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From despair to repair: Dramatic decline of Caribbean corals can be reversed

With only about one-sixth of the original coral cover left, most Caribbean coral reefs may disappear in the next 20 years, primarily due to the loss of grazers in the region, according to the latest report by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN,) the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP.)
The report, Status and Trends of Caribbean Coral Reefs: 1970-2012, is the most detailed and comprehensive study of its kind published to date – the result of the work of 90 experts over the course of three years. It contains the analysis of more than 35,000 surveys conducted at 90 Caribbean locations since 1970, including studies of corals, seaweeds, grazing sea urchins and fish.…

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One People One Reef: Ulithi in Micronesia’s Outer Islands

By Nicole Crane
We are a team of dedicated scientists and community leaders, combining science and tradition who are coming together with people from the Outer Islands of Micronesia, Federated States of Yap,  to achieve sustainable ocean management — their way.
And you can be a part of efforts to help Mission Blue’s Micronesia Hope Spot!
The effort is a collaboration between a team of scientists and teams of local community members to sustainably manage over 100,000 square miles of ocean (learn more about our science team.) We are working with outer island communities to bring traditions and modern science together in a revolutionary approach to sustainable ocean management. And we are seeing unprecedented success!  
Learn more about this work below, and help support it through our Indiegogo campaign!  …

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Ocean Gems Connects Teenage Girls to Women Marine Scientists

What happens when a group of incredible women marine scientists aim to inspire girls to follow their hearts and pursue their passion for the sea?
Find out with Mission Blue partner Ocean GEMS, a multimedia series and outreach program that connects teenaged girls to women marine science role models to offer youth a pathway to reach their dreams!

With support from The Baum Foundation (www.thebaumfoundation.org), Ocean GEMS breaks ground by combining active mentoring by women marine scientists with a documentary series, interactive web-based forums, social media communities, and afterschool programs. 
Many girls don’t make the connection between science and their interest in helping people and the environment.   The influence of Ocean GEMS role models and mentors has a significant impact on girls’ judgment and impressions of science-related careers.…

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Youth Ocean Conservation Launches Summit and Partners with Jack Johnson

Today, an update from one of our youth partners, Sean Russell who is doing amazing work for the ocean. Sean, take it away!
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Around the world, our planet’s oceans and their inhabitants face many challenges. As human impacts continuously threaten the health of our marine ecosystems, both locally and globally, it is imperative that we involve youth in a campaign to solve these problems.
The Youth Ocean Conservation Summit (YOCS) was created to provide youth participants the opportunity to learn from marine scientists and conservationists about the current threats facing marine ecosystems, both locally and globally. This annual event also teaches participants about the ways other youth are currently working to protect marine ecosystems, and then allows them to work with their peers to develop action plans for their own ocean conservation projects.…

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Cabo Pulmo – A work in progress and a cautionary tale for the planet

For my husband Rick and me, an invitation to Happy Hour with friends led to an expedition of a lifetime.  A convergence of common interests, science, and exploration took us recently to Cabo Pulmo, in Baja Sur, Mexico.  A glittering oasis of plenty in an imperiled stretch of Mission Blue’s Gulf of California Hope Spot, Cabo Pulmo is a jewel in the crown of our planet’s marine reserves. 
Our expedition was led by Dr. Octavio Aburto, who participated with Dr. Sylvia Earle and Dr. Jeremy Jackson on the film, Mission Blue, partially shot on location in Cabo Pulmo, and his Scripps colleagues; Josh Stewart, Brad Erisman and Tim Rowell.  Rounding out the expedition were world-renowned oceanographer, Dr. Walter Munk and his wife Mary, SIO/Birch Aquarium Executive Director, Dr.…

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Art brings the coral reef crisis above the surface

By Courtney Mattison
Coral reefs have captivated my imagination for as long as I can remember. I am happiest when the exotic forms, vibrant colors and often-venomous appendages of the animals that inhabit a tropical reef dance through the window of my scuba mask as I slowly hover above. Maybe it’s because I’m relatively small and I respect small creatures that can build big beautiful things, but I feel like I relate to corals – arguably one of the least relatable animals – on a very deep level.
I often feel like a coral, working in my studio using simple tools and my hands to methodically sculpt and texture clay to construct large, delicate, stony structures that mimic the prolific reef-builders.…

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Ocean CREST Alliance ~ Bahamas Hope Spot within a Hope Spot

This week we’d like to introduce our new partners, The Ocean CREST Alliance, located on Long Island in Mission Blue’s Bahamian Reefs Hope Spot. They’ve been working on ocean issues from marine protected areas to education and we’ll let them tell you all about the scope of their grassroots efforts to protect their corner of the blue, as well as to develop methods for protecting their waters that can be mirrored elsewhere.  ~ Ed.
Charting a new course for sustainable MPA operations
Our Long Island Marine Managed Area (LIMMA)  initiative plays a significant role nationally and internationally in the design and development of sustainable Marine Protected Areas (MPAs.) We collaborate locally with the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to help bring the Bahamas’ goal of 20% protection by 2020 to fruition. …

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UN International Maritime Organization addresses shipping noise

If there is a good feature about ocean noise pollution it is that unlike other human-generated pollutants, once you stop making noise it goes away. This axiom was highlighted last week when the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted a set of noise guidelines that if followed by member nations could decrease low frequency shipping noise by 10dB (ten times less energy) in the next 30 years. This in effect could reverse 10dB increase in shipping noise that has occurred with the expansion of international ocean-borne trade in the last half century.
The increase in shipping noise didn’t exactly sneak up on us; physical oceanographer Donald Ross predicted the increase as far back as 1976 – just as international trade was really beginning to take off.…

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Navigating the Starpaths toward a Sustainable Planet

This May, Master Navigator and Ocean Elder Nainoa Thompson will launch Hokule’a’s worldwide voyage from the island of Hawai’i. The theme is malama honua, which means to take care of each other and this island in the universe called earth, the only home we have.
There is a scientific aspect to the voyage as well. As nature guides Hokule’a and Hikianalia across the world, much focus will be on what lies beneath them.
“It’s a great voyage of peace, not just among ourselves, but making peace with nature,” said Sylvia Earle. Mission Blue and Dr. Earle are proud to be among the  scientists and agencies partnering on Hokulea’s worldwide voyage.
The voyage will include visits to marine areas that are being cared for and seeing progress and areas that need help. …

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California’s Deadliest Catch

The Secret Driftnet Fishery for Swordfish and Shark Off Our Coast
by Todd Steiner, Executive Director, Turtle Island Restoration Network
Few Americans realize that a deadly driftnet fishery targeting swordfish and shark operates off the California coast with fatal consequences for ocean wildlife.
Driftnets, which have been described as “curtains of death,” were banned on the high seas by the United Nations in the 1994.  On the West Coast, Oregon and Washington have banned this deadly and unsustainable fishery, but unbeknownst to the public, they are still legal in California–plying our waters out of sight and out of mind.
In a new expose entitled, “CALIFORNIA’S DEADLIEST CATCH: The Drift Gillnet Fishery for Swordfish and Shark,” author Teri Shore lays out the impact this fishery is having on the discarded catch of whales, dolphins, sea turtles, and scores of fish species and outlines a plan of action to end this destructive fishery.…

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