Mike Conathan
@conathan.bsky.social
Life: Maine dwelling Cape Codder 🦞
Work: Ocean policy, #BlueEconomy 🌊
Values: connection, respect, justice 🏳️🌈
Fun: nature, music, mild adventure 🍻
Work: Ocean policy, #BlueEconomy 🌊
Values: connection, respect, justice 🏳️🌈
Fun: nature, music, mild adventure 🍻
This is the take I’ve been waiting for. I will not TLDR it. It’s worth reading the whole thing.
October 19, 2025 at 1:31 PM
This is the take I’ve been waiting for. I will not TLDR it. It’s worth reading the whole thing.
Reposted by Mike Conathan
So… this feels relevant.
9-0 SCOTUS ruling from last year:
“Government officials cannot attempt to coerce private parties in order to punish or suppress views that the government disfavors.”
“Government officials cannot attempt to coerce private parties in order to punish or suppress views that the government disfavors.”
September 19, 2025 at 5:10 PM
So… this feels relevant.
Reposted by Mike Conathan
66% of the entire planet is deep ocean (≥200 m), but new research shows humans have visually observed less than 0.001%, a total area approximately one-tenth of the size of Belgium. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
How little we’ve seen: A visual coverage estimate of the deep seafloor
In decades of deep-sea exploration, humans have observed only 0.001% of the deep seafloor, leaving 66% of planet Earth unseen.
www.science.org
June 6, 2025 at 1:45 PM
66% of the entire planet is deep ocean (≥200 m), but new research shows humans have visually observed less than 0.001%, a total area approximately one-tenth of the size of Belgium. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Listen to the fish
April 22, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Listen to the fish
Reposted by Mike Conathan
It’s not mine, I swear!!
DOJ Plants Gun On Maine
AUGUSTA, ME—In a stunning discovery that linked all 1.4 million residents to a grisly unsolved cold case, the U.S. Department of Justice escalated its attacks on Maine Friday when it allegedly planted...
theonion.com
April 18, 2025 at 7:29 PM
It’s not mine, I swear!!
Do you like the idea of mining, logging, and drilling in National Parks? Then you'll LOVE the latest executive order opening our ocean parks to commercial fishing.
Here's what you should do about it, courtesy of @taotaotasi.bsky.social
www.southernfriedscience.com/5-things-you...
Here's what you should do about it, courtesy of @taotaotasi.bsky.social
www.southernfriedscience.com/5-things-you...
5 things you can do if you’re pissed off about the latest Trump EO
Donald Trump opened an area of about 250 million acres of protected American waters to industrial fishing fleets on Thursday. This sets a very dangerous precedent that our public lands and wa…
www.southernfriedscience.com
April 18, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Do you like the idea of mining, logging, and drilling in National Parks? Then you'll LOVE the latest executive order opening our ocean parks to commercial fishing.
Here's what you should do about it, courtesy of @taotaotasi.bsky.social
www.southernfriedscience.com/5-things-you...
Here's what you should do about it, courtesy of @taotaotasi.bsky.social
www.southernfriedscience.com/5-things-you...
1. Trump slashes @noaa.gov’s science programs and cuts 100s of staff positions.
2. This delays regs and shuts down Maine’s scallop industry with up to 300K lbs still available to catch.
3. New exec order says “do better science to support fishermen!”
🤯🤦🏻♂️🙈
www.savingseafood.org/news/washing...
2. This delays regs and shuts down Maine’s scallop industry with up to 300K lbs still available to catch.
3. New exec order says “do better science to support fishermen!”
🤯🤦🏻♂️🙈
www.savingseafood.org/news/washing...
Trump Signs Executive Order to Boost U.S. Seafood Industry, Orders Review of Marine Monuments - Saving Seafood
WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) — April 17, 2025 — President Donald J. Trump today signed an executive order titled Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness, aimed at strengthening the domestic seafood ...
www.savingseafood.org
April 18, 2025 at 12:42 PM
1. Trump slashes @noaa.gov’s science programs and cuts 100s of staff positions.
2. This delays regs and shuts down Maine’s scallop industry with up to 300K lbs still available to catch.
3. New exec order says “do better science to support fishermen!”
🤯🤦🏻♂️🙈
www.savingseafood.org/news/washing...
