May 2011 - Mission Blue

Monthly Archives: May 2011

Traditions of Pacific NW Coastal Native Marine Management and Concerns for the Future

Nancy Turner and Kyle Clifton

The closing plenary talk at the International Marine Conservation Congress was devoted to Pacific Northwest Coastal Native traditions of marine management and concerns about preserving the marine environment. The talk “Traditional Ecological Knowledge Systems of Coastal First Peoples” was co-presented by Nancy Turner, of the University of Victoria School of Environmental Studies, and Kyle Clifton, the Marine Use Planning Coordinator for the Gitaga’at First Nation, whose lands are on the Canadian mainland due east of the Gwaii Haanas Reserve on Haida Gwaii Island north of Vancouver Island.
Nancy Turner cited a definition of traditional knowledge as “A cumulative body of knowledge, practices and beliefs, evolving by adaptive process and handed down through generations by cultural transmission” (Berkes, 2008).…

Posted in clam gardens, IMCC2, Kyle Clifton, Nancy Turner, Phil McGillivary, TEK |

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Dr. Earle Inspires Smith College Graduates

Dr. Earle was presented with yet another Honorary Doctorate of Science before delivering a moving commencement speech to the 133rd graduating class at Smith College.
“You have managed, somehow,” she said, “to come along at what may be the most important time in all of history — if what you have in mind is making a difference for the future of the world.” A self-professed ‘hope-a-holic’, Sylvia took those present on a magic carpet ride filled with hope, while at the same time painting a clear picture of the state of our troubled ocean planet, as only she can.
“And you, lucky you, are here to fly the aircraft, write the songs, dive the subs, find the cures, run the companies, lead this country, lead this world to a better, more prosperous future for all of life on earth — ourselves, very much included.…

Posted in Google Oceans, Ocean conservation, Smith College, Sylvia Earle Foundation |

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An interview with Sarah Frias-Torres at IMCC2

Dr. Sarah Frias-Torres sat down with Dr. Phil McGilliavry and Brendan Tougher to discuss her current research and passion for marine conservation, which focuses on marine megafauna and the need for collaborative research initiatives. She has a Schmidt Post Doctoral Fellowship with ORCA (Ocean Research and Conservation Association), in Fort Pierce, Florida and is a marine biologist, oceanographer and behavioral ecologist.

Dr. Frias-Torres discussed the need for increased protection of the marine environment during her presentation at the IMCC2. To emphasize the fact that only 1.4% of the ocean is protected, she displayed a compelling image of the earth comparing the size of MPAs to the total size of the ocean (shown on the left). The tiny speck of yellow represents MPAs and the red circle represents the target of having at least 10% of the world’s ocean in protected areas by the year 2020 as agreed by the members of the Convention on Biological Diversity.…

Posted in IMCC2, MPA, Phil McGillivary, Sarah Frias-Torres, sylvia earle |

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Large MPAs for the Arctic? Challenges & Opportunities: A discussion with Dr. Dan Laffoley

Dr. Dan Loffoley

Dr. Dan Laffoley is the Marine Vice Chair for the World Commission on Protected Areas of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN, http://www.iucn.org/). The focus of this Commission is a global partnership between park agencies and experts working together to protect the ocean. He is also the Senior Advisor for the Marine Science and Conservation Global Marine and Polar Programme at IUCN. Through his work, Dr. Laffoley has provided knowledge, innovation and leadership for new ways of conveying the importance of marine conservation to people throughout the world. To accomplish this mission, Dr. Laffoley advocates bringing science and policy initiatives together in order to communicate the threats of climate change to a broader audience. Dr.…

Posted in Dan Laffoley, IMCC2, MPA, Phil McGillivary, sylvia earle |

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A discussion about Multiple Use analysis and Marine Protected Areas with Jeff Ardron

Jeff Ardron (left) with Dr. Phil McGillivary (right)

