Mission Blue was live and alive at the seventh annual Peter Benchley Ocean Awards this past Friday at the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. Notables from all strata of the ocean community, including Dr. Sylvia Earle, gathered in the main hall for the ceremony, which was emceed by Mission Blue Executive Director — and cartoonist behind Sherman’s Lagoon — Jim Toomey. Bouts of thunderous applause accented the evening as the award recipients gave their thanks and vision for the future.
EU Commissioner Maria Damanaki, who has been relentless in her push reform the regional fishery management councils in the Mediterranean Basin, won the Excellence in National Ocean Stewardship Award and accepted it by video. Did you know, she was elected to the Greek Parliament at the age of 25, the youngest parliamentarian ever in that country?…