Lessons from Reefs that Recovered Shark conservation isn’t theoretical. Around the world, a growing number of reefs show what happens when sharks are allowed to return. One of the most striking examples is Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park in Mexico. After the local community committed to a full no-take reserve, […]
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How Sharks Help Protect Corals Without Ever Touching Them One of the most fascinating discoveries in modern marine ecology is that sharks don’t have to eat something to control it. A 2025 study published in Communications Biology by researchers from the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the University of […]
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Why Sharks Matter to Coral Reefs Sharks are often framed as symbols of danger, but on coral reef, they are better understood as architects of balance. As apex predators, sharks sit at the top of the reef food web. Their presence helps regulate populations below them, ensuring that no single […]
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Why Saving Parrotfish Takes Time and Why It Matters Protecting parrotfish works, but not quickly, and not magically. Some of the clearest evidence comes from places where parrotfish have been protected for decades. Bonaire and Bermuda are often cited as success stories. In these regions, long-standing fishing restrictions have allowed […]
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How Parrotfish and Corals Support Each Other For a long time, parrotfish were seen and coral’s caretakers, fish that helped reefs recover by controlling algae. But recent research suggests something even more interesting is happening. Parrotfish and corals don’t just coexist. They respond to each other. When a reef is […]
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Why Parrotfish Are Coral’s Quiet Heroes Parrotfish are some of the most joyful fish on a coral reef. They glow in impossible colors, move with confidence, and crunch loudly as they graze. The are also some of the hardest-working animals in the ocean, and, for decades, scientists have known that […]
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After the success of my first ocean-themed painting giveaway, I couldn’t wait to begin a new series. This time, I am focusing on the brilliant, resilient reef fish of the Komodo and Alor regions of Indonesia. Why Komodo? This corner of the Coral Triangle is world-famous for its biodiversity, for […]
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When I began my 100 Days of Coral Reefs project, I had one clear goal: to raise awareness about ocean conservation through small, intentional actions, by learning, changing habits, and creating with purpose. I didn’t know exactly where it would lead, but I hoped it would spark something. Now the […]
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Island nations throughout the Indo-Pacific are on the frontlines of climate change, and nowhere is this more visible than in their coral reefs. While the Philippines and the Solomon Islands share stunning marine biodiversity and face common climate threats (rising sea temperatures, ocean acidification, and increasingly severe storms) their responses […]
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After visiting both the Solomon Islands and the Philippines, I’ve been learning more about how each nation is working to protect its reefs. While both the Solomon Islands and the Philippines face serious climate-related threats to their coral reefs, there are important differences in scale, exposure, and socio-political context that […]
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