB) in western Lake Erie t…

U.S. Department of Commerce allocates $123.6M in fishery disaster funding to Alaska, Oregon, California and Squaxin Island Tribe June 17, 2026 The Status of Stocks report provides an annual update on the status of U.S. marine fisheries. Working waterfronts such as this one in Sitka, Alaska are home to commercial fishing vessels. (Image credit: NOAA) Download Image Today, NOAA announced the alloca…

Sea turtles Loggerhead Turtle escaping a net equipped with turtle exclusion device (TED) (Image credit: NOAA) Download Image June 15, 2026 Sea turtles breathe air, like all reptiles, and have streamlined bodies with large flippers. They are well adapted to life in the ocean and inhabit tropical and subtropical ocean waters around the world. Of the seven species of sea turtles, six are found in U.…

7 ways El Niño could affect West Coast marine species (Image credit: California Department of Fish and Wildlife.) Download Image June 15, 2026 Fisheries climate fisheries marine life 0 Off