May 2016 - Mission Blue

Monthly Archives: May 2016

Jean-Michel Cousteau Receives France’s Highest Honor for his Ocean Conservation Work

Mission Blue and Dr. Sylvia Earle’s dear friend Jean-Michel Cousteau, the President of the Ocean Futures Society and son of legendary ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, was recently awarded the Légion d’Honneur by President Francoise Hollande of France on May 11th. The Order of Légion d’Honneur is the highest decoration in France and impressively Cousteau received the highest of 5 possible degrees of this award, the Chevalier (Knight).

In accepting the award, Cousteau shared sentiments that Dr. Sylvia Earle often highlights. He said, “If we are to protect our ocean home and create a better future for us now, and for generations to come, we must continue to raise our voices together. This immense honor is for all of us. When you protect the ocean, you protect yourself.”…

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Our Final Chance to Keep Maui’s and Hector’s Dolphins From Imminent Extinction

From Mission Blue partner NABU International which has launched the Hector’s and Maui’s Dolphin SOS campaign.

Maui’s and Hector’s dolphins are the smallest and rarest marine dolphins on Earth and live only in New Zealand. Maui’s dolphins have declined from an estimated 1,800 in the 1970s to less than 50 today as a result of fishing. The closely related Hector’s dolphin is also threatened, with several populations numbering fewer than 100 individuals. Maui’s dolphins have become so rare that the death of more than a single individual every ten to 23 years will result in extinction. Yet between three and four Maui’s dolphins die in fishing nets each year.

The  NZ fishing industry, rather than a specific fishery, is the focus of the Hector’s and Maui’s Dolphin SOS consumer campaign.…

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The Ocean Is For Everyone!

During the recent Hope Spot expedition to the Gulf of California, Dr. Sylvia Earle and the Mission Blue team were deeply honored to accompany three disabled divers into the vibrant waters of Cabo Pulmo Marine Reserve. The experience was made possible thanks to Eduardo Martinez, director of Fundacion Teleton BCS, and David Castro, a special friend of Mission Blue and a disabled diver instructor who runs Cabo Pulmo Divers. The disabled divers — Fausto, Roberto and Salma — were a delight to dive with and received Dr. Sylvia Earle’s words of deep admiration for their courage. Check out this Mission Blue exclusive video to see Fausto, Roberto and Salma in action — proof that the ocean is for everyone!…

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Future 500 + Mission Blue Unite To Preserve Oceans

At Future 500, stakeholder engagement is a fundamental belief and the key to our success. Our mission is to engage and align diverse stakeholders in multiple sectors to achieve systemic solutions to urgent global issues—including major threats to our oceans and coasts.
Want to learn more about stakeholder engagement? Check out our animated video below:

Did you know 5-14 million tons of plastic enter our ocean each year from land-based sources? By 2025, for every three tons of finfish swimming in the ocean, there could be one ton of plastic in marine waters as well. Our team of social responsibility advocates work with brands, retailers and NGOs alike on one of the greatest challenges facing our ocean— plastic pollution.
Through this work, we’ve engaged over 200 stakeholders on this issue.…

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Dive into the Underwater World of Coral Reefs with the New Coral Reef Ecology Curriculum

Mission Blue is proud to announce a partnership with the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation to bring marine science education to students around the world through the Foundation’s new Coral Reef Ecology Curriculum. This custom-built online platform contains educational videos, interactive exercises and games designed to educate people about life on coral reefs. It is free to anyone with an internet connection. Try it now to be one of the first people to get full access to this state-of-the-art educational resource.
‘Our curriculum provides an exciting opportunity for students, teachers, and the general public to explore the natural world of coral reefs’ says Amy Heemsoth, Director of Education at the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation.
The Coral Reef Ecology Curriculum uses marine science, conservation, and coral reefs as examples to teach broad themes relating to the natural world and our environment.…

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Fresh Perspectives on Aquariums and the Life Within

A response by Melanie Knight to Sylvia Earle’s Twenty-First Century Aquariums and Zoos: Windows into the Wild
SCUBA divers are lucky. They have the unique opportunity to breathe beneath the surface and see the ocean and its inhabitants at eye level.
Unfortunately, much of the world’s human population is surface-bound as they can’t swim or have health limitations, some kind of phobia or just can’t prioritize the costs.
As much as diving is the ultimate immersive experience, aquariums have long been the most accessible way to experience the ocean without getting wet. But aquariums are changing. They are no longer just for big cities with big animals.
Love at first glance
My first memory of marine life was when I went face-to-face with a sea star, in as much as it is possible to determine if a sea star even has a face.…

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21st Century Aquariums & Zoos: Windows into the wild

 
by Dr. Sylvia Earle

The first time I met a live fish face-to-face, I was fascinated with the way the little animal came to the edge of its glassed-in world (a thirty gallon home aquarium) and looked at me, meeting my eyes with apparent curiosity. I was not yet old enough to go to school, but thanks to that captive universe of water, I learned at an early age that fish have faces, beautiful eyes, amazing behaviors and—although you would never guess it if you only see fish in a can or chowder or on your plate, swimming in lemon slices and butter—every fish is a unique individual, like every cat, dog, horse and human, like all living beings. Each represents the miracle of life.…

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Voyage of Discovery

By Philippa Ross – Great, Great, Great Granddaughter to Sir James Clark Ross

My own ‘Voyage of Discovery’ was quite unlike the perilous journey my Great, Great, Great Grandfather, Sir James Clark Ross, took 175 years ago. The most dominant difference being, I knew where I was going and when I’d be back!
James was a true pioneer who sailed unchartered waters, discovering the Antarctic continent in what Amundsen described as ‘ponderous tubs’—a man who’s remembered as one of the most capable seamen the world has ever produced and a votary of science to whom Antarctic scientific exploration owes so much.
I, on the other hand, am a mere pilgrim who owes much to Heritage Expeditions for their generosity in giving me a free passage to honor my ancestor—thankfully in a vessel that was a far cry from being ponderous or tub-like!…

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