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Sculptural sea creatures invade the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art

COURTNEY MATTISON: SEA CHANGE
january 30 — april 17, 2016virginia museum of contemporary art • 2200 parks ave • virginia beach • va • 23451
Hundreds of intricately hand-sculpted ceramic marine invertebrates currently inhabit the main gallery of Virginia MOCA, comprising two large wall installations and 11 sculptural works that explore the fragile beauty of ocean ecosystems and the human caused threats they face — especially the impacts of our greenhouse gas emissions on coral reefs — in a solo show by Courtney Mattison, a self-described ocean “artivist” (artist/activist) and part of the Mission Blue team.

aqueduct
What if climate change causes tropical sea creatures to migrate towards the poles and invade terrestrial spaces as seawater warms and sea levels rise?…

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SPECIAL REPORT: Sharks In Trouble

On February 27th 2016, the Mission Blue team was greeted by a dismal sight as we arrived at Bahia Los Frailes in Cabo Pulmo Marine Park: strewn across the beach were the hacked carcasses of approximately 20 sharks of several species. Sitting on the sand was a box full of shark fins, no doubt destined for Asian markets. The issue of shark fishing is complex, on both a conservation and social level. See it firsthand in the video below.

How can shark slaughter happen in a marine park that is purportedly “no-take”? Carlos Ramon Godinez Reyes, Director of the Cabo Pulmo Marine Park (CONANP), was with us and questioned the fishermen. They produced a permit and asserted that these sharks had been fished outside of the prohibited boundaries of the park.…

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Bringing Ocean Science into the Classroom

Here’s a word from Mission Blue’s fabulous new partners, Ocean First Education!

Ocean First Education and Mission Blue share a passion for educating the public about the criticality of the ocean and a vision for developing greater respect for it. Because of this shared passion and vision, Ocean First Education has joined Mission Blue as an affiliate partner.

We are all connected to the ocean, no matter where we live. Ocean First Education teaches that connection through our online marine science education courses. Our innovative, interactive curricula bring the ocean to life for middle school to adult learners, regardless of where they live, and teach students how the ocean impacts the entire planet.
According to National Geographic, the ocean generates 70 percent of the oxygen in the air and absorbs much of the carbon dioxide.…

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5 Discoveries in Cabo Pulmo Marine Park

On our recent Hope Spot Expedition to Cabo Pulmo Marine Park, located in the Gulf of California Hope Spot, we made five discoveries:
1. The Ocean is For Everyone

Dr. Sylvia Earle and the Mission Blue team were deeply honored to spend the morning of February 27th with Eduardo Martinez, director of Fundacion Teleton. This Mexican nonprofit works with disabled people—like the three Mexican teens named Fausto, Roberto and Salma who came along to dive with Dr. Earle—their first ever dive in the ocean! Dr. Earle expressed directly to these newly coronated divers her deepest admiration for their courage. The ocean, truly, is for everyone and we have Fausto, Roberto and Salma to look at for proof. This memorable dive was made possible by David Castro, a special friend of Mission Blue and a disabled diver instructor who runs Cabo Pulmo Divers.…

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Dr. James Ketchum Talks Sharks in Gulf of California Hope Spot

Our latest expedition to the Gulf of California Hope Spot just concluded, and Dr. Sylvia Earle and her Mission Blue team brought back lots of wonderful stories! To kick things off, watch the video below of shark expert Dr. James Ketchum of Pelagios Kakunjá presenting his shark research to the group. Last year, Dr. Ketchum and others from Pelagios Kakunjá participated in an expedition from Cabo San Lucas to La Paz with Alucia Productions to assess the importance of marine protected areas (MPAs) for shark conservation around Cabo Pulmo and create a model for designing future MPAs. Protected as a no-take zone for the past 25 years, the Cabo Pulmo Marine Reserve is a prime example of a successful MPA that has seen a remarkable bounce-back in biodiversity and productivity since its establishment.…

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Skeletons Enmeshed in Plastic Pollution Descend on Barcelona

Mission Blue is proud to join the Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC) in sponsoring a plastic art exhibit in Barcelona’s metro and airport. The name of the remarkable installation is Vida Tóxica (Toxic Life) and it was created by Catalan artist Alvaro Soler Arpa to present the issue of global plastic pollution to the millions of travelers who pass through Barcelona. With a total of fourteen sculptures created with bones and plastic waste, Mr. Arpa emphasizes the human impact of runaway plastic pollution on ecosystems and individual animals. Approximately eight million tons of plastic are dumped in the ocean each year, making marine plastic pollution a major issue that impacts animals across the food chain, from whales to zooplankton.
The sculptures are the result of a painstaking process.…

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The Island President Released From Prison to the UK

If you’re planning on booking that next dive trip to the Maldives, you may want to think twice. Human rights abuses there are on the rise.
“I think it’s important for tourists to know the facts of what’s happening in the Maldives,” human rights lawyer Amal Cooney recently said to NBC News. “I don’t think people realize that there’s a flogging taking place a kilometer away when they’re sunbathing in their resort. Democracy is dead in the Maldives. I mean literally, if there were an election now there would be no one to run against the president. Every opposition leader is either behind bars or being pursed by the government through the courts.”

One such opposition leader is Mohamed Nasheed, the first democratically elected president of the Maldives and international champion of climate change action, who was ousted as president of the Maldives in 2012 and jailed on what Mrs. …

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Dr. Sylvia Earle Injects Ocean Issues into Climate Talks at COP21

Dr. Sylvia Earle, the world’s leading oceanographer, Mission Blue founder/chairman and National Geographic Explorer in Residence, has confirmed her attendance at the COP21 climate talks in Paris. The objective of Dr. Earle’s visit is to inject ocean conservation issues into the climate debate; the ocean isn’t officially on the agenda of COP21 this year, even though it is the planet’s primary driver of climate, weather and chemistry. Dr. Earle will join world-renowned primatologist and environmentalist, Dr. Jane Goodall, on December 7th from 10:30AM to 11:00AM for a “Tapestry of Hope” conversation event with the UN Foundation at Le Petit Palais (Avenue Winston Churchill, 75008 Paris, France). The two legendary female scientists will discuss efforts to abate climate change both on land, as part of Dr.…

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Restoring Coral Gardens in Fiji

Here is a word from our partners at Reef Explorer Fiji, Ltd. who are doing amazing work to replenish and maintain reefs along Fiji’s Coral Coast.

Coral reef ecosystems and the diversity and abundance of animals and plants they support have been an integral part of the way of life and survival of island communities since time immemorial. Though they cover only around one tenth of one percent of the surface area of the ocean, coral reefs are jewels of the tropical seas that sustain more than 25 percent of all known marine species. Globally, coral reefs contribute over US$375 billion each year in ecosystem services.
The coral reef ecosystem encompassed by the Fiji Islands is one of the most extensive in the world.…

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Exploring Toxics in our Bodies & the Ocean with eXXpedition

Here’s a word from eXXpedition—a new Mission Blue partner:

eXXpedition is a series of all-women voyages to make the unseen seen, from the toxics in our bodies to the toxics in our seas.
We question the impact and scale of plastic and toxic pollution in our bodies and in our oceans using a unique and adventurous approach, tackling the questions from all angles—using science, communications, media, and education to get the answers. 
We have designed a series of global expeditions where we take novice sailors, who are highly skilled professionals from a range of disciplines, out into an extreme environment to explore the problem and develop solutions. Our primary aim is to connect people with the ocean, and the issues of plastic and toxic pollution.…

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