Marine Conservation Institute at the Blue Vision Summit!

Eric Schwaab of NOAA Fisheries giving a presentation

Marine Conservation Institute’s Mike Gravitz, Rachel Keylon, and Kate Yentes spent much of this week participating in the Blue Vision Summit 4 put on by the Blue Frontier Campaign. The purpose of this summit is to bring together diverse groups and individuals from the marine conservation community to work towards improving ocean conservation and to explore new solutions to the challenges facing our ocean.


Artwork by Ryan Sobel

The summit was comprised of numerous speaker sessions, movies, art work, social gatherings and a day of lobbying on Capitol Hill. Some of the exciting people who shared their passion for the oceans at the summit included Erika Bergman, a submersible pilot, Eric Schwaab of NOAA Fisheries, the artists Claudio Garzon and Wyland, Senator Whitehouse (RI), and Representatives Markey (MA) and Farr (CA). Many of the speakers focused on the importance of instilling a love of the ocean in youth and educating them about the importance of ocean conservation.

 

The Healthy Ocean Hill Day was an exciting part of the summit in which over a hundred impassioned marine conservationists from all walks of life stormed Capitol Hill for over 100 scheduled meetings with members of Congress and their staff. During these meetings the Congress members and their staff were educated about ocean issues including the National Ocean Policy, the National Endowment for the Oceans, Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU)—piratefishing, and seafood fraud and the SAFE Seafood Act. As a result of all of the hard work, 56 Congress members signed onto a letter supporting the National Ocean Policy and numerous offices are thinking about cosponsoring either the pirate fishing bill or the SAFE Seafood Act or both.

 

Senator Schatz (HI) greeting Hill Day participants

Events like the Blue Vision Summit and efforts like the Healthy Ocean Hill Day show that the marine community can make an impact on the conservation of our living ocean. If you missed the Blue Vision Summit it isn’t too late to come out to Washington DC to show your support for the oceans. The annual Capitol Hill Oceans Week is coming up June 4-6 and is a free event open to all ocean enthusiasts.

Please join us in letting Capitol Hill know how important the oceans are to you!  Send a note to your Senator or Representative telling him or her to keep our oceans clean and healthy for all the wonderful ocean wildlife we love.

A blog to save the Earth. 13. Riley and Grampus.

Biologically, I’m no grandparent.  I’m one of these genetic end-of-the-line types cause I didn’t have my own kids.

Rather, I’m a grandparent by marriage (more than two decades of it).  While I have no genetic reason to love Riley Anne Mesnick (Jason and Molly’s baby), I love her anyway.  How powerful our ancient instincts are!

Riley and Grampus on the day after she was born (photo by Jason Mesnick).

I’m glad I’m able to share her picture with you.  I’m in that mindlessly in-love stage of just wanting to hold and look at her.

Babies exert powerful effects on people.  When I show a picture of a deep-sea coral, rockfish or  manatee, relatively few people involuntarily go “Awwwwww!”  Most people reserve those sounds for puppies, kittens, baby apes and—most of all—baby people.  Riley has me in her thrall.

Her parents are totally in her thrall too.  They’re so happy just to be around her.  And I see how wonderful my wife Irene (Jason’s mom) is with her.  All this makes me realize how powerful our biological drives are, including the drive to care for our children.  Our children are our future, even if they’re not our biological children, even if they’re not genetically close relatives.

Jason, Molly and Riley make their photographic
debut together in People (photo by Alison Dyer) 

I admit to being moved by living things that aren’t people as well.  I’m a bit less people-centered than other people.  When Irene and I watch a movie together, sometimes she’ll ask “I wonder why this character’s doing that?” but I ask “Do you hear the red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) in the background?”  (The scientific name is for you readers; I don’t usually include them in conversations with my honey!).  Or I’ll comment “From the trees in this scene, I think it’s filmed in British Columbia.”  I guess that’s a curse that infects geographical ecologists.  Of course, like my wife, I think about people’s motivations too.

Happily, it’s not either nature OR people.  Loving Riley and my other grandchildren, and loving birds and blue crabs is strongly connected.

My beautiful granddaughter needs biological diversity to have a good future.  She and her children and their children will get the oxygen they breathe, the water they drink and the food they eat from living things.

Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) grazing on mixed
seagrasses in waters near Bonaire (photo by Robert van Dam)

They’re all parts of the ecosystem that supports me, you, Sitting Bull, Joan of Arc, Hillel and the rest of us throughout history.  Kelps and sea turtles, wolf eels and wolves, bugs and bacteria keep humans alive.  Keeping them doing what they do gives me reason to live.

What a beautiful part of life Riley is!  She makes me want to make our world a better place for her.  Even if she isn’t my biological granddaughter.

Elliott Norse, Founder and Chief Scientist, Marine Conservation Institute

A blog to save the Earth 12. Happy Earth Day to you (and to Holland America Line and Seabourn)

On this day, the most important holiday of the year (Earth Day), I find myself wondering: How often do people hear about environmental organizations working with companies in ways that are really good for the Earth?  Probably not often enough.

But 3 years ago, the Marine Conservation Institute learned that the leaders of Holland America Line want to do more for the oceans.  Since then, we’ve had the pleasure of working with this major cruise ship operator.  It’s been really good for the oceans, and it’s about to get better.

My wife and I loved our 2012 trip on Holland America Line’s luxurious Maasdam, 
where I was the on-board lecturer on marine life of the Caribbean (Irene Norse photo)

Our first meeting was promising: a mutual friend invited me to meet Dan Grausz, Senior Vice President for Fleet Operations.  Dan and I found that we share a lot: insisting that our organizations “do it right,” loving the oceans and treating people in ways that show they really matter.  That’s as true in the Marine Conservation Institute’s science and policy work as it in in HAL’s and Seabourn’s cruises.  They believe, as we do, that we’ll succeed by doing what’s right for the sea by doing what’s best for people.  Healthy oceans are good for people.

We took the next steps by asking HAL to give us a tour of one of their cruise ships that dock in Seattle.  The ship was amazingly orderly, clean and attractive.  The other Marine Conservation Institute staff member and I were impressed by all the ship did even then to reduce its impact.  Like us, HAL believes that it’s good business to protect the Earth.

Showing us their commitment, Holland America Line asked us to help ensure that they serve only sustainable seafood to their guests.  It’s been a pleasure to work with their lead people as they increasingly use sustainable seafood.  That reduces their impact and sends good messages to their many thousands of guests.

Again and again, HAL and Seabourn have proven amazingly open to our guidance.  They really “get” the benefit of meeting our strict standards.  I’d love to see more businesses emulating their example.  From all we’ve seen, the people of these cruise lines not only “talk the talk” they also “walk the walk.”

In our world’s oceans, certain places have special value for marine life 
and people.  We partner with Holland America Line and Seabourn to
call attention to the oceans’ best places 
(EAN photo from the deck of the Maasdam)

Now we’re adding a new focus to our partnership with Holland America Line and Seabourn: “Saving the Ocean’s Gems.”  Together, we’ll encourage private citizens and governments to establish strong marine protected areas where Holland America Line and Seabourn cruise ships go.

If you care about the world’s corals, reef fishes and sea turtles, it’s essential to save their homes.  We’re proud to be working with HAL and Seabourn to increase the number of strong marine protected areas.

 

Here’s hoping that all our friends (people and fishes) benefit from this special cooperation we’ve developed.

So, in my somewhat-less-than-wonderful voice, today I sing: Happy Earth Day to you!  Happy Earth Day to you!

Elliott Norse, Founder and Chief Scientist, Marine Conservation Institute