What is The Deep Brief?
Each week, I collate the ocean stories that matter most, not the ones that flood your feed, but the ones that slip beneath the surface. Quiet stories. Urgent ones. The kind that deserve your time.
What follows is a snapshot of what I found this week. Grouped for clarity. Told simply. Linked for anyone who wants to dive deeper.
Let’s go.
The Bad News First
Because awareness is the first step.
Sewage, Sickness and a Coastal Wake-Up Call
Chris Haslam swam at more than 600 beaches across the UK. He got E. coli. His dog fell ill. His report is raw, honest and deeply unsettling.
Read it here
A Brutal Spring for California’s Marine Life
The longest and most toxic algal bloom in Southern California history may be over, but not before hundreds of sea lions and dolphins were poisoned.
Read it here
Plastic Pellets Blanket Kerala’s Beaches
After a shipwreck, nurdles (tiny plastic pellets) have covered India’s coastline. Almost invisible. Almost impossible to clean up.
Read it here
Plastic Disrupts Seabird Immune Systems
New research reveals that plastic ingestion does more than block digestion, it damages the gut microbiome and weakens immune defences.
Read it here
Science That Surprised Me
Not just data. Real shifts in how we understand the ocean.
UK Coastal Waters Are Heating Rapidly
Sea surface temperatures rose by 0.39°C in just one year. Some areas warmed by more than two degrees. The rate of change is accelerating.
Read it here
The Baltic’s Mystery Slicks Were Pine Pollen
For years, satellites spotted strange shiny streaks on the surface of the Baltic Sea. It wasn’t pollution. It was pollen… and it might matter for the carbon cycle.
Read it here
Clownfish Are Shrinking
Warmer reefs are forcing clownfish to get smaller. It is a visible, measurable shift and a warning for reef health worldwide.
Read it here
A Tour Guide’s Decade of Plastic Data
In Western Australia, one man has spent ten years leading tourists to a remote beach, collecting plastic and documenting its arrival. The result: one of the most consistent microplastic datasets in the world.
Read it here
Seahorse Smuggling Is Bigger Than We Thought
Nearly five million dried seahorses were seized across sixty two countries between 2010 and 2021. Most were trafficked in suitcases.
Read it here
A Whale Wore a Camera and Proved a Theory
Scientists have long suspected sperm whales dive to the seafloor to hunt squid. One whale, one camera and now we know for sure.
Read it here
Glimpses of Progress
Some stories this week offer reasons to hope.
The High Seas Treaty Picks Up Speed
The EU and six member states have ratified the High Seas Treaty. Once sixty countries sign, it enters into force and protections for two thirds of the ocean become legally binding.
Read it here
A New Ocean Intelligence Platform for the Black Sea
A €9 million EU-funded system is now monitoring pollution, nutrients and ecosystem shifts in real time. Built to support recovery and resilience.
Read it here
Six Women, One Record-Breaking Row and a Year’s Worth of Climate Data
An all female team rowed 2,000 miles around Britain, collecting data on plastic, temperature, underwater noise and endangered species. One of the most ambitious citizen science projects at sea.
Read it here
Wilson from Cast Away Is Back with a Message
The iconic volleyball returns in a new campaign. Same face. New mission. This time, it is about the plastic that never goes away.
Read it here
That’s all for now.
If one of these stories gave you pause, share it. If you want to go deeper, don’t worry, there is more writing on the way next week.
Thanks for reading and supporting the Blue,
Luke
Voice for the Blue