This week’s installment features stories by Lee van der Voo, Adam Gopnik, Surabhi Ranganathan, Masha Udensiva-Brenner, and Mikey O’Connell.
sea
The Law of the Sea
“Down in the deep, the legal distinction between land and sea no longer holds.”
‘You Can’t Sail Around the World By Yourself’
Susie Goodall wanted to circumnavigate the globe in her sailboat without stopping. She didn’t bargain for what everyone else wanted.
With Old Traditions and New Tech, Young Inuit Chart Their Changing Landscape
For generations, hunting and being deeply in tune with the land have been essential parts of Inuit culture in the Hudson Bay region of northernmost Canada. As the coastline changes, Inuit youth are combining next-generation tech and tools with the Indigenous wisdom of their elders to chart the evolving marine landscape — and make it […]
The Maintenance Race
In this fascinating piece, Stewart Brand recounts the journeys of three sailors competing in an around-the-world race in 1968, their very different approaches, and the important role of maintenance in their voyages. Every piece of equipment on board, and the structure of the boat itself, would be stressed for months on end. Since going ashore […]
Will Northwest Seaweed Farming Finally Take Off?
In this piece from late 2020, Stefan Milne explores the incredible potential of kelp as “a tool to fight ocean acidification, feed the world, and restore Native food sovereignty.” One study estimated a “marine garden” the size of Washington state could provide enough protein to feed earth’s population, all while cleaning pollutants. He dove into […]
The Race to Free Washington’s Last Orca in Captivity
“A southern resident’s violent capture off Whidbey Island was the original sin of a now-defunct local industry. Decades later, a Lummi-led effort to bring her home is on the verge of an improbable breakthrough.”
Shark Attacks in Maine Were Unthinkable — Until Last Summer
“Last year’s first-ever fatal shark attack jolted Mainers into acknowledging that great whites regularly swim off the state’s shores — and that there’s plenty about them we don’t know.”
Seeding the Ocean: Inside a Michelin-Starred Chef’s Revolutionary Quest to Harvest Rice From the Sea
Can eelgrass — and the innovation of Spanish chef Ángel León — change the way we feed the world?