Ian Urbina, The Outlaw Ocean Project
Ian Urbina, a former investigative reporter for the New York Times, is the director of The Outlaw Ocean Project, a non-profit journalism organization based in Washington, D.C., that focuses on reporting about environmental and human rights crimes at sea.
- Yahoo News
Why we need to think about the oceans differently
The oceans are not just a marine habitat. They are also a workplace, a highway, a prison, a grocery store, a trash can, a cemetery — and much more.
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How the high seas are both a dystopian netherworld and a place of impossible wonder
Covering two-thirds of the planet, the sea is a workplace for more than 50 million people. Aside from being vital, the oceans are also distinctly fascinating for the universality and peculiarity of mariner culture. Home to a place of slavery, host to the most dangerous profession in the world (fishing), the sea is also a mesmerizing realm of unmatched beauty.
- Yahoo News
Beyond spills, intentional dumping of oils fouls the world's oceans
When a ship inadvertently spills oil, it’s big news. But according to an investigation by the Outlaw Ocean Project, a nonprofit journalism organization based in Washington, D.C., cumulatively, every three years, ships intentionally dump more oil than the Exxon Valdez and BP spills combined.
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How a third of all fish caught in the ocean are turned into something that no one eats
The oceans are running out of fish. To slow down that problem, environmentalists pushed for fish farming, or aquaculture. This was supposed to be the solution, but it ended up being a problem on its own.
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How the high seas became a renegades’ refuge, from libertarian micronations to floating abortion clinics
The lawlessness of the oceans has given rise to countless absurd and remarkable stories of renegades and mavericks seeking to escape national sovereignty.
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Slavery is not gone, it has just moved out to sea
While forced labor still exists throughout the world, one place where it’s especially pervasive is the South China Sea — especially in the Thai fishing fleet, according to a 2016 investigation by the New York Times.
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Illegal fishing fleets generate $10 billion in annual sales
If you look at the taxonomy of crime that plays out offshore, it's both diverse and acute. And yet illegal fishing sits at the top of that hierarchy. It’s a global business estimated at $10 billion in annual sales, and one that is thriving as improved technology has enabled fishing vessels to plunder the oceans with greater efficiency.
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How the mystery of a massacre at sea ultimately led to a conviction
This case shows the challenge of prosecuting crimes on the high seas. There were at least four ships on the scene, but no law required any of the dozens of witnesses to report the killings — and no one did.
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How the global demand for seafood is leading Chinese factories to pollute an African nation
In Gambia, the nine miles of water closest to the shore have been reserved for local fishermen, but on any given day dozens of foreign trawlers are visible from the beach. Sea Shepherd’s mission was to find and board trespassers, or other vessels engaged in prohibited behaviors, such as shark finning or netting juvenile fish.
- Yahoo News
'Fire! Fire! Fire!': A ship captain faces prosecution after a slaughter at sea
The chilling case of the Ping Shin 101, which is still unfolding, shows the challenge of prosecuting crimes on the high seas.