How Pirates, Criminals, and COVID-19 Benefit Shy Sea Turtles

Human Scourges Are Godsends for Marine Creatures Who Need Solitude

When I read in the news that sea turtles are thriving during the COVID-19 pandemic, I was not surprised. After all, the reasoning was sound: Fear of the virus has left beaches from Florida to Indonesia and beyond empty of tourists, so more adult females turtles can come ashore to lay eggs and more baby hatchlings can scamper towards the sea.

That a plague would be good for turtles made sense to me. As a sea turtle biologist, I’ve long studied how pernicious human foes—including organized crime, drug cartels, and high-seas …

Will Squid Soon Rule the Oceans?

After 500 Million Years, Cephalopods Are Thriving Amid Environmental Upheaval

The future is full of tentacles.

Even now, both giant and colossal squid writhe throughout the deep, while hooked and flying squid migrate from sea to sea in swirling swarms. Otherworldly …