December 2016 - Mission Blue

Monthly Archives: December 2016

Experience the Underwater World with Scubashooters

We are proud to partner with Scubashooters!

By: Marino Palla, Scubashooters

Underwater photographers are passionate lovers of the sea. They have the power to capture moments and in the process create change. This in turn gives them the ability to raise awareness, showcase the beauty, document the health and well-being of our ocean environment.  Many have the skill, desire and talent to capture creative, inspiring and thought-provoking imagery.  Many will go to great lengths, travel to remote locations and spend a great deal of their time and income pursuing their passion.

 
Our seas are in big danger and the survival of many marine species are in jeopardy. Much of this can be attributed to unsustainable fishing practices. Years ago many countries had fish free diets.…

Posted in .Homepage, Featured, Partner Stories |

Leave a comment

Saving the Ocean’s Gentle Giants

We are proud to partner with Kerstin Forsberg- 2016 Rolex Award Recipient! 
With their seven-metre wingspans, giant manta rays are a captivating sight as they glide through the water. “They are just majestic,” says Lima-based conservation biologist Kerstin Forsberg of the iconic species she became determined to protect after discovering the extent of their vulnerability.
 
The tropical marine ecosystems in northern Peru support the country’s greatest marine biodiversity, giving life to more than 500 marine species. Taking advantage of the nutrient-rich waters is one of the world’s largest regional populations of giant mantas (Manta birostris), estimated to number over 650.
 
Giant mantas, which are plankton filterers, are classified as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with an “elevated risk of extinction”.…

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

Leave a comment

Citizen Science Supports Protection in the Moreton Bay Hope Spot

By: Shilpi Chhotray, Mission Blue Communications Strategist 

Citizen Science Supports Protection in the Moreton Bay Hope Spot
“The citizen scientists in the Moreton Bay Hope Spot are living proof that the ocean is a big blue magnet that unites people who care. Their important work is benefitting the human and aquatic inhabitants of greater Brisbane by making a strong case for continued protection of this Hope Spot. Thank you to the citizens of Moreton Bay for collaborating and contributing data in the effort to protect and restore the blue heart of the planet. You are great cause for hope!” – Dr. Sylvia Earle
The Moreton Bay community is a model example of how robust citizen science programs help ignite support and ongoing passion for marine protected areas.…

Posted in .Homepage, Featured, Partner Stories, Uncategorized |

1 Comment

Letter to FedEx: Stop Shipping Shark Fins!

To:  Fred Smith, CEO, FedEx <>
CC: Carmine Echols, Assistant to the CEO <>
CC: Melissa Charbonneau, Director of Communications, FedEx <>
CC: David Cunningham, President, FedEx Asia Pacific <>

3875 Airways, Module H3
Department 4634
Memphis, TN38116

Dear Mr. Smith,
We are writing to inform you that we can no longer patronize FedEx, as we have done exclusively for the last 5 years, due to FedEx’s unfortunate policy that allows for the shipment of shark fins. As you may know, shark populations have been drastically depleted worldwide due to the legal and illegal shark fin trade. We believe that each individual and organization on the planet has a responsibility to do whatever is in their power to end this barbaric and senseless killing of one of the most ancient animals on Earth.…

Posted in .Homepage, Featured, mission blue |

40 Comments

The Cayman Islands: A Haven for Sharks & Rays

George Town Harbour, Grand Cayman is one of Mission Blue’s 14 new Hope Spots!
By: Laura Butz

The Cayman Islands has built its name and reputation primarily on being a renowned diving destination.  Pioneers in our local diving community over the last few decades contributed to building our diving industry into the premier operation that it is today.  They recognized the exquisite beauty our underwater landscape had to offer and have since then made it accessible for locals and tourists to recreationally experience and explore the beauty that lies below the surface for themselves.  With a desire to showcase our natural resources comes with a commitment to preserve them.  Our duty towards conservation for both land and the ocean is beneficial not just from an environmental perspective but also an economic one. …

Posted in .Homepage, Featured, mission blue |

Leave a comment

The Marvels of the Underwater World in South Africa

Mission Blue is proud to partner with Geo Cloete!
By: Geo Cloete, Artist

The ocean already beckoned me to spend my life with it long before I saw it for the first time. I was born miles away from the nearest coast. Yet deep in inside me, I knew that my life’s calling was linked to the ocean, and so I followed the long and winding road to where it meets the blue yonder.
I remember the day I arrived at the ocean crystal clear; paddling out, the sense of having arrived at home, was overwhelming. And when the ocean wrapped its arms around me, with a perfect wave, I knew that I was not only home… but I had also been warmly received.…

Posted in .Homepage, Featured, Partner Stories |

2 Comments

A Hope For The Sea Around Cyprus

Mission Blue is proud to partner with SeaCyprus!
By: Andreas Christofi

There are several problems impinging on the marine environment of Cyprus. Some of which truly destroy the marine life of the island. The major challenges the island deals with are the unregulated fishing activities, lack of awareness and near zero monitoring of the crucial marine habitats and species. Furthermore, while most European countries prohibit the activity of bottom trawling, in Cyprus, this activity is allowed within the territorial waters of the island.
In order to put an end to these activities that will eventually lead to a massive catastrophe of the island’s marine environment, SeaCyprus has decided to take responsibility and take immediate action.
SeaCyprus’s aim is to monitor and protect the endangered marine species and habitats and to further understand their distribution and location around the island.…

Posted in .Homepage, Featured, Partner Stories |

2 Comments

Now more than ever we need you on board with Mission Blue!

 
 

 

 

This post is re-blogged from our newsletter. You can find the original here.

Under the leadership of Dr. Sylvia Earle, 2016 has been a banner year for ocean conservation and Hope Spots. Mission Blue inspired half a billion people this year to better understand and care about the big blue. We completed expeditions to Hope Spots around the planet and collaborated with policy makers, scientists and youth at events across the globe such as the IUCN World Conservation Congress, COP22, the International Coral Reef Symposium, the BLUE Ocean Film Festival and EarthDayTX as well as many others. Dr. Earle personally visited dozens of countries to spread a message of hope. Thanks to these efforts and those of so many other passionate individuals, the world is changing.…

Posted in .Homepage, Featured |

Leave a comment

Pressure Mounts to Save the Cayman Islands Hope Spot

By: Shilpi Chhotray, Mission Blue Communications Strategist 

For the residents of George Town Harbour, observing mammoth cruise ships pass through their glimmering turquoise backyard is not uncommon. From 2000, the small island nation of Grand Cayman has received an influx of tourists from the cruise industry, with a around one million visitors entering the island yearly. By 2015, this number increased to 1.7 million and residents anticipate upwards of 2 million visitors in the coming year.
Recently, the greater George Town Harbour area was selected as one of 14 new Hope Spots around the globe.
Mission Blue’s Founder, legendary Oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle visited the Cayman Islands to see the Hope Spot first-hand. In a recent press release, Dr. Earle stated: “May the George Town Harbour Hope Spot serve as an example to the world, encouraging people to take responsibility and ownership of their environment.…

Posted in .Homepage, Featured, Partner Stories |

2 Comments

We've Updated Our Privacy Policy

Read our new privacy policy here.