The Largest Protected Place on the Planet
Ocean Doctor president, Dr. David E. Guggenheim, spoke to CNN International about President Obama’s creation of “the largest ecologically protected area on the planet” as described by the Washington Post, when he expanded the Papah?naumoku?kea Marine National Monument in Hawaii to encompass more than half a million square miles. Interestingly, President Obama and his predecessor, President George W. Bush, who established the monument, share this important legacy. See the interview here.
ANNOUNCEMENT: Travel with Ocean Doctor to Cuba’s Gardens of the Queen!
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Legal Educational Travel to Cuba for U.S. Citizens & Residents
For 13 years I have felt deeply privileged to spend much of my time in Cuba, working on research and conservation projects with some of the most incredible people I’ve ever met, among the most spectacularly healthy reefs I have ever beheld. One region in particular, Cuba’s Gardens of the Queen, is so staggeringly pristine and healthy – in stark contrast to many of the other coral reef ecosystems around the world – that the region was recently featured on an award-winning segment of the CBS news program, 60 Minutes, hosted by Anderson Cooper.
In a world where many of the ocean’s corals and fish populations are in decline, the marine life of Cuba’s Gardens of the Queen – the largest no-take marine reserve in the Caribbean – is thriving. The massive and strikingly beautiful Gardens of the Queen National Park is located 60 miles off the southern coast of Cuba, an archipelago comprising a chain of 250 virgin coral and mangrove islands extending along 75 miles of turquoise waters.
Due to the U.S. economic embargo against Cuba, it has been virtually impossible for Americans to legally visit Cuba and the Gardens of the Queen for more than 50 years.
Action Alert: Grand Canyons of the Bering Sea
Protect the Bering Sea’s Grand Canyons
Background
In 2007, Greenpeace launched a groundbreaking expedition to explore the two largest underwater canyons in the world, in the heart of the Bering Sea. It was the first time manned submersibles ever entered these canyons and human eyes gazed directly upon their treasures. Ocean Doctor president, Dr. David E. Guggenheim served as a sub pilot and scientific consultant during the 2007 expedition. The expedition revealed an extraordinary tapestry of life thousands of feet below the surface, including beautiful, brightly-colored deepwater corals, sponges, anemones, octopus and fish and resulted the discovery of new species and species ranges. Read more
Open-Ocean Aquaculture Would Harm the Gulf of Mexico
Statement of Recirculating Farms Coalition Executive Director, Marianne Cufone
New Orleans, LA, February 8, 2013 – Today, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council – the body that advises the National Marine Fisheries Service on fish and fishing in the Gulf – voted to push forward regulations that would permit industrial fish farming in the Gulf of Mexico. The Council did so in violation of a number of procedural laws, as well as in direct conflict with the members’ oath of office to conserve and manage the marine resources of the Gulf of Mexico for the benefit of the nation. Open water fish farming is well documented to be highly problematic for both people and our planet. Read more
Action Alert: Stop Offshore Factory Fish Farming in the Gulf of Mexico
Stop Offshore Factory Fish Farming in the Gulf of Mexico
Background
The Gulf of Mexico has been battered by hurricanes, covered in oil and then sprayed above and below with chemicals in an effort to mask the terrible effects of the spill. Now, the Gulf faces another serious threat that can harm the rest of our ocean waters, marine wildlife and people too. Read more
Action Alert: Protect Alaska’s Waters from Cruise Ship Dumping
Please Take 5 Minutes to Protect Alaska’s Waters from Cruise Ship Dumping
Background
Cruise ships are floating cities that produce and discharge large volumes of sewage and other harmful wastes. In 2006, Alaska voters passed a statewide ballot initiative requiring cruise ships to reduce their pollution dumping in Alaskan waters (i.e., from the shoreline out to 3 miles). In response, cruise ship lobbyists pushed through legislation in 2009 to establish an industry-dominated “Science Panel,” which immediately set out gathering information to weaken the 2006 citizen initiative (industry lobbyists excluded the most knowledgeable public interest voice in Alaska from the panel because they did not want any opposition to their pollution rollback plans). Read more
Great Whales Still Face Grave Threats
by Gershon Cohen, Ph.D. — Co-Director, Great Whale Conservancy
A magnificent Blue Whale fluke (Image courtesy of Michael Fishbach, Great Whale Conservancy)
The Great Whales need our help. They face multiple threats today in many parts of the world: “scientific whaling,” ship strikes, habitat encroachment, decreasing food supplies, ocean acidification, etc.; it is up to us to take on these threats and do what we can to protect these magnificent, sentient beings.
The Great Whale Conservancy was created in 2010 to answer this call, and the first problem we are focusing on is the ship strike issue that plagues whales in oceans around the planet –where great whales and cargo ships, oil tankers, and cruise ships try to occupy the same place at the same time. The whales have no choice: they need to follow their food and consumes tons of protein every day to survive. The ships have a choice: they can adjust their transits to minimize the time they spend in Great Whale habitat. Read more
A Small Gift as a Token of Our Appreciation
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