An Expanding Dead Zone
August 6, 2021
The Gulf of Mexico’s “dead zone”—where nutrient runoff depletes oxygen levels so sharply that marine life cannot survive—is larger than usual this year, covering some 6,334 square miles. This finding reinforces the argument in Issues by Carl Safina and Sarah Chasis that Congress should make “fundamental changes in ocean governance and management.” As guidance, they write, the private Pew Oceans Commission and the public US Commission on Ocean Policy have “crafted a comprehensive set of recommendations for improving the health, viability, and ethical stewardship of the oceans.”