Jeff Ardron is the Director of High Seas Program (Washington DC) for the Marine Conservation Institute an NGO that advocates for marine conservation (http://www.mcbi.org/). He is co-principal investigator on the Surveillance and Enforcement of Remote Maritime Areas report (SERMA). At day two of the IMCC2 conference he talks about the relationships between fisheries and marine protected areas (MPAs) with Dr. Phil McGillivary.
Dr. McGillivary: Where do you think issues between stakeholders and multi-use MPAs are going in the future?
Jeff Ardron: Fisheries and conservationists are coming together. Conservation advocates are starting to realize that we need some of the flexible tools that fisheries are using, such as time-space closures to address issues of ecosystem variability.…

Posted in fisheries, IMCC2, Jeff Ardron, MPA, Phil McGillivary, sylvia earle |

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‘No Blue, No Green,’ Cookies To Save the Ocean

Kern & Tessie package ‘No Blue, No Green’ cookies

“No Blue, No Green.” The words jumped out at 10-year old future marine biologist, Kern Adegeest as he watched Sylvia’s ‘Ted Wish’ talk. The Toronto resident was inspired by her dedication and love of the ocean and he felt he had to do something. “I decided to stop eating fish, like Sylvia Earle. I want to grow up and study them,” he said.

But that was just the beginning. “I just love all underwater creatures,” he said, “and there are a lot of actions being done to help animals and habitats on land, but not as many for the ocean.” So it’s natural that he’s eager to raise money for marine reserves, safe havens in the ocean where all marine creatures have the opportunity to live without harassment and
replenish themselves.…

Posted in fundraising for the ocean, marine biology, No blue no green, Sylvia Earle Foundation |

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Kroger Sets 2015 Goal for Certified Sustainable Seafood

National grocery chain Kroger (NYSE: KR) will stop selling marlin, shark and bluefin tuna – all endangered – under an agreement with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and will work with the non-profit organization to develop a strategy for responsibly-sourced wild seafood.

WWF will assist Kroger in assessing current sourcing of the company’s top 20 wild-caught seafood species in order to develop a sustainable seafood sourcing strategy. The goal is to sell only seafood from certified sources by 2015.

The grocer is pulling marlin, shark and bluefin tuna from its cases completely in an effort to preserve these over-fished species.

WWF said it will help Kroger lead the discussion with the company’s source fisheries to improve practices across the supply chain and encourage these fisheries to pursue higher sustainability standards in the trade and harvesting of seafood.…

Posted in bluefin tuna, endangered species, marlin, Shark, sustainable seafood |

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The Long and the Short of Ocean Conservation

May 5, 2011
WildAid’s Gala celebration last week in San Francisco was a rousing success for wildlife and for the ocean. WildAid’s mission is to end the illegal wildlife trade in our lifetimes by reducing demand through public awareness campaigns and providing comprehensive marine protection.
Honorees were NBA All Star and WildAid Ambassador, Yao Ming, Julie Packard, Co-founder & Executive Director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Addison Fischer, Founder and President of Planet Heritage Foundation, Inc.
Towering above Sylvia Earle at 7’6”, the tallest NBA player in the country, Yao Ming has made an important contribution by taking part in an aggressive campaign in China and elsewhere.  His work includes billboards and a moving public service announcement calling for an end to killing sharks for shark fin soup.…

Posted in shark finning, Sylvia Earle Foundation, wild aid, Yao ming |

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Commentary from the International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC) in Victoria, British Columbia

The Sylvia Earle Alliance has helped send Dr. Phil McGillivary of the US Coast Guard Pacific Area and Brendan Tougher, an Environmental Management graduate student at the University of San Francisco, to participate in and comment on the 2nd International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC2) in Victoria, British Columbia. The two ocean advocates will be immersed in meetings with managers, scientists, graduate students and native peoples who are passionate about the protection of the marine ecosystem. Over the course of the conference they will be sharing their experience with the SEAlliance community by interviewing ocean champions who are committed to improving the state of the marine ecosystem.
Making Science Matter for Conservation: Day 1 at the IMCC2

Empress Hotel, BC

Across the Juan de Fuca Strait northwest of the city of Seattle, Washington, lies Vancouver Island, and on its southern tip the city of Victoria, British Columbia.…

Posted in Butch Dick, Gwaii Haanas, IMCC2, International Marine Conservation Congress, Songhees, sylvia earle, Victoria |

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