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Whale and Dolphin Sanctuary of Uruguay’s Hope Spot Champions Celebrate the Designation of Uruguay’s First – Ever Oceanic Marine Protected Area

Cover Image: Aerial view of Isla de Lobos, Uruguay. Credit: Jikatu.
Author: Christy Keating
The sanctuary, years in the making, will protect dozens of species and combat the effects of overfishing.
On a tiny island five miles south of Uruguay’s southernmost point, a lighthouse soars nearly 200feet into the air. Its light has been keeping sailors safe since 1858, warning passing ships against the rocky shallows that surround the island. And now, for the first time, those waters themselves are equally protected, along with the island’s populations of South American sea lions (Otaria flavescens) and fur seals (Arctocephalus australis), thanks to the establishment last August of Uruguay’s first-ever oceanic Marine Protected Area (MPA).
The Isla de Lobos MPA provides a safe haven not only for the Western Hemisphere’s largest colonies of sea lions and fur seals, but also for hundreds of species of corals, fish, sea turtles, seabirds, and cetaceans, including the migratory Southern right whale.…

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Hope Beneath the Waves: A Week with the Global Kelp Community in Victoria, Canada

Cover Image: Victoria Conference Center with artist Josie Iselin’s seaweed banners. Image: Oriana Poindexter.
Author: Oriana Poindexter
Over 700 delegates from around the world gathered in the beautiful city of Victoria on Vancouver Island last week for the 25th International Seaweed Symposium. This week-long event convened global experts in all the arenas of algae, with sessions and special workshops focused on conservation, restoration, cultivation, policy, and global strategy for seaweed and kelp.
I was honored to attend the conference in my capacity as Mission Blue’s Kelp Initiative Program Manager and found myself among a slew of fellow kelp enthusiasts! I’ve been diving in kelp forests and studying the ecology of these magnificent systems for over a decade at this point, from my vantage point in the giant kelp forests of San Diego, California, and am always amazed at how much more there is to learn. …

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Polynesian Navigator Nainoa Thompson and Oceanographer Sylvia Earle Call for Urgent Ocean Action at Paris SOS Ocean Summit

Cover image: Courtesy of Presidence de la Republique France.
(PARIS, FRANCE) – Last week, renowned Oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle and Polynesian Voyaging Society CEO Nainoa Thompson joined global leaders in Paris for SOS Ocean, a high-level gathering held March 30-31 at the Musée National de la Marine. Under the leadership of French President Emmanuel Macron and in collaboration with the Oceano Azul Foundation, the event convened policymakers, scientists, and advocates to confront urgent ocean challenges as France and Costa Rica prepare to host the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC-3) in Nice in two months (June 9-13, 2025).
The SOS Ocean convening aimed to shape the Nice Ocean Action Plan, a five-year agenda which will be negotiated during UNOC and is designed to prioritize ocean protection and restoration and support implementation of sustainable development goal SDG14: Life Below Water.…

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Research Expedition to Paramount: The Forgotten Seamount

Cover image: Alex Hearn
In January 2025, a team of scientists from Universidad San Francisco de Quito and Galápagos Science Center (USFQ-GSC) and the Galápagos National Park Directorate (GNPD) carried out a two-week expedition to Paramount: a shallow-water seamount rising from a depth of over 1,500 m to only 180 m below the surface, located 100 nautical miles northeast of the Galápagos Marine Reserve. The objective of the expedition was to characterize the fish community around the seamount and explore its connections with Galápagos. The work was supported by the organizations Mission Blue, Galápagos Conservation Trust, MigraMar, and Bezos Earth Fund. 
Dr. Alex Hearn, Galápagos Hope Spot co-Champion and lead scientist on the expedition, explained that, “due to their relative inaccessibility, oceanic seamounts are relatively understudied, but often play similar roles to oceanic islands in the marine ecosystem.…

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New Co-Champions Announced for Cape Whale Coast Hope Spot

Cover image: Cape Whale Coast Hope Spot Dedication
Overstrand, South Africa – The Cape Whale Coast on South Africa’s Western Cape stretches over 200 kilometers of coastline from Rooi Els to Quoin Point. A region of striking natural beauty, the Cape Whale Coast Hope Spot hosts a complex coastline of estuaries, beaches, and bays. Offshore, the convergence of the warm Agulhas Current and the cold Benguela Upwelling creates a nutrient-rich environment that sustains a wide diversity of marine life, including important breeding areas for the endangered African penguin (Spheniscus demersus). 
“South Africa is such an incredible part of the planet, where the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean converge,” says Dr. Sylvia Earle, Founder of Mission Blue. She continues, “To be able to stand at the Cape of Good Hope and actually have two oceans, blue and green, coming together, it’s just magical.…

