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Leaping Mobulas and Turtle tracks

On Sunday morning I had the privilege of joining Dr. Sylvia Earle and director Kip Evans on a scientific aerial survey over Las Baulas National Marine Park and surrounding areas. The Lighthawk team did an amazing job during the flight giving us the opportunity of filming some great aerial footage.
We were looking for sea turtles swimming near the Marine Park, or perhaps their tracks on the sand, left the previous night after they had nested – lonely impressions on the sand showcasing the resilience of these marvelous creatures.

During the afternoon we switched our mode of transportation hoping to find them in the water. Dr. George Shillinger joined us aboard the Boos Adventures boat, providing valuable knowledge on sea turtle behavior.…

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Finding the Leatherbacks

This weekend our expedition team, including Dr. Sylvia Earle, Dr. Erick Ross, Dr. George Schillinger and Kip Evans visited the turtles at the Leatherback Trust hatchery in Costa Rica.
The hatchery serves to give leatherbacks a better chance at overall survival. It begins by protecting the iconic creature’s eggs from predators, after which on-site biologists monitor the nests, checking nest temperatures which determine the sex of the turtles. When the turtles have matured, they are released to begin their migration offshore to the Central American Dome. 
Successful protection of 99% of the nests started in 1993 and the hatchery started to operate in 1998-99. Although at present, population numbers are decreasing, we can expect to see numbers of leatherbacks increasing in the next few years.…

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Expedition Day Two – Leatherback nesting in Playa Grande

Tourists from all over the world come to the beaches of Playa Grande in Costa Rica to have the awe-inspiring experience of watching giant leatherback turtles lay their eggs after returning to the coast from waters of the Central American Dome Hope Spot offshore.
In addition to the undeniable value of the leatherback within the marine ecosystem, this critically endangered species holds promise as a focal point for sustainable development in the coastal communities surrounding their nesting beaches.
Local leaders have created a Community Association training locals to greet visitors to Marino las Baulas National Park, share a brief educational presentation, and ensure that visitors have a minimal impact on this critical leatherback habitat.
The volunteers reminisced about the old times when “one could barely walk on the beach,” due to the large number of nesting leatherbacks.…

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Central American Dome Expedition Team Arrives!

High seas ecosystems are intricately linked to those in the coastal regions. The Central American Dome Expedition mini documentary will highlight the need for more conservation policies in international waters and how they work alongside protection efforts on the coast.

Our focus is the largest sea turtle on earth, the leatherback.  These leviathans travel from Playa Grande in Costa Rica, out into the Central Pacific Dome region and continue their migratory route to South America. Ocean currents also transport leatherback hatchlings through the area.
Day 1:
Critically endangered, leatherbacks are priceless in the marine ecosystem. Egg harvesting and fisheries by-catch have drastically reduced their population during the past two decades.
We visited The Leatherback Trust’s team at Baulas National Park in Guanacaste to learn about conservation measures being worked on with local authorities.…

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Central American Dome Hope Spot Expedition Underway

This week,  MarViva and Mission Blue are launching a film expedition with Dr. Sylvia Earle to highlight our Central American Dome Hope Spot.  Partners supporting the expedition are LightHawk, The Baum Foundation, Bula Bula and National Geographic. The ecological and commercial value of the Dome’s resources will be documented to raise awareness and support for the protection of its species and habitats.
“The term dome refers to an oceanographic feature that results from cold, deep ocean water rising near the surface,” says Lance Morgan of The Marine Conservation Institute.
“The water itself doesn’t dome, but a cold water band shaped like a dome comes up from the bottom. As this nutrient-rich water enters depths where sunlight can penetrate it unleashes enormous plankton blooms, fueling the entire ecosystem. …

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Ocean Foundation Celebrates 10 years

We hope that you will join us in celebrating this milestone for our partners at the Ocean Foundation!
Mission Blue founder, Dr. Sylvia Earle appears in this inspiring video along side Alexandra Cousteau, Dr. Nancy Knowlton, and our Board Director, Ann Luskey to help The Ocean Foundation celebrate ten years of making a difference!  …

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Global Reef Expedition transits globe to survey endangered corals

Written by Alison Barrat
Three years into a six-year research project, the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation has already travelled half way around the world. Known as the ‘Global Reef Expedition’ the project is the largest coral reef survey of its kind and the most extensive coral reef mapping project ever conducted.
The scientists taking part in the project come from all round the world. At each stop on the expedition they join forces with local scientists and conduct hundreds of dives to collect data about the reefs.
The research team uses a standard survey in each place, this allows them to compare results and build up a global picture of how the worlds’ reefs are faring. They identify species of corals, fish, invertebrates and plants and note the population numbers and health of various species.…

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Mission Blue Partner Kai Marine Reports on Loggerheads in the Med

We’re honored today to deliver you the results of Mission Blue Partner KAI Marine Service‘s Project OASIS, which studied loggerhead turtles in the Mediterranean. Enjoy!
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Over 4 months of survey in the Mediterranean open sea, tracking and observing loggerhead sea turtles in their oceanic stage has enabled research to gain new insight of how this ecosystem functions. A total of 118 turtles have been part of the OASIS project in its first edition. Equipped with National Geographic Crittercam, satellite tags and acoustic tags, turtles have become “living oceanographic gliders” recording data that should hopefully allow scientists to reveal the mystery of the “Mediterranean Serengeti Paradox”.

Each loggerhead turtle basking on the surface during its oceanic phase becomes an oasis that aggregates algae and invertebrates, ultimately aggregating a bait ball for top predators in the open ocean realm to feed on.…

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Whale Tagger Nan Hauser Makes a Big “My Hero” Splash

Nan Hauser, the intrepid whale tagger who works in the Cook Islands, recently had her work documented by Peter Stonier the Conservation International filmmaker for the My Hero International Film Festival. The video — available for viewing here — was selected as for first place in the “Series” category, underscoring public interest and support of whale protection efforts.

Nan Hauser, President and Director of the Center for Cetacean Research and Conservation, is based in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, where she is the Principal Investigator for the Cook Islands Whale Research Project and Director of the Cook Islands Whale & Wildlife Centre. Nan’s research includes population identity, Photo ID, acoustics, genetics, surface & underwater behaviour, navigation and migration of cetaceans. Her satellite tag work includes results on how whales migrate over long distances using linear constant course segments.…

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Hong Kong Kids’ Aerial Art Encourages the Public to Respect Sharks

Each year, up to 73 million sharks are killed for their fins. Most end up in shark fin soup, a delicacy in both Hong Kong and Mainland China.  However, the last few years have seen a sea change in Hong Kong’s attitude toward shark finning—and an event early this month demonstrated how far the island territory has come.
On November 8th, nearly a thousand children, their teachers and ocean community leaders gathered on Repulse Bay Beach on the south side of Hong Kong Island. They were there as the culmination of Kids Ocean Day, an educational program that links students to the ocean environment, and raises awareness of human impact on the ecosystem.
Directed by aerial artist John Quigley, the kids lined up to form a shark with a severed fin, accompanied by the words “Save Me” in Chinese.…

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