Coney Island, NY, June 30, 2018 -- The stunning new Donald Zucker and Barbara Hrbek Zucker Ocean Wonders: Sharks! exhibit opened today at the New York Aquarium.

The three-story, 57,500-square-foot exhibit building, with 9 dynamic galleries, will drive awareness of the importance of sharks to the health of the world’s ocean; educate visitors about the severe threats sharks face; and inspire guests to protect the surprisingly diverse and beautiful marine wildlife here in New York.  

A new study published in Conservation Letters identifies reefs globally that have the potential to survive the growing threat of climate change and to help revive degraded marine ecosystems if they are protected from other threats.

Scientists have identified a portfolio of the world’s reefs most likely to survive the coming decades, using principles from the financial investment world.

The Ocean Wonders: Sharks! exhibit brings visitors up close to a diverse group of sharks, demonstrating their critical role in ocean ecosystems and how vulnerable they are to the actions of humans. 

WCS welcomed the decision by the UNESCO-World Heritage Committee to remove the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System from the “List of World Heritage in Danger.”

A coalition of over 100 advocates attended a press conference and rally on June 21^st in support of Intro No. 936, legislation first introduced on May 23, 2018 by Council Member Espinal (Brooklyn- East New York, Bushwick, Cypress Hills) to ban plastic straws and stirrers in New York City eating and drinking establishments.

WCS Executive Vice President for Public Affairs John Calvelli issued the following statement concerning rescission of the U.S. National Ocean Policy:

WCS and WWF issued a report this week revealing that nearly a million square kilometers, or 386,000 square miles, of tropical intact forest landscapes (IFLs) are overlapped by extractive industries thereby posing a significant threat to these pristine regions. 

A massive study of nearly 1800 tropical coral reefs around the world has found that marine reserves near heavily populated areas fail to protect many endangered species - but are a vast improvement over having no protection.