By Mera McGrew
Bermuda— Key leaders come to Bermuda this week to support what could be the world’s largest no-take marine reserve in the Atlantic Ocean. Conversations will focus on the importance of preserving the Sargasso Sea, a 2 million-square-miles gyre, home to a number of endemic and threatened species.
The Blue Halo initiative refers to the proposed marine reserve that will encompass much of Bermuda’s Exclusive Economic Zone (E.E.Z.) within the Sargasso Sea. The landmark initiative proposes the creation of a halo-shaped protected area that would extend from the shores of Bermuda out  200-miles in every direction. The Pew Environment Group’s Global Ocean Legacy Program is currently working with the government of Bermuda, Mission Blue and other non-governmental organizations to ensure the establishment of this landmark protection program.…

By Mera McGrew
What is it about being on a white sandy beach that makes people happy? Why does the sound and smell of the ocean make people feel relaxed? Why is “ocean-view” the most valuable phrase in real estate?
This coming weekend, cognitive neuroscientists, conservationists, researchers, artists, and members of the press are gathering on the Outer Banks of North Carolina to explore these questions and the emotional connection between the ocean and humans as part the BLUEMiND2 summit.
The summit will explore the relationship between the ocean and the human brain. It will be a scientific exploration as well as a celebration of the emergence of neuroscience as a tool as it relates to the ocean biosphere.
“It is only recently, in the past two decades, that neuroscience has really expanded,” said BLUEMiND founder, Dr.…

By Joseph Castro
Earlier this month, a young gray whale became entangled in two sets of commercial crab pot lines off the coast of San Francisco. Luckily for the whale, rescuers were able to free it successfully. Not all stories have a happy ending —fishing nets kill over 300,000 small whales, dolphins and porpoises each year, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Now, a new multi-agency project, dubbed WhaleWatch, hopes to reduce the number of whales accidentally killed by fishing nets and ship strikes by first determining high-risk areas that the marine mammals are likely to visit.
“We want to understand where the animals are going and why they are going there,” said WhaleWatch project leader Helen Bailey, a biologist at the University of Maryland.…

By Mera McGrew
On Tuesday, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon used the International Day for Biological Diversity to warn a global audience about the fragile state of the world’s ocean and draw attention to the importance of marine biodiversity for the long-term health of the planet.
The ocean covers over 71 percent of the Earth’s surface and supports the life of many amazing creatures, some of which are known, but many more that have yet to be discovered, described or catalogued. “Despite its importance, marine biodiversity — the theme of this year’s International Day for Biological Diversity — has not fared well at human hands,” stated UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.
Ban put an emphasis on the over-exploitation of the world’s fish stocks explaining that more than half of global fisheries are exhausted while another third are depleted.…

By Mera McGrew
On Tuesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) unveiled a unique exhibit at the Crime Museum in Washington D.C., Crimes Against Marine Mammals.
The temporary exhibit, which runs until September 3, details specific violations of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and offers insight into how law enforcement agents investigate those violations.
“Through the artifacts NOAA brought in for their temporary exhibit, visitors of the museum can learn more about what the issues are and how to prevent them,” explained Crime Museum COO, Janine Vaccarello. “Many people are unaware of how prevalent violence against marine mammals is, even here in the United States.”
The exhibit was organized as part of the 40th anniversary of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which was signed into law in 1972.…

By Mera McGrew
Recently recognized as a finalist at the International Wildlife Film Festival, the documentary “My Village, My Lobster” tells the harrowing story of an industry and a community in crisis.
“I have always been interested in social issues…it was literally over a lobster dinner in Nicaragua that I was first introduced to this particular issue,” said director, cinematographer and editor Joshua Wolff. That was in 2007. Wolff felt it was a story that needed to be shared with the world.

Filmed over the course of four years, the documentary highlights indigenous Miskito lobster divers along Nicaragua’s Atlantic Coast. The film gives a voice to those who risk their lives diving for the region’s most lucrative resource, the Caribbean spiny lobster — referred to locally as red gold.…

By Mera McGrew
Roz Savage and Andrew Morris, two British ocean rowers, were planning to set off on a record-setting voyage across the Northern Atlantic this week. However, fragmented icebergs and unusual amounts of ice have forced the ocean-rowing duo to cancel their expedition.
Savage released a statement saying, “The chances of hitting ice — and the serious consequences of a punctured hull in freezing North Atlantic waters — meant that the risk to our safety was simply unacceptable.“ Morris commented, “we came here to do something inspiring, not something stupid.”
Savage, 44, and Morris, 47, had teamed up to become the first male-female team to cross the North Atlantic, test themselves physically and mentally, arrive in London for the beginning of the 2012 Olympic games, and also to raise awareness for environmental issues.…

In November 2011, the Australian government proposed the establishment of the world’s largest marine protected area in the waters of the Coral Sea, off the Eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. The proposed Coral Sea Commonwealth Marine Reserve will cover approximately 385,000 square miles (989,842 square kilometers).
The proposal would forbid oil and gas extraction as well as ban fishing equipment that destroys seafloor habitats. The proposal represents an important step towards proper protection. However, protections need to be stronger. The government’s plan is for a multi-use marine reserve, with only two reefs out of 25 in the Coral Sea set to receive full protection. Higher-level protection is needed to ensure the current levels of biodiversity persist and the fragile ecosystems remain intact long-term.…