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Hear That?! Ocean Allison Podcast Highlights Ocean Changemakers

Mission Blue is proud to partner with Ocean Allison!
By: Allison Randolph

There are currently more than seven billion individuals on this planet – this blue planet that we all call home. Inextricably connected to planet health is ocean health, and while human beings are at the root of most pressures facing our watery planet, they are also at the root of the solutions.
As a child growing up in South Florida, it seemed as though I spent more time below the water’s surface than above, cultivating a profound connection with the underwater world. Combining that ocean connection with a formal education in marine science and an informal education in digital communications, I found myself in a position to be a voice for the ocean.…

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Stress, Starvation and Survival

Coral reefs around the world are dying off due to climate-related changes. How can we ensure these “rainforests of the sea” survive?
By: Dianna Bell, Earthwatch Institute

Underwater Ghost Towns
White ghosts rising from the sea floor. Snow-covered skeletons. Faded rainforests under the sea. Once vibrant and thriving coral reefs are suffering, and dying off at alarming rates.
“It’s devastating,” said Dr. Steve Whalan, one of the scientists on the Earthwatch expedition Helping Endangered Corals in the Cayman Islands. “If you’ve ever spent any time on reefs, they’re absolutely fascinating, remarkable systems visually. It’s awe-inspiring to see some of these systems in place when they’re not degraded. So to see them crash around you is very sad.”
The culprit of this destruction?…

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Smart Business Solutions: St. Vincent and the Grenadines Hope Spot

St. Vincent and the Grenadines was designated a Mission Blue Hope Spot at the IUCN Congress in Hawaii by Dr. Sylvia A. Earle on September 9, 2016. 
By: Shilpi Chhotray, Mission Blue Communications Strategist 

When someone says they are going to St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) you probably think of islands. But the marine environment — the big blue — in this southern Caribbean nation is 70 times greater in area than its land mass! Indeed, SVG is famous across the globe for clear blue waters thriving with marine biodiversity, including myriad species of cetaceans, coral reefs, seagrass, mangroves and, of course, a spectacular variety of fish, invertebrates and more. The cetacean megafauna is particularly diverse in these waters where at least 26 species of cetacean are thought to occur.…

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A Reason for Hope in the Sea of Cortez

Mission Blue is proud to partner with Christian Vizl! 
By: Christian Vizl, Underwater Photographer 

In times where the Ocean is facing grave dangers like overfishing, acidification, warming, contamination, etc. a group of local fishermen are giving an example to the rest of the world, and a reason to hope.
Cabo Pulmo is located in the southernmost tip of the Sea of Cortez and used to be a very small fisherman’s town due to its natural abundance of marine life. With the pass of time (and overfishing) they started to became aware of the increasing scarcity of their catch, and took a bold decision; stop all commercial fishing, partner with scientists of a local university and the government to declare the area a national marine park.…

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Politics and Porpoises

Mission Blue is proud to partner with Ocean Champions, #VoteTheOcean on November 8th!
Everyday we work to safeguard the health of our ocean and its wildlife – from sustainable fisheries and clean beaches to pods of dolphins and porpoises. We need members of Congress to make strong federal policies and laws that preserve our nation’s marine and coastal resources. At Ocean Champions, we work to get the right officials elected to Congress who will lead the charge to protect and manage the ocean. As we say at Ocean Champions: “Great ocean policies begin with great ocean champions.”
What We Do
During the past 10 years we’ve helped elect over 100 ocean champions in Congress — Republicans, Democrats, and Independents who have made the oceans a priority. …

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Searious Business Tackles Ocean Plastics

By: Willemijn Peeters, Ocean Ambassador of the Netherlands and Founder of Searious Business

