Oceans

The Latest on Oceans
Safe for Swimming?

Clean water

Safe for Swimming?

The Clean Water Act, adopted in 1972, set the goal of making all of our waterways safe for swimming. Nearly a half-century later, Americans visiting their favorite beach are still met all too often by advisories warning that the water is unsafe for swimming. Safe for Swimming? assesses water qulity at our nation's coastal and Great Lakes beaches, and highlights strategies for keeping our swimming areas free of dangerous pollution, now and for the future.

Report  

More Resources

Did You Know?
Over the last half century, marine vertebrate populations have declined by nearly 50%.

The Latest
Marine protected areas virtual tour: Dry Tortugas, FL

Oceans

Marine protected areas virtual tour: Dry Tortugas, FL

Continuing our series on MPAs around the world, we look at how protection of an “ecological crossroads” in the Gulf of Mexico has been instrumental in the recovery of local reef species populations.

Marine protected areas bring new life to the ocean

Oceans

Marine protected areas bring new life to the ocean

With the future of the ocean increasingly uncertain, a growing body of research shows that marine protected areas (MPAs) can conserve and revive marine ecosystems and help reverse the damage inflicted on the ocean by human activity.

Show More