2. This delays regs and shuts down Maine’s scallop industry with up to 300K lbs still available to catch.
3. New exec order says “do better science to support fishermen!”
🤯🤦🏻♂️🙈
www.savingseafood.org/news/washing...
Reposted by Mike Conathan
Weird, I was repeatedly assured that Donald Trump loves whales and what’s why he’s against offshore wind.
President Trump on Thursday said he was allowing commercial fishing in one of the world’s largest ocean reserves, introducing industrial operations for the first time in more than a decade to a vast area of the Pacific dotted with coral atolls and populated by endangered sea turtles and whales.
Trump Opens Marine National Monument to Commercial Fisheries
The president said the move was aimed at making the United States the world’s “dominant seafood leader.”
nytimes.com
April 18, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Weird, I was repeatedly assured that Donald Trump loves whales and what’s why he’s against offshore wind.
Reposted by Mike Conathan
Offshore Wind Power Poses Only Limited Risk to Whales, Government Watchdog Report Finds | Who should we believe here? The experts with evidence? Or the raving loons with none?
E&E News: Republicans wanted a bombshell report on offshore wind. They got something else.
The industry poses only a limited risk to whales, says the Government Accountability Office — a finding that undermines a Republican talking point.
subscriber.politicopro.com
April 16, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Offshore Wind Power Poses Only Limited Risk to Whales, Government Watchdog Report Finds | Who should we believe here? The experts with evidence? Or the raving loons with none?
Trump and Musk’s staffing chainsaw bites Maine fishermen again. Even a temporary closure due to regulatory delays will take money out of scallopers’ pockets. None of this was necessary.
www.pressherald.com/2025/04/10/g...
www.pressherald.com/2025/04/10/g...
Gulf of Maine scallop fishery likely to close for first time in over 15 years
More than a week after the season started, scallopers are feeling the stress of uncertainty and struggling to plan with the little information they say federal regulators have offered.
www.pressherald.com
April 10, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Trump and Musk’s staffing chainsaw bites Maine fishermen again. Even a temporary closure due to regulatory delays will take money out of scallopers’ pockets. None of this was necessary.
www.pressherald.com/2025/04/10/g...
www.pressherald.com/2025/04/10/g...
I don’t always agree with Bret Stephens, but when he’s right, he’s right.
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/08/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/08/o...
Opinion | There’s Nothing Real About Trump’s ‘Real America’
Under Trump, we are becoming unrecognizable to our former selves.
www.nytimes.com
April 9, 2025 at 11:34 AM
I don’t always agree with Bret Stephens, but when he’s right, he’s right.
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/08/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/08/o...
Lovely sentiment in this piece but the absurd clickbait headline is not helpful.
Yes, protect endemic and endangered species! Also yes, farming salmon can be done responsibly and produce low-carbon, healthy, protein! Humans are smart (when we try to be). We can have both things!
Yes, protect endemic and endangered species! Also yes, farming salmon can be done responsibly and produce low-carbon, healthy, protein! Humans are smart (when we try to be). We can have both things!
Is eating farmed salmon worth snuffing out 40m years of Tasmanian evolution? | Tim Flannery www.theguardian.com/australia-ne... Without the strongest conservation efforts, it can’t be long before the Maugean skate – and other marine living fossils in Australia – are wiped out
Is eating farmed salmon worth snuffing out 40m years of Tasmanian evolution? | Tim Flannery
Without the strongest conservation efforts, it can’t be long before the Maugean skate – and other marine living fossils in Australia – are wiped out
www.theguardian.com
April 6, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Lovely sentiment in this piece but the absurd clickbait headline is not helpful.
Yes, protect endemic and endangered species! Also yes, farming salmon can be done responsibly and produce low-carbon, healthy, protein! Humans are smart (when we try to be). We can have both things!
