The voyages of Admiral Zheng He

Posted on February 22, 2012 by admin

Greetings from Singapore.  I am here to attend the World Oceans Summit hosted by The Economist.

On my transition day between the 21 hours of flying to get here and the start of the conference, I had lunch with author and top executive coach Alison Lester and chatted about her work, and her new book Restroom Reflections: How Communication Changes Everything (available for Kindle on Amazon).

Next, I was anxious to be off to see Singapore’s brand new Maritime Experiential Museum & