Brendan Borrell

Author bio

Brendan Borrell is a contributing writer at Hakai Magazine, where he has reported on the most notorious fishing criminal in New England, the last hippie outlaws of Hawai‘i’s Kalalau Valley, and the future of Havana’s crumbling infrastructure. His writing on science and the environment has also appeared in dozens of other outlets, including The Atlantic, Bloomberg Businessweek, National Geographic, Scientific American, Smithsonian, and Outside. He currently lives in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Antonio Bussiello

Brendan Borrell’s Contributions:

How to Love an Oyster

The Pacific coast’s only native oyster is making a comeback, but it still needs a little help from its friends.

Jan 9, 2024 | 3,500 words, about 18 minutes

Show Me the Money Fish

Aquaculture innovation is driven by a desire for profit, sustainability, and a delicious meal. Can the right marine fish satisfy all three?

Aug 24, 2020 | 5,500 words, about 27 minutes

Piles of trash at sunrise on Santa Monica Beach, California

Groomed to Death

Urban beaches around the world have less garbage than remote beaches, but less life too. The City of Santa Monica hopes to change the image of a clean beach.

Jul 31, 2018 | 3,400 words, about 17 minutes

illustration of a squatter in the Kalalau Valley

Hawai‘i’s Last Outlaw Hippies

After half a century, the counterculture squatters of Kalalau Valley are facing a final eviction.

Feb 14, 2018 | 5,200 words, about 26 minutes

The Last Trial of the Codfather

Since his release from prison in the 1980s, Carlos Rafael has ruthlessly run his Massachusetts seafood business with little regard for the law. But is there any other way to survive the gauntlet of restrictions on the New England fishing industry?

Jan 10, 2017 | 5,000 words, about 25 minutes

A resident looks out from her balcony, at the foot of the National Capitol Building. The capitol building was abandoned by the Communist Party after the revolution and fell into disrepair. Restoration began three years ago and the building has been reinstated as the home of the government’s National Assembly. Photo by Hakai Magazine

Havana: Some Assembly Required

A communist city struggles to lure foreign money and rebuild its failing infrastructure without sacrificing its revolutionary roots.

Apr 22, 2016 | 3,400 words, about 17 minutes

Eradicating the One Percent

The swamps and subdivisions of southern Florida are overrun with invasive reptiles, including Burmese pythons and Nile monitor lizards. The only way to eliminate every last one of them is to follow the DNA trail they leave behind.

Aug 17, 2015 | 2,700 words, about 13 minutes

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