Ocean Stories

From Mission Blue Director of Expeditions and Photography, Kip Evans, “It’s so rare to have these beautiful flat days off the coast of Monterey. Adding huge Humpback whales….priceless!”…

MONACO, October 4, 2013
If necessity is the mother of invention, then the pressing needs of our ocean explain the spawning of innovation at BLUE Ocean Film Festival & Conservation Summit (BLUE). This annual multi-disciplinary summit is a convergence of bright minds with big hearts focused on expediting ocean conservation – now when it’s needed most.
BLUE – a watering hole for ocean aficionados
BLUE sets in motion a mix of ocean all-stars mobilized by a supportive environment of breathtaking (and sometimes gut-wrenching) films, creative ideas and new technology.
Inventors, leaders, filmmakers, explorers, producers, artists, scientists and celebrities gather to see what’s new and share thoughts on how to amplify the voice of the ocean. BLUE has created an ecosystem of diverse intelligence with one mission – to use the power of entertainment to educate and inspire ocean stewardship.…

While the oceans of our planet cover more than 70% of the Earth’s surface, we still know so little about what goes on beneath the waves.  There are vast areas, great depths and even hundreds or perhaps thousands of species that we still barely understand.  Manta rays can certainly be classed as a species we still have so much to learn about and that is why in January 2012, The Manta Trust came into being; a UK registered charity aiming to improve our understanding of these animals and promote their long-term conservation.
What is the Manta Trust?
The Manta Trust is a growing group of scientists, educators, photographers, film-makers, conservationists and advocacy experts who have joined forces to co-ordinate global research and conservation efforts for both manta rays and their close cousin’s, the mobula rays.…

Fabien Cousteau, grandson of the famed SCUBA inventor Jacques-Yves Cousteau, plans to continue the family tradition of pushing the limits under the waves. In a little over a month, Fabien will descend into the last remaining underwater marine lab in the world — Aquarius in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary — to spend 31 days in the habitat as part of his Mission 31. The duration of the mission is twice the length of any previous Aquarius mission and one day longer than his grandfather’s stay in Conshelf II undersea research station. He will quite literally be pushing the known boundaries of human subaquatic exposure.

“It’s about the adventure of discovery — about pushing the boundaries that are familiar to us,” Fabien told Mission Blue.…

A common seal (Phoca vitulina) at the surface in the evening. Harbor seals are also the most widely distributed pinniped. They are found in temperate, subarctic, and arctic coastal areas on both sides of the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. Five separate subspecies have been identified, each common to a specific coastal region.
Harbor seals are hunted primarily for their skins, oil, and meat. Their tendency to remain in the same area year-round puts them at greater risk for hunting. The Lake Ontario population was exterminated by the early 1800s, and the Greenland, Hokkaido, and Baltic Sea populations are currently under severe threat. In the Gulf of Alaska, populations have declined dramatically during the last 20-30 years.
Harbor seals are thought by a few to “compete” with commercial fisheries for food sources and unfortunately this myth results in many harbor seals being killed by humans needlessly.…

New federal emergency fishing regulations are forcing California’s drift gillnet fleet for swordfish and shark to stop fishing for the season if a single endangered sperm whale gets entangled in a net. All vessels that fish offshore will now be required to carry on-board observers at all times.
The emergency measures were finally imposed today after two endangered sperm whales were observed killed in the fishery in 2010. The rules will be enforced by requiring new vessel monitoring systems tracking the locations of all drift gillnet vessels off the U.S. West Coast.   
Download the emergency regulation from National Marine Fisheries Service here. Download the Marine Mammal Take Permit here.
Also today, Turtle Island Restoration Network (SeaTurtles.org) published a new online exposé calling for an end to the gillnet fishery titled, California’s Deadliest Catch.…

When Colorado Ocean Coalition (COCO) founder Vicki Nichols Goldstein came up with the idea for Making WAVES in Colorado – an ocean lovers’ conference held annually in landlocked Boulder, CO – she never dreamt that waves would literally come crashing on her doorstep. But as nearly Biblical flooding ravaged Boulder County just days before last weekend’s conference and destroyed countless properties including her own carpeted basement, the irony of the disaster became all too apparent. “I love Making WAVES in Colorado, but this is a bit much!” Goldstein posted on Facebook in the midst of FEMA visits and last-minute preparations for the conference, which went on as scheduled.
Despite news of the disaster, ocean leaders and enthusiasts from across the country and abroad gathered at the University of Colorado campus for a weekend full of delightful and informative talks, activities, social events and films.…

Celebrity fashion photographer Roger Moenks has created the I Am Eco-Warrior project which includes an inspiring book in which he documents 53 global game-changers who are leading the world’s eco revolution.  The I Am Eco-Warrior project strives to instill a global mindset that being eco-friendly is fashionable, attainable, and “cool,” encouraging new business leaders to embark on a more sustainable future.
Today, the IAMECO video series welcomes Mission Blue’s founder with their launch of: ‘Sylvia Earle: A Life Lived Under Water to Preserve Our Seas.”

 You can follow I am Eco Warrior:
Website: www.iamecowarrior.com
YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/iamecowarrior
Google+: IAMECO Warrior
Facebook: www.facebook.com/iamecowarrior
Twitter: @iameco_Warrior
Instagram: @IAMECOWarrior
 …

The event is expected to sell out quickly. Purchase your tickets soon! Cocktails and Hors d’oeuvres will be served.

Sell Tickets Online through Eventbrite

We encourage you to dress in layers and comfortable shoes for outdoor terrain. Bring sunglasses and consider a hat as well. Children are welcome to attend at no additional cost. Unfortunately Hillside Gardens is not wheelchair accessible.
*Parking is prohibited at Hillside Gardens. Savory Thymes asks that all guests park at Mill Valley Middle School at 425 Sycamore Avenue in Mill Valley, CA 94941. There will be a complimentary shuttle running from the parking lot at the school to the venue (a 5 minute ride.) Shuttle service will start at 2:40 PM. 
*To walk to HIllside Gardens, park in downtown Mill Valley.…

From their ongoing ‘Sea Change’ series, Seattle Times environmental reporter Craig Welch and photographer Steve Ringman “present an extraordinary window on a scientific fact: The oceans are rapidly acidifying.” If we don’t act fast to undo the damage, the consequences for the oceans – and for us, whose lives depend on them – are profound. The Seattle Times explores how ocean acidification could alter the seas on a scale almost too big to fathom.
The video, “Sea Change” was produced by PBS NewsHour, using The Seattle Times’ reporting and video, and funded in part by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.

Featured Photo: This pteropod, also known as a sea butterfly, comes from Puget Sound. The tiny shelled creatures are an important food source for many fish and seabirds.…