ocean

Killing Time with the Fishermen of Santa Monica Pier

Photos of the Anglers Who Hang Out Beneath the Ferris Wheel, Take in the Ocean Breeze, and Wait for a Bite

On the lower deck of the Santa Monica Pier—below the Pacific Park solar-powered Ferris wheel, Inkie’s Pirate Ship ride, and oceanfront West Coaster—there’s a quiet community of fishermen and women.

Many tourists from the top deck stare at the anglers with awe. Fishing is these folks’ art. And it looks much easier than it actually is. The Santa Monica Pier fishers don’t make much. One fisherman said he could make $25 for the foot-long fish he caught that morning, but he’d prefer to take it home to his family.

Fishing, they say, …

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You’ve Never Seen the California Coast Like This Before

Laura Plageman Photographs the Pacific, Crumples Up Her Prints, Then Photographs Them Again

A craggy rock emerges in sharp relief out of the ocean. Swarms of birds descend into crashing waves. A blue sky of clouds resembles a crumpled piece of paper, discarded …

The U.S. Is Almost as Fish Dependent as It Is Energy Dependent

We Import Over 90 Percent of Our Seafood. It’s Hurting the Environment—and the Economy.

by Paula Daniels |

The United States is one of the world’s three largest consumers of seafood products, yet we import over 90 percent of our fish and shellfish, and have been experiencing an …

Is the Final Frontier Under the Sea?

Before We Got to the Moon, Americans Made Scientific History Exploring the Ocean Floor

by Ben Hellwarth |

Fabien Cousteau, the eldest grandson of legendary ocean explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, just wrapped up an unusually long underwater stay, logging 31 days living and working at the world’s only undersea …

I’ll Tell You Why They Won’t Find Malaysia Air Flight 370

I’ve Sailed Halfway Around the World—and Few Places Are As Dangerous As the Indian Ocean

by Andrew Heger |

Cape Leeuwin represents the southwestern-most point of Australia. Five years ago last month I stood atop its lighthouse, looked at the hostile sea state at the confluence of the Southern …

Don’t Gnash Your Teeth Over Shark Week, Shark Lovers

Yes, Our Chomp-Prone Ocean Friends Get Demonized, But Let’s Take Advantage of Public Interest and Set the Record Straight

by David Shiffman |

When I was a little boy growing up in Pittsburgh, hundreds of miles from the ocean, the only sharks I ever saw were at the aquarium or on my TV. …


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