April 2013 - Page 2 of 3 - Mission Blue

Monthly Archives: April 2013

What is the True Value of the Ocean?

Today we bring you a new video, called “The True Value of Our Oceans” as part of the “Two Minutes on Oceans with Jim Toomey” ocean video series. The video is a collaboration between The United Nations Environment Programme’s Regional Office for North America (UNEP RONA) and Mission Blue Executive Director, Jim Toomey, who is also one of North America’s premier syndicated cartoonists and whose comic strip Sherman’s Lagoon entertains and educates readers  about ocean issues every week.
The video, “Two Minutes on Oceans with Jim Toomey” is part of a series that was launched in June of 2012.  Using animation and humor, the videos provide, in clear and simple language, information about cutting-edge science and policies governing our ocean, the importance of the ocean to human well-being and the challenges facing our environment.…

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Photo of the Day ~ Australian Flatback Sea Turtles Protected

We just received some amazing news – A hope story from Australia! After years of hard work, one of the most pristine areas on the planet and it’s critters have won protection!
So today we will take a minute to raise a glass to everyone who worked on the Kimberly project as we look forward to a better future where common sense and good science guides energy policy and development! ~ Ed.
Mission Blue partners at SeaTurtles.org have succeeded in helping Australian activists to win a major victory in the fight to save sea turtles on the pristine Kimberley coast from a massive natural gas plant!
After three years of non-stop opposition from around the world, late last week oil giant Woodside Petroleum scrapped its controversial and unpopular Browse Basin natural gas refinery at James Price Point near the town of Broome in Northwest Australia.…

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70,000 Citizens, 100 Scientists Want New England’s Waters Protected

More than a hundred prominent scientists are urging federal officials to prevent the return of damaging, bottom trawl fishing to waters that have protected fish habitat and spawning areas in New England for nearly two decades.
Some five thousand square miles of protected seabed—an area equal to the size of Connecticut—could be at risk under the proposal that officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s fisheries service are now considering. The scientists warn that such a move would likely “damage the marine ecosystem upon which all of our fisheries and other sectors in the coastal economy totally depend.”

These closed areas were put in place following the collapse of fish populations in the 1990s and protect juvenile fish, spawning areas and seafloor habitat.…

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Take a Cue from the Clownfish and Make a Difference

Intensely orange and aggressive to intruders, the clownfish lives upon the sea anemone, whose otherwise deadly sting has no effect on the clownfish thanks to a slimy mucus on its body. In a clever symbiotic ruse, the clownfish swims away from the anemone, attracts a hungry predator, lures it back to the anemone, who stuns and kills it. The anemone and the clownfish then feast on this predator-turned-prey. High fives all around. Clownfish are peculiar in that they adhere to a strict hierarchy of dominance. The largest and most aggressive female is found at the top. As many other fish, the female lays eggs — usually on flat surfaces close to their host anemone — and males fertilize them. Gender, however, is a slippery subject with clownfish, since they are what’s known as sequential hermaphrodites, meaning they first develop into males and then mature into females.…

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Photo of the Day ~ Shards of Turquoise Ice on Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal, in the southern part of eastern Siberia, is an incredible natural wonder of the world that one can only hope to visit at least once in their lifetime. Mission Blue founder Sylvia Earle had the opportunity to dive there with James Cameron in a Russian Academy of Science sub in August of 2010. It’s not just the oldest freshwater lake on Earth, at 20 to 25 million years old, it’s also one of the largest and deepest, holding an astounding one-fifth of the world’s freshwater.
The images from this March are astounding! Photo (c) Jeffersons Opinion
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/10MkgSY…

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Bay Area Teens Moonlight as Marine Photographers

This past weekend in San Francisco a group of 20 students from San Francisco’s Downtown High School and Stockton Collegiate International Secondary School in Stockton learned to use photography to document their journey from the Delta to the San Francisco Bay, learning about environmental issues related to the students’ water supply and the ocean, during a National Geographic Photo Camp. The project is a collaboration between National Geographic Mission Programs, Full Circle Fund, Restore the Delta and America’s Cup Healthy Ocean Project.
NGS Lead Instructor Kip Evans commented, “We spent four incredible days with these teens and I hope that we inspired them to use their cameras as a way to experience and see the world around them in a new way.”…

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‘I am Eco-Warrior’ Mini-Series ~ Sylvia Earle

Roger Moenks is a celebrity and fashion photographer who has called New York City home for almost 20 years. In his ‘I am Eco-Warrior’ Video mini-series, he highlights the life’s work of individuals, from Ted Turner to Richard Branson and Sylvia Earle, who are working to protect the environment and save the planet.
In his 2012 book, ‘I Am Eco-Warrior,’ in-depth interviews reveal the stories of people who inspire and lead the world in the areas of environmentalism and corporate sustainability. Moenks hopes that by featuring these inspirational figures, he will encourage all of us to play a greater role in creating a better, more sustainable planet.

Sylvia Earle – i am eco warrior by Roger Moenks from Roger Moenks on Vimeo.…

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Photo of the Day ~ Giant Gorgonian

Thanks to our Mission Blue partners at Marine Conservation Institute for this photo of the day! “Size does matter, if you’re a Gorgonian coral.” Two of their Board members spotted this 5.7m (18 feet and 8 inches to some of us) tall coral in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands! The diver image has been added for scale. More details here: goo.gl/jkQVI…

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Swedish Filmmakers expose unseen threats in Baltic Sea

Today we’d like to introduce and welcome our new Mission Blue partner, Leofilm. It’s headed up by award winning Swedish filmmakers Joakim Odelberg and Emma Watson, who are dedicated to educating others about ocean health issues, especially the issue of ghost nets. In this, our third story featuring Mission Blue partners involved in the ghost net issue, we’ll learn that not only do Joakim and Emma make the films, but they are also committed to working with fishermen and stakeholders towards a solution to the problem – called the second worst crisis in the largely landlocked Baltic Sea next to chemical dumping.
“From the late 50’s when we began to use synthetic material in nets and other fishing gear, 62,000 miles of nets have been put out to sea in the Baltic – and many of them have been lost. …

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Photographer Chris Rainier at Explorers Club – April 8

National Geographic photographer Chris Rainier, speaks at the Explorers Club in New York on April 8th. ~ ed.
Exploring the mysteries of indigenous cultures–cultures that stand on a precarious edge of a primeval yesterday and a potentially tumultuous tomorrow–is a mission that Chris Rainier was born to. As a National Geographic photographer, photojournalist, and storyteller, Rainier travels to 14 or more countries each year. And unlike other globe-trotting photographers, Rainier’s travel often involve slogging through waist-deep mud, trekking through leech-infested forests, battling malaria, eating everything from insect larvae to bats, sleeping in tree houses, and, sometimes, watching thousands of dollars of camera gear sink to the bottom of a river when a canoe tips over.

After years of shooting in places on the map that are marked with a designation, “no data available,” it stands to reason that Rainier would have one or two favorite images.…

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