Articles by Andrew Sharpless

Songbirds show high mercury levels

Conservation groups have spent the last few years fighting to make sure that FDA warnings about mercury are actually shared with consumers -- and we're starting to have some real success getting the message out. Many consumers, especially expecting mothers, now know about these warnings and are closely monitoring which -- and how much -- seafood they eat in a given week to avoid mercury contamination. But as The New York Times reports, a recent study shows that mercury has spread further than previously thought.

This "eye-opening" study tested songbirds in New York and found that every one had elevated levels of mercury -- meaning that mercury is now literally finding its way into our back yards.

Jellyfish invasion in the Mediterranean

If you've never felt the stinging sensation of a jellyfish, count yourself lucky. It's like lemon juice in a paper cut, but longer lasting. The only thing worse than a jellyfish sting is ... hundreds of jellyfish stings.

Scientists recently announced a jellyfish bloom on the Spanish Mediterranean coast, and the crew onboard Oceana's Ranger is witnessing the invasion firsthand.

What's causing the massive increase? Glad you asked:

• An increase in "nutrients" (aka ocean pollution),
• an increase in water temperature (aka, global warming), and
• a decrease in predators (aka overfishing).

For all of you right-brained people, get a sense of the situation through this new video.

Unorthodox strategy results in key victory for marine mammals

Yes, folks, it's true. The House demonstrated Monday that they will -- on occasion -- vote "yes" on conservation issues, when Rep. Richard Pombo put forward and the House passed a new version of the Marine Mammal Protection Act that left the Dolphin Deadline intact.

This was truly an amazing victory, and I'm not just saying this because my organization, Oceana, led the work that pulled this off. We took on those who wanted to kill the deadline -- the key timeline for government to ensure that commercial fishing operations minimize the catch of dolphins and other marine mammals in their activities -- and won. The amazing part is how we did it -- by going to Republicans and proving that supporting legislation that "kills Flipper" is not good politics for Republicans or Democrats.

Ranger expedition switches target

After more than two months at sea, Oceana's catamaran -- the Ranger -- has documented dozens of illegal Italian driftnetters ... and we've got the footage to prove it: