Ocean Stories

Did you know NASA has developed breathtaking technology that allows us to literally look through waves? Far from being distorted by the waves, the resulting image is actually more defined and 3D. To get the full scoop, Dr. Sylvia Earle led a Mission Blue envoy to NASA Ames Research Center this past summer. What we learned was nothing short of remarkable: NASA is poised to use this technology to map the shallow reefs of the world in unprecedented detail and give scientists the clearest picture yet of what we are losing where. With this information, we hope that an even stronger case can be made for conservation.
As part of our trip to NASA, Mission Blue’s Brett Garling produced the following video in which you’ll learn all about this amazing new technology — called fluid lensing — and what hope it holds for the world’s oceans.…

The Photography of Christian Vizl
Ever since I was a kid, as far as I can remember, I was attracted to the sea. I dream about what lies beneath the waves. I imagine what it would look like if suddenly all the water would disappear for a while, but all the animals and living creatures would remain at the same place they were, so I could then take a walk inside the ocean and see them all, suspended for a moment in time and space.
I still have that same dream, and I am very grateful that now I am able to live it every time I go down to the sea. I see my pictures, and realize they are the result of that childhood dream… beautiful and incredible marine life suspended in their natural environment and captured in a brief moment of time.…

Marine Life Studies Make a Whale Smile Campaign November 2014 – February 27, 2015
As we watch the last of the entangling lines slip off the whale, we are struck with the realization that we just relieved suffering and probably saved the life of this innocent creature. It is particularly gratifying when a humpback whale we disentangled is re-sighted actively feeding, doing well, and recovering from its severe injuries. 

Twenty to 80% of large whales show signs of entanglement in fishing gear or marine debris. A lucky few throw the gear or are disentangled by trained and permitted rescue teams. For every entangled whale reported there are many more that go unreported, struggling unnoticed and suffering or even dying from damage to fins and flukes.…

Island Reach in Vanuatu
By Janis Steele
Island Reach is a volunteer ocean-going project run by a New England forest farming family headed by a couple of social scientists trained in Human Ecology and Cultural Anthropology. In collaboration with The Ocean Foundation in the US, we work in Vanuatu in the South Pacific aboard Research Vessel Llyr.

Vanuatu is one of our planet’s last great places of rich cultural and biological diversity. Lying on the eastern edge of The Coral Sea, this remote ocean state of 83 islands is home to a vast treasure trove of natural riches – from coral reefs to mangrove and rain forests – and an enduring interdependence between its people and their environment. This intimate relationship between Ni-Vanuatu (the people of Vanuatu) and their seas and islands finds expression in the densest language diversity on the planet, with over 120 languages in active use.…

We’re thrilled to announce our new partnership with Reef Check!
Established in 1996 by Dr. Gregor Hodgson, Reef Check is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to saving reefs and oceans through research, education, conservation, and encouragement of sustainable, environmental solutions. Reef Check seeks to empower local communities to improve two marine ecosystems: tropical coral reefs and California rocky reefs. As a global organization, Reef Check provides a simple, standard method to train fishermen and community members to scientifically check the health of their reefs and to create non-extractive businesses that use coral reefs to provide a higher income than fishing – an ecologically and economically sustainable solution for both coral reef conservation and to track reef health worldwide.

As the United Nations’ official selection for community-based reef monitoring programs, Reef Check analyzes the health of reefs through a method of surveying that uses local citizen scientists who are trained and led by professional marine biologists.…

Photographer Susan Middleton’s new book, Spineless: Portraits of Marine Invertebrates, the Backbone of Life, was just released and we can’t stop looking at these incredible images! Published by Abrams, New York, Spineless is chock full of gorgeous illuminated cephalopods, nudibranchs and other wild looking invertebrates. It even features a foreword by Dr. Sylvia Earle.
In San Francisco? There will be book launch at San Francisco Public Library on Tuesday, December 9th, at 6PM. Susan will give a presentation in the Koret Auditorium followed by a book signing.
Here is a teaser to give an idea of what’s inside!  http://issuu.com/hnabooks/docs/spineless?e=1035913/10221140
Learn more about Susan’s work at susanmiddleton.com and find the book on Amazon.…

Mission Blue is excited to announce a new partnership with The Jellyfish Project (JFP) – a non-profit organization that uses music and live performance to spread awareness of the environmental realities of our time and the solutions to overcome them. The JFP is a global coalition of musicians raising awareness about our environment and our future. In collaboration with some of the most prominent environmental organizations in North America, they have created a simple yet powerful platform for like-minded musicians and bands to engage in the environmental movement in an organized and impactful way.

The Jellyfish Project has two core programs:
1. From the Stage
From The Stage involves a simple commitment for artists to speak to their audiences about the environment for a few moments at some point during their shows.…

“It’s not about what it is, it’s about what it can become.” Dr. Seuss
This Dr. Seuss quote from The Lorax captures the essence of marine protected areas (MPAs). Science shows that these underwater wildlife sanctuaries can sow the seeds of tomorrow’s healthier ocean. We need a healthier ocean to help ensure the survival of the global ecological and geological engine it drives – to help ensure our own survival on the planet. The creation of MPAs, or “Hope Spots” as Dr. Sylvia Earle calls them, is an actionable way to address the tremendous existential challenges the ocean faces.
Many successful MPAs range in function, from small marine parks supervised by indigenous communities to large designated cultural landmarks or protected sites.…

Wednesday night in Washington, DC, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) honored eight environmental stewards as “Champions of the Earth!” As the United Nations’ most prestigious award for the environment, the Champions of the Earth award is celebrating its tenth year of highlighting the outstanding contributions of policy makers, innovators and advocates “to our greatest planetary cause.”
Mission Blue founder Dr. Sylvia Earle and seven others were honored at a gala event at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum. Awash in hues of blues and greens, the gallery reverberated with haunting tones emitted by Earth Harp.  Elizabeth Broun, Director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Kim Sajet, Director of the National Portrait Gallery gave the welcoming remarks.…

By Joseph Ierna Jr., Ocean CREST Alliance
We have badly managed our ocean for decades through overfishing, pollution, climate change and development. We have all been part of the ongoing decline of our ocean in some manner, and we can all be the solution to its repair.
On Long Island in the Bahamas, the “Long Islanders” are trying to restore a once-rich ecosystem while sustaining their economy and their direct ties to the sea. This delicate balance is not easy to maintain, but it is necessary to return our ocean to its former glory. In an ongoing process to establish a large marine protected area (MPA), the small 4,000-person community of Long Island Bahamas is making good progress in establishing protection for 215,000 acres of coastal waters.…