Yes, protect endemic and endangered species! Also yes, farming salmon can be done responsibly and produce low-carbon, healthy, protein! Humans are smart (when we try to be). We can have both things!
Thanks to everyone who showed up today. It matters.
The message is: crowd large.
Many politicians, administrators, and business leaders, in bowing to Trump, have drawn confidence and comfort from the perceived vibe shift.
Events like this puncture that delusion.
Many politicians, administrators, and business leaders, in bowing to Trump, have drawn confidence and comfort from the perceived vibe shift.
Events like this puncture that delusion.
You can stop asking where the mass opposition is. It's everywhere.
People poured out to protest not only what Trump has done—and what they fear he will do next.
www.motherjones.com
April 6, 2025 at 1:42 AM
Thanks to everyone who showed up today. It matters.
My latest op-ed, this time in the @bangordailynews.bsky.social as I head up to Augusta today to testify in support of LD1023 that would continue the work of the #maine #BlueEconomy Task Force.
www.bangordailynews.com/2025/03/27/o...
www.bangordailynews.com/2025/03/27/o...
Opinion: Maine has an ocean of potential
“Maine has an exceptional track record of supporting families, communities, and industries from the ocean’s bounty.”
www.bangordailynews.com
March 27, 2025 at 2:02 PM
My latest op-ed, this time in the @bangordailynews.bsky.social as I head up to Augusta today to testify in support of LD1023 that would continue the work of the #maine #BlueEconomy Task Force.
www.bangordailynews.com/2025/03/27/o...
www.bangordailynews.com/2025/03/27/o...
I got his apology right here:
🖕🏻🦞🖕🏻🦞🖕🏻🦞🖕🏻
🖕🏻🦞🖕🏻🦞🖕🏻🦞🖕🏻
Trump says he will withhold federal tax dollars to Maine colleges unless the Gov of Maine personally apologizes to him.
March 22, 2025 at 5:35 PM
I got his apology right here:
🖕🏻🦞🖕🏻🦞🖕🏻🦞🖕🏻
🖕🏻🦞🖕🏻🦞🖕🏻🦞🖕🏻
Reposted by Mike Conathan
“Gov. Mills stood up to a playground bully and incited his wrath. Fortunately, Mainers know when something stinks. And when it comes to protecting our independence and our fishing heritage, we also know how to fight.” Powerful op-ed from @conathan.bsky.social. www.pressherald.com/2025/03/08/o...
Opinion: Sea Grant funding whiplash a warning to us all
This decision had nothing to do with legitimate policymaking or government efficiency. It had nothing to do with who can play on high school teams. It didn’t even have to do with fishing.
www.pressherald.com
March 8, 2025 at 8:28 PM
“Gov. Mills stood up to a playground bully and incited his wrath. Fortunately, Mainers know when something stinks. And when it comes to protecting our independence and our fishing heritage, we also know how to fight.” Powerful op-ed from @conathan.bsky.social. www.pressherald.com/2025/03/08/o...
This is not a binary issue. Just like gender is not a binary construct. Read. Learn. Keep your mind open.
✌🏻❤️🏳️⚧️
✌🏻❤️🏳️⚧️
March 8, 2025 at 7:23 PM
This is not a binary issue. Just like gender is not a binary construct. Read. Learn. Keep your mind open.
✌🏻❤️🏳️⚧️
✌🏻❤️🏳️⚧️
I wrote a thing. The Maine Sea Grant dust-up is a symptom of a much bigger problem: the president’s unconstitutional attempts to consolidate power in the executive branch, obfuscated by the incitement of righteous anger.
Don’t take the bait!
www.pressherald.com/2025/03/08/o...
Don’t take the bait!
www.pressherald.com/2025/03/08/o...
