An official website of the United States government Here’s how you know

Celebrating Earth Day 2025

April 22, 2025

Every day is Earth Day at NOAA Fisheries!

A graphic with the text "Earth Day" showing a globe, fish, corals, a whale, and seagrass.

Celebrating Earth Day at NOAA Fisheries. Credit: NOAA Fisheries

Earth Day is a time to celebrate our incredible planet. It gives us so much—the air we breathe, the water we drink, the marine life we love, and the fish and habitats that sustain us. At NOAA Fisheries, we work every day to conserve and recover our planet’s marine life and ecosystems. From restoring habitats, to protecting marine animals, to supporting sustainable U.S. fisheries, learn how we’re using science to protect and improve our environment.

Earth Week Features

Innovative Coral Restoration Begins in Hawaiʻi After Ship Grounding

A promising and emerging coral restoration technique is being tested in the coastal waters of Hawai‘i for the first time.

Learn about this promising coral restoration technique

A diver uses a lift bag to transport loose rubble. Credit: NOAA

NOAA-Funded Research Highlights Economic Effects of Oyster Reef Restoration

Scientists at Morgan State University forecast that restored oyster reefs—especially when paired with eelgrass recovery—boost habitat, blue crab harvest, and the economy.

Read about the economic benefits of oyster restoration

An aerial view of a crane moving hard substrate from the deck of a barge into the Piankatank River — Hard substrate is moved from a barge into the Piankatank River to form a reef onto which oysters can settle. Credit: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Restoring Ecosystems and Rejuvenating Native Hawaiian Traditions in Maui

With support from NOAA, Hawaiʻi Land Trust is restoring a 15th-century Native Hawaiian aquaculture site. This human-made ecosystem will provide food for community members and habitat for wildlife while protecting coral reefs offshore.

Involving community members in ancient practices helps restore ecosystems

Waiheʻe Coastal Dunes and Wetlands Refuge. Credit: Hawaiʻi Land Trust

NOAA-Funded Program Helps Miami Teens Enter Marine Science Field

The Your Shores program at the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science provides high school students from diverse backgrounds with dive certifications, habitat restoration and research experience, and marine science training.

Helping first-generation college-bound high school students gain experience in marine science

The first Your Shores cohort learning to scuba dive. Credit: Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science

After Environmental Disasters, NOAA Works to Restore Habitat for All

Habitat restoration isn’t just about planting trees—it’s about revitalizing and fortifying entire ecosystems to benefit all who rely on them.

Learn how NOAA restores ecosystems after environmental disasters

Habitat Heroes DARRP AlderCreek_Oregon_1.jpg — A portion of the Alder Creek restoration project in Oregon, a marsh with urban and industrial development in the background.

Whales and Carbon Sequestration: Can Whales Store Carbon?

Whales can help mitigate climate change impacts by storing carbon in their bodies and transporting nutrients that benefit ocean food chains.

Whales and carbon storage

North Atlantic right whale Pediddle (#1012) and calf. This species was hunted nearly to extinction by commercial whalers in the 1800s, and continues to face threats from vessel strikes and entanglement in fishing gear. Credit: NOAA Fisheries

Earth Week Videos and Podcasts

Video—Rebuilding Puerto Rico’s Mangroves: How BoriCorps Creates Jobs for Young Professionals

This NOAA-funded program helps Puerto Rican young professionals get training and job experience to enter the workforce, while restoring mangroves destroyed by Hurricane Maria.

Rebuilding Puerto Rico’s Mangroves: How BoriCorps Creates Jobs for Young Professionals

This NOAA-funded program helps Puerto Rican young professionals get training and job experience to enter the workforce, while restoring mangroves that were destroyed by Hurricane Maria.

Podcast—Could the LA Wildfires Harm Marine Life in California?

NOAA scientists aboard a research vessel studied Los Angeles wildfire ash in coastal waters. Hear how their rapid response may reveal long-term ecosystem impacts.

Tracking the impact of LA wildfires on marine life

Aerial view of Palisades fire at 10:45 a.m. Pacific Time on January 7, 2025, soon after it ignited — Aerial view of the Palisades fire at 10:45 a.m. Pacific Time on January 7, 2025, soon after it ignited. The image was acquired by the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 satellite. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/Wanmei Liang.

Podcast—How NOAA Satellites Monitor Ocean Health: Tracking Changes from Space

Satellites provide scientists important data they use to manage and protect fisheries and marine mammals.

Using satellites to learn about changes in the ocean and how it impacts fish and wildlife

A view from a satellite over Earth’s ocean and an aerial view of a blue whale.

Video—Community Members Restore Hawaiʻi Coral Reefs and Reconnect with Traditional Hawaiian Ecological Practices

With support from NOAA, Kuleana Coral Restoration is training Native Hawaiians and community members in coral reef restoration. Meet the people taking part in the program.

Local Communities Restore Hawaii Coral Reefs

NOAA and Kuleana Coral Restoration are partnering to restore coral reefs in Hawaii. The program is helping train Native Hawaiians and community members in coral reef restoration and helping them get jobs in the marine science field.

Podcast—What Happened to All the Alaska Snow Crabs?

A few years ago, snow crab populations in Alaska collapsed. The decline of roughly 10 billion crabs hit fishermen hard and the entire industry was impacted—from distributors, to processors, to consumers. Hear how NOAA biologists solved the mystery of what happened to them.

Alaska snow crab collapse