Did you know that in the last 18 months more than 1.5 million square miles of ocean have been fully protected? That’s 62% of the fully protected areas that exist on the planet. Take, for example, New Zealand’s Kermadec Trench. As of this year, this Mission Blue Hope Spot now contains a full 239,000 square miles of marine reserve. The fascinating critters in this deep, unexplored region are surely dancing a salty jig! Friends, the global call for marine protected areas – Hope Spots! – is bearing fruit. Every new square mile of ocean that gains protection is the work of many organizations, governments and passionate individuals. We are so proud to be part of this chorus for the blue planet.…

Chesapeake Bay is fished by industrial fishing boats that hoover up billions of menhaden into their holds and transport them to a local facility where they are ground up for applications such as fertilizer, dog food and omega-3 fish oil supplements. This is known as the menhaden reduction industry, and it accounts for 80% of the menhaden catch in the Atlantic. The health benefits claimed by fish oil companies are not supported by research. Omega Protein (NYSE: OME), a company based out of Houston, dominates the menhaden reduction industry, taking the majority of the Atlantic Menhaden catch and operating the only processing facility on the East Coast, which is located in Reedville, Virginia. If you’re thinking there may be some environmental collateral damage from the industrial fishing of menhaden, you are right. …

Mission Blue is excited to announce our new partnership with Project Moken—an international organization founded by a creative team of filmmakers and designers to inspire and generate enthusiasm about the Moken sea nomads of Myanmar’s Mergui Archipelago. The Moken have lived as stateless, indigenous sea nomads in the waters off Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand for almost 4,000 years. They are the very last people who still see the ocean as a place to live their entire lives. The Moken are known for their incredible free-diving capabilities, and historically lived full-time in their traditional boats called kabang. The Moken are Earth’s last marine nomads with a culture that focuses on sustainable interaction with all marine environments, and have survived this way since the Stone Age.…

By Courtney Mattison Negotiations at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris are culminating as ministers from nearly 200 countries work tirelessly to finalize an agreement that will influence the future of life on Earth. These high-level meetings on strategies to curb greenhouse gas emissions and enable poor countries to adapt to the impacts of global warming are occurring amid a profusion of public events that has sprung up throughout Paris aimed at inspiring decision makers to act urgently and comprehensively to craft an agreement strict enough to drastically limit the harmful effects of climate change and ratchet up those commitments over time. Among the world-renowned environmental advocates in attendance is Mission Blue founder and National Geographic Society Explorer-in-Residence Dr.…

Mission Blue is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Biosphere Foundation! Here’s a word from them on their collaborative work to conserve coral reefs around Indonesia’s Menjangan Island in the Coral Triangle Hope Spot. Menjangan Island lies off Bali’s northwest shore and is sacred with four Hindu temples and a statue of Ganesha, the god of new beginnings.  People come from all over Bali on holy days to make offerings and prayers at the temples. Its fringing coral reef is unusual, almost a diversity anomaly for the region, with a wealth of hard corals, sea fans and soft corals. Photo courtesy Biosphere Foundation On paper, the reefs are protected since they lie within Bali Barat National Park (BBNP), but in actuality, they are suffering from an array of negative impacts, such as anchor damage, over-fishing, trash, and climate change.…

Mission Blue founder and National Geographic Society Explorer-in-Residence Dr. Sylvia Earle visited the Petit Palais in Paris on Monday, presenting alongside legendary primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall about their message of hope for the planet and the launch of their new map created by Esri called the Tapestry of Hope. Together with a coalition of other experts, advocates, and CEOs, Drs. Earle and Goodall are participating in “Earth to Paris—Le Hub”— a high impact, global, multilingual event held during the COP21 summit to discuss creative and impactful climate solutions to inspire bold, meaningful action for people and the planet. Watch the video of the Earth to Paris event below. Drs. Earle and Goodall go on stage at 01:09:26. Find the full lineup of presenters and the video in other languages at www.earthtoparis.org/event.  …

The COP21 climate negotiations in Paris are rallying people around the globe to help solve global warming and adapt to its impacts. Among the world leaders gathering in Paris, however, there is a notable absence: former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed is behind bars, being held as a political prisoner by his own country. World-famous as the Island President, Nasheed had a profound impact on the COP15 conference in Copenhagen six years ago, during which he represented island nations threatened by sea level rise as an ambassador for the Climate Vulnerable Forum. On November 30th author, climate activist and 350.org founder Bill McKibben called Nasheed a true climate leader in the Guardian: Six years ago today [Nasheed] was the first head of state to arrive, and he went straight from the airport to a packed meeting hall where he led a giant crowd in chant after chant.…

Dr. Sylvia Earle, the world’s leading oceanographer, Mission Blue founder/chairman and National Geographic Explorer in Residence, has confirmed her attendance at the COP21 climate talks in Paris. The objective of Dr. Earle’s visit is to inject ocean conservation issues into the climate debate; the ocean isn’t officially on the agenda of COP21 this year, even though it is the planet’s primary driver of climate, weather and chemistry. Dr. Earle will join world-renowned primatologist and environmentalist, Dr. Jane Goodall, on December 7th from 10:30AM to 11:00AM for a “Tapestry of Hope” conversation event with the UN Foundation at Le Petit Palais (Avenue Winston Churchill, 75008 Paris, France). The two legendary female scientists will discuss efforts to abate climate change both on land, as part of Dr.…

Did you know that in the last 18 months more than 1.5 million square miles of ocean have been fully protected? That’s 62% of the fully protected areas that exist on the planet. Take, for example, New Zealand’s Kermadec Trench. As of this year, this Mission Blue Hope Spot now contains a full 239,000 square miles of marine reserve. The fascinating critters in this deep, unexplored region are surely dancing a salty jig! Friends, the global call for marine protected areas – Hope Spots! – is bearing fruit. Every new square mile of ocean that gains protection is the work of many organizations, governments and passionate individuals. We are so proud to be part of this chorus for the blue planet.…

Here is a word from our partners at Reef Explorer Fiji, Ltd. who are doing amazing work to replenish and maintain reefs along Fiji’s Coral Coast. Coral reef ecosystems and the diversity and abundance of animals and plants they support have been an integral part of the way of life and survival of island communities since time immemorial. Though they cover only around one tenth of one percent of the surface area of the ocean, coral reefs are jewels of the tropical seas that sustain more than 25 percent of all known marine species. Globally, coral reefs contribute over US$375 billion each year in ecosystem services. The coral reef ecosystem encompassed by the Fiji Islands is one of the most extensive in the world.…