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Kahalu‘u Bay on Hawai‘i’s West Coast Recognized as a Mission Blue Hope Spot

Featured image (c) Bo Pardau
KONA, HAWAI‘I (May 26th, 2022)

On the west coast of the island of Hawai‘i is Kahalu‘u Bay, also known as ‘āina lei ali‘i, lands that adorn the chiefs. It is a wahi pana, a sacred, celebrated, and storied place abundant with cultural and ecological treasures. 
Cindi Punihaole, director of The Kohala Center’s Kahalu‘u Bay Education Center (TKC-KBEC) and Dr. Christine Zalewski, president of Dear Ocean, are working to preserve Kahalu‘u Bay for generations to come. Punihaole describes how her native Hawaiian upbringing shapes her perspective and approach to conservation at Kahalu‘u Bay. “We were taught that taking care of the ʻāina, the land and sea, is your survival. It’s second nature for me to look at what gives us life.”
 
 
International marine conservation nonprofit Mission Blue has named Kahalu‘u Bay a Hope Spot and Punihaole and Zalewski as the Hope Spot Champions.…

Posted in .Homepage, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Featured, mission blue, Partner Stories, Photo of the Day, Uncategorized |

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Swimming Around The Campfire

Manta Ray Experience Highlights Need for Balance of Animal Safety and Tourism
By: Kristin Hettermann

Kona, Hawaii — We were the last guests of the evening at a campfire like no other. It was pitch black when we emerged to flashlights waving us back to our vessel, and as the final few boats brought their nightly activities to a close, we reluctantly came out of the water. A moment before, I had been surrounded by a dense school of Āholehole (Hawaiian flagtail), their mass producing a strobe-like effect that created the feeling of being on a crowded dance floor. Just below me, two mantas were doing barrel rolls just feet from my body, and another dozen circled the vicinity. What if they came a few feet closer and lifted me out of the water?…

Posted in .Homepage, Featured, mission blue, Partner Stories |

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Hope from Brazil: Verde Mar Project Joins Mission Blue

Mission Blue is proud to partner with Verde Mar Project!
By: Caio Salles

One of the most important spots for tourism in Brazil is the Sugar Loaf in Rio de Janeiro. It’s part of a Conservation Unity called Monumento Natural dos Morros da Urca e Pão de Açúcar. Just below it, there is a small pearl called “Praia Vermelha,” or Red Beach, which is amongst the last beaches with good water quality in Rio’s central area. The adjoining bay is a nursery for several marine species and home for many green sea turtles.  
Despite being part of a conservation area, Praia Vermelha faces a serious problem: the huge quantity of underwater debris. To address the situation, Verde Mar Project congregated scuba divers to collect and analyze waste accumulating in the ocean.…

Posted in .Homepage, Featured, mission blue, Partner Stories |

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Bearing Witness to a Gathering of Giants

Behind the Scenes with Mission Blue in the Revillagigedo Archipelago
By Courtney Mattison

Earlier this month, the Mission Blue expedition team joined forces with Fins Attached, the lab of Dr. James Ketchum of Pelagios Kakunjá and FUSION Media to explore the Revillagigedo Archipelago about 250 nautical miles south of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Fondly referred to as “Revi” and Mexico’s “little Galápagos,” this open ocean oasis attracts some of the most impressive schools of shark and ray species on Earth. With waters teeming with giant oceanic manta rays, silky, silvertip, white tip, Galápagos and hammerhead sharks, and shoals of wahoo and jacks, the four volcanic islands of Socorro, San Benedicto, Roca Partida and Clarión were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site less than one year ago.…

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CITES does RIGHT!

Huge news on the shark and manta front!

Yesterday, the CITES plenary accepted the committee recommendations to place five species of sharks and two species of mantas on Appendix II of the CITES treaty. Additionally, one species of saw fish was moved to Appendix I.

It may sound like a bureaucratic procedure — and it is — but the ramifications are huge. The sharks have been under relentless pressure from the fin and meat trade which is taking a significant toll on their population levels.

Now, as species listed under Appendix II, the trade of these shark species will be regulated, marking a first important step to allow these majestic animals to return to healthy population levels. Not all the CITES treaty members were behind the measure.…

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Photo of the Day ~ CITES stands up for sharks and rays!

In a dramatic Plenary session, trade restrictions were adopted today for ALL five species of sharks (Oceanic Whitetip, Porbeagle, Smooth, Scalloped & Great Hammerhead) and two mantas (Giant and Reef Manta Rays) proposed! Success of listing proposals means their international trade must be legal and sustainable in 18 months.
Photo: (c) Shark Stanley…

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Photo of the Day ~ Manta in the Maldives

It’s big business, a big vote, and a big moment for sharks and mantas.

The Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, takes place beginning next week in Bangkok, Thailand – March 3 to 14.

At this critical meeting, governments will debate adding five species of sharks and two species of manta rays to the treaty. A positive result will limit international trade of shark fin and meat and manta gill rakers and help reduce the threat of over fishing facing these species.

The oceanic manta (Manta birostris) and the reef manta rays (M. alfredi) are among the ocean’s most charismatic wildlife. Manta rays are typically found in tropical and subtropical waters, although oceanic manta rays can be found in temperate waters.…

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