Opinion: Sea Grant funding whiplash a warning to us all
This decision had nothing to do with legitimate policymaking or government efficiency. It had nothing to do with who can play on high school teams. It didn’t even have to do with fishing.
www.pressherald.com
March 8, 2025 at 12:49 PM
I wrote a thing. The Maine Sea Grant dust-up is a symptom of a much bigger problem: the president’s unconstitutional attempts to consolidate power in the executive branch, obfuscated by the incitement of righteous anger.
Don’t take the bait!
www.pressherald.com/2025/03/08/o...
Don’t take the bait!
www.pressherald.com/2025/03/08/o...
Q: What should we rely on for weather forecasting now?
A: The aching joints of the elderly.
A: The aching joints of the elderly.
What To Know About NOAA
Q: Why is the Trump administration targeting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration? A: To encourage forecast-obsessed Americans to live in the moment. Q: Why do we need NOAA? A: We’re ab...
theonion.com
March 8, 2025 at 2:21 AM
Q: What should we rely on for weather forecasting now?
A: The aching joints of the elderly.
A: The aching joints of the elderly.
@co2ley.bsky.social is a total badass! Her remarks at a rally to save @noaa.gov kicked off this @maddow.msnbc.com segment.
The oceanographers will save us allllllll!!!*💙🌊🌊💙
(* if we help them. A lot.)
www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
The oceanographers will save us allllllll!!!*💙🌊🌊💙
(* if we help them. A lot.)
www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Trump accidentally builds broad coalition of opponents energized by his unpopular agenda
Rachel Maddow surveys the varied and widespread protests in opposition to Donald Trump's wanton destruction of the federal government. From weather scientists to immigrants to LGBTQ+ and its allies to...
www.msnbc.com
March 5, 2025 at 12:51 AM
@co2ley.bsky.social is a total badass! Her remarks at a rally to save @noaa.gov kicked off this @maddow.msnbc.com segment.
The oceanographers will save us allllllll!!!*💙🌊🌊💙
(* if we help them. A lot.)
www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
The oceanographers will save us allllllll!!!*💙🌊🌊💙
(* if we help them. A lot.)
www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
What Chellie can’t say out loud yet is that it’s also blatant retaliation for Gov. Mills challenging Trump to his face last week. There are 34 National Sea Grant programs. Maine’s is the only one that was targeted.
Vindictive pettiness is not how the UNITED States should operate.
Vindictive pettiness is not how the UNITED States should operate.
The termination of Maine Sea Grant funding is a devastating loss for our coastal communities and marine industries.
This heartless, shortsighted decision threatens the progress we’ve made in addressing ocean acidification, warming waters and habitat conservation. It also puts livelihoods at risk.
This heartless, shortsighted decision threatens the progress we’ve made in addressing ocean acidification, warming waters and habitat conservation. It also puts livelihoods at risk.
UMaine loses multi-million-dollar Maine Sea Grant funding from NOAA
It is the latest fallout for Maine from the cuts the Department of Government Efficiency led by Elon Musk has made in the last few weeks.
www.bangordailynews.com
March 2, 2025 at 4:06 PM
What Chellie can’t say out loud yet is that it’s also blatant retaliation for Gov. Mills challenging Trump to his face last week. There are 34 National Sea Grant programs. Maine’s is the only one that was targeted.
Vindictive pettiness is not how the UNITED States should operate.
Vindictive pettiness is not how the UNITED States should operate.
Trump and DOGE retaliate for Gov. Mills standing up to him in public by eliminating funding for completely unrelated NOAA programming that’s critical to Maine’s fishermen—many of whom voted for him. So petty. So moronic. So outrageous.
Make it make sense.
Make it make sense.
Maine Sea Grant in jeopardy after Trump administration terminates $4.5 million grant program
The move to discontinue the four-year agreement — which comes amid the White House's efforts to slash the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's budget — leaves the fishery organization’s p...
www.pressherald.com
March 2, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Trump and DOGE retaliate for Gov. Mills standing up to him in public by eliminating funding for completely unrelated NOAA programming that’s critical to Maine’s fishermen—many of whom voted for him. So petty. So moronic. So outrageous.
Make it make sense.
Make it make sense.