From collapse to comeback

In Mexico, the Gulf of California was once home to a massive shrimping industry. But overfishing, warming waters and other issues pushed it into crisis.

Forced to fish in deeper, colder waters, boats began bringing in large hauls of a silvery whitefish called hake. To avoid past mistakes, fishing leaders reached out to Environmental Defense Fund experts to help them catch hake sustainably.

With a science-backed management strategy and new gear adapted for hake, landings and jobs are on the rise. The fishery is now pursuing sustainability certification from the Marine Stewardship Council.

Water win in the Wild West 

New groundwater protections will help local communities in Arizona to keep control of this critical resource.  

In January, the Arizona Department of Water Resources established the first groundwater protections for Ranegras Basin, an area where local wells starting running dry after intensive water use by a Saudi-owned company. 

The protections block new agricultural expansions and require major water users to monitor and conserve groundwater.  

This is the fourth protected groundwater area Arizona has designated in the last three years.

Cold weather can’t stop electric buses

Winter in Wisconsin is cold. Like, abominable-snowman-complains-about-the-weather cold. 

But in January, when temperatures dropped to minus 4 degrees, Madison’s electric buses kept running thanks to overhead chargers installed at bus stops that allow buses to quickly top off their battery, improving range and allowing the buses to run longer without plugging in.  

Madison could offer a model for other cold-weather cities. 

Shell yeah: Giant tortoises are back

For the first time in almost 200 years, Floreana Island — a part of the Galápagos Islands — is home to giant tortoises again. About two decades ago, scientists discovered that the giant tortoises on Isabela Island, 70 miles from Floreana, had descended from Floreana’s extinct tortoise species, likely having been brought to the nearby island to be used as food.  

After selectively breeding the tortoises who were most genetically similar to the original Floreana species, 158 giant tortoises were returned to Floreana Island.  

Not only is this delightful news for giant tortoise lovers, but returning the keystone species to the island helps move it closer to its original ecological state.