CHOW 2013 Summary

Posted on June 18, 2013 by admin

Below are written summaries for each of the panels held during CHOW 2013 this year.
Written by our summer interns: Caroline Coogan, Scot Hoke, Subin Nepal and Paula Senff 

Summary of Keynote Address

Superstorm Sandy clearly showed the importance of resilience as well as of sequestration.  In its line of annual symposiums, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation wants to look at the issue of ocean conservation in a broad way involving stakeholders and experts from different fields. Continue reading →

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Ocean-Related Impacts of Climate Change on Human and National Security

Posted on June 10, 2013 by admin

By Robin Peach, Executive Director of the Collaborative Institute for Oceans, Climate and Security at the McCormack Graduate School at UMass Boston
This blog can be found on the Boston Globe’s Podium for the next month. 

Many of the threats to our coastal communities from climate change are well-known. They range from personal danger and massive inconvenience (Superstorm Sandy) to perilous changes in global relations as some nations lose secure food sources and energy, and entire communities are displaced. Many of the responses needed to mitigate these challenges are also well known. Continue reading →

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World Oceans Day

Posted on June 7, 2013 by SMartin

By Mark J. Spalding, President, The Ocean Foundation

Today, I wanted to share a little about some of TOF’s work to help the ocean and raise awareness about its role in our lives: Continue reading →

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Wake Up! We are talking Whales!

Posted on June 3, 2013 by admin

By Angel Braestrup, Chair of the Board of Advisors of The Ocean Foundation

June 1st was Whale Day.  A day to honor these magnificent creatures who roam all of the world’s oceans—which have their day on June 8th.whale

Continue reading →

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Deep Sea Mining – The Pacific Experiment

Posted on May 31, 2013 by admin

By Helen Rosenbaum and Natalie Lowrey

Canadian mining company Nautilus Minerals Inc. has staked its reputation on bringing off the world’s first deep sea mining (DSM) operation. The Bismarck Sea in Papua New Guinea has been marked out as the testing ground for this unprecedented technology. Many other companies − from Japan, China, Korea, the UK, Canada, USA, Germany and the Russian Federation − are waiting to see if Nautilus can successfully bring metals from sea floor to smelter before taking the plunge themselves.  They have already taken out exploration licences covering over 1.5 million square kilometres of the Pacific sea floor. In addition, exploration licences now also cover vast areas of the Atlantic and Indian Ocean sea floors. Continue reading →

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A Day in the Delta

Posted on May 21, 2013 by admin

By Mark J. Spalding, President, The Ocean Foundation
A version of this blog originally appeared in National Geographic’s  Ocean Views.

One recent Monday, I got to spend the day doing something outside, not in a conference room, not in my office, just out in one of North America’s great natural wonders.   My day began at 7, when the Executive Director of the Mobile Botanical Gardens, Bill Finch (who is also a Senior Fellow with us at The Ocean Foundation) picked me up at my hotel in Mobile, Alabama.  With John Adornato, head of the Sun Coast region of the National Parks Conservation Association, we headed out to the Brookleigh Aeroplex to meet Skip Tonsmeire, a volunteer pilot with SouthWings. Continue reading →

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In Honor of Mother’s Day

Posted on May 11, 2013 by admin

By Mark J. Spalding, President, The Ocean Foundation

On a recent trip to Maine, I had the opportunity to visit two exhibits at Bowdoin College’s Peary-McMillan Arctic museum. One was called Spirits of Land, Air, and Water:  Antler Carvings from the Robert and Judith Toll Collection, and the other was called Animal Allies:  Inuit Views of the Northern World.  The Inuit carvings and prints on display are extraordinary.  Artifacts and inspiring text within the exhibit, as well as photographs by Bill Hess support the elegant displays. Continue reading →

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After the Storm: What Next?

Posted on May 3, 2013 by admin

By Mark J. Spalding, President, The Ocean Foundation
A version of this blog originally appeared on National Geographic’s Ocean Views 

One recent weekend, I drove north from Washington with some trepidation.  It had been a beautiful October day the last time I headed to Long Beach, New York, across Staten Island and on by the Rockaways.  Then, I was excited about seeing our colleagues in the Surfrider International community who were gathering for their annual meeting.  Our hotel and gracious host, the Allegria, opened right onto the boardwalk and we watched hundreds of people jog, stroll, and ride by on their bikes, enjoying the ocean.

Continue reading →

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3rd Anniversary of the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Posted on April 23, 2013 by admin

By Cynthia Sarthou, Executive Director, Gulf Restoration Network and
Bethany Kraft, Director, Gulf Restoration Program, Ocean Conservancy

The BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster severely impacted portions of the Gulf ecosystem along with the region’s economies and communities. That damage, however, occurred against a backdrop of decades-long challenges ranging from loss and degradation of wetlands and barrier islands along the coast to formation of “dead zones” in the Northern Gulf to overfishing and lost fisheries production, not to mention damage from severe and more frequent hurricanes..  The BP disaster triggered a national call to action to go beyond the impacts of the blowout and address the long-term degradation the region has suffered. Continue reading →

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Happy Earth Day!

Posted on April 19, 2013 by admin

By Mark J. Spalding, President, The Ocean Foundation
Earth Day is Monday, April 22nd 

Earlier this month, I came home excited about what I had seen and heard at the CGBD Marine Conservation Program Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon.  Over three days, we heard from a lot of terrific people and had the opportunity to talk to a number of colleagues who also invest in those who work so hard to defend our oceans. The theme was ”Vibrant Communities and Cool Oceans Along the Pacific Rim: A Look at Successful Conservation Projects that use Innovative Solutions to Change the World.”

So where did those Innovative Solutions come from? Continue reading →

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