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The Mission Blue South Africa Initiative – Catalyzing and Advancing the Hope Spot Network

Cover image: Aliwal Shoal Hope Spot. Credit: Allen Walker
The South African coastline is home to seven Hope Spots. Six of these – False Bay, Cape Whale Coast, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Algoa Bay, and Aliwal Shoal – were designated in 2014, while Maputaland, a transboundary Hope Spot spanning both South Africa and Mozambique, was designated in 2024.These areas host an important array of species and habitats, including the Knysna seahorse (Hippocampus capensis), the only endemic seahorse species in South Africa; the largest gannetry in the world, with 250,000 breeding pairs; one of the most important nursery areas for the southern right whale (Eubalaena australis); as well as abundant kelp forests and colorful coral reefs.
In 2024, Mission Blue received generous funding to launch The South Africa Initiative, which aims to catalyze and strengthen the South African Hope Spot network.…

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New Hope Spot Champion Takes Helm for Aliwal Shoal Hope Spot

Cover image: Allen Walker Photography. 
Durban, South Africa – Aliwal Shoal Hope Spot, one of South Africa’s most famous dive sites and a Marine Protected Area (MPA), is located just 50 km south of Durban and 5 km off the coast of Umkomaas on the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) South Coast.
Originally designated in 2014 as part of a suite of South African Hope Spots, Mission Blue is pleased to announce the re-launch in February 2025 of Aliwal Shoal as a Hope Spot. Congratulations to Russel Symcox, local resident and Founder of Wild Alliance Africa, who will take the helm as the new Champion to continue protecting the biodiverse Aliwal Shoal Hope Spot. Symcox and his wife, Olivia, a renowned local conservationist, were both part of the initial launch of the Hope Spot in 2014, and have been championing the cause of ocean protection for more than a decade. …

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Knysna Hope Spot Re-designated to Strengthen Conservation Efforts

Cover image: Blue stingray, Helen Walne. 
Knysna, South Africa – On South Africa’s Western Cape lies the Knysna Hope Spot, a unique region containing an important estuary, the marine coastline and offshore waters. Spanning the region from Buffel’s Bay to Sparrebosch and including the Goukamma Marine Protected Area (MPA), this biodiverse marine, coastal and estuarine system plays a pivotal role as an essential breeding ground for coastal fish species, along with the endangered Knysna seahorse (Hippocampus capensis), South Africa’s only endemic seahorse species.
International marine conservation organization Mission Blue originally designated Knysna a Hope Spot in 2014 as part of a suite of South African Hope Spots. Today, Mission Blue is re-launching the Knysna Hope Spot by recognizing a new pair of Hope Spot Champions, welcoming Jessica Seath, Estuarine Ecologist at the Knysna Estuary Research Foundation (KERF), and Alan Whitfield, retired Chief Scientist at the South African Institute of Aquatic Biodiversity as Champions. …

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Plett Hope Spot’s Re-designation Sets Stage for Stronger Conservation and Management

Cover image: Robberg Nature Reserve, Mission Blue.
Plettenberg, South Africa – Located along South Africa’s Southern Cape is the Plett Hope Spot, encompassing a sheltered ocean bay and linking Robberg Peninsula Marine Protected Area (MPA) to the edge of the oldest MPA in South Africa,  the Tsitsikamma. This spectacular stretch of coastline is home to a remarkable array of marine species, including the endangered humpback dolphin (Sousa plumbea) and colonies of iconic Cape fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus). With its diverse ecosystems, including rocky reefs, sandy beaches, estuaries, and coastal forests, Plettenberg Bay is a vital hub for marine biodiversity.
On land, the Plett area spans from Kranshoek to Nature’s Valley in the east. The region’s importance is further underscored by its designation as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, a Whale Heritage Area, and as one of South Africa’s Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSA).…

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Algoa Bay Hope Spot Re-Launches with New Champions for Conservation

Cover image © Sustainable Seas Trust
Algoa Bay, South Africa – Algoa Bay on South Africa’s Eastern Cape is one of the country’s largest bays, opening into the Indian Ocean. It is home to several of the world’s largest breeding colonies of critically endangered African penguins (Spheniscus demersus), the largest pods of bottlenose dolphins in the world and the famous sardine run, the largest migration of the planet. Bounded in the west by Cape Recife and in the east by Cape Padrone, Algoa Bay is a highly productive marine ecosystem due to the presence of the Benguela Upwelling system, which brings cold, nutrient-rich water into the area and supports a wealth of biodiversity. Rare species from both warm and cold currents co-exist in the bay.…

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