Searious Business is a social enterprise with a strong mission focus. We develop front-end solutions that help prevent plastic pollution in our seas. Creating innovative, economically advantageous alternatives at the source, Searious Business collaborates with companies and others to strategically assess internal plastic use and reduce external impacts on ocean ecosystems.
The Issue
Plastic pollution is a global, growing problem. It impacts our ocean, our health, and our long-term wellbeing.
Searious Business Solutions
Our primary goal is to prevent plastics from ending up in our environment. As we work with business, governments, and various other organizations, we are always guided by these core principles:

Re-Think: We help establish inclusive, innovative, solutions-based thought processes.…

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Major Victory for Protection of the Ross Sea Hope Spot

Mission Blue and her partners have been advocating for the protection of the Ross Sea Hope Spot for years. And now that Russia has finally jumped on board, what was once just hope is now a reality: plans are set for the creation of a huge new marine protected area in the region! Located deep in the Southern Ocean, the Ross Sea is one of the most pristine marine ecosystems on the planet offering scientists the chance to study marine processes yet to be affected by human interference, pollution or exploitation. Due it its remarkable biodiversity, the Ross Sea is full of unique wildlife like penguins and blue whales, including numerous species found nowhere else in the world. HUGE thanks go to the Antarctic Ocean Alliance, Ocean Unite, The PEW Charitable Trusts, Greenpeace, Lifeline Antarctica and the many other passionate and persistent voices for the Ross Sea — including YOURS!…

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President of Colombia to Expand Protection in the Malpelo Hope Spot

By: Shilpi Chhotray, Mission Blue Communications Strategist

Over 300 miles off the Pacific coast of Colombia lies Malpelo Island whose clear waters are teeming with colorful marine life. The driving force behind the success of the Malpelo Hope Spot is the community of ocean advocates and citizen scientists promoting its protection. Sandra Bessudo, Marine Biologist and Founder of the Malpelo Foundation, is at the heart of Malpelo and its strongest spokesperson. “When I first started going to Malpelo in 1987 and saw what was happening: anchors in the coral, sharks on the deck of the boat, I thought we must do something“. Since then, she’s worked with divers, scientists, and even multiple Colombian presidents to enforce protection of the island.
On September 9th, Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos pledged to more than double the size of the Malpelo Flora and Fauna Sanctuary.…

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Ocean Force One

Mission Blue is proud to partner with Heirs to Our Oceans!
By: Arjun Subramanian, Heirs To Our Oceans

On Oct 3rd, Heirs To Our Oceans were invited to a closed press conference by the Ocean Cleanup team at Moffett Field in Mountain View, California.  Eleven of us proudly attended.  The purpose of this press conference was for the Ocean Cleanup team to share their initial impressions of the first flight by the Aerial Expedition Team. The objective of the mission is to accurately quantify the ocean’s biggest and most harmful debris – discarded fishing gear, called ghost nets. 
The Ocean Cleanup is an organization where CEO, 22 year old Boyan Slat designed a passive system which uses ocean currents to concentrate plastic in the garbage patches.  …

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Ocean Protection Goal Increases to 30%

A Proud Partnership- Mission Blue Applauds IUCN’s Motion to Protect 30% of  the Ocean By 2030!

“Planet at the Crossroads” was the theme at this year’s World Conservation Congress. Organized by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), leaders took bold steps in confirming recommendations for 30% marine protection by 2030. Over 180 countries and 700 conservation groups were represented. 
Motion 53 came one week following President Obama’s historical expansion of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Countries are now being urged to designate this as a minimum for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Building fuller sustainability would include the reduction of at least 30% “extractive” activities including fishing, mining, and drilling. 
Pew Charitable Trusts outlines some of the ways in which this might be accomplished: 

States committing to designate at least 30 percent of their national waters as MPAs by 2030; 
States engaging constructively in establishing MPAs in areas beyond national jurisdiction, through the development of a new global instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and through the adoption of new and existing proposals at the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources; and 
IUCN State Members calling on the CBD Secretariat to initiate the process for achieving a post-Aichi target of 30 percent of coastal and marine areas fully protected by 2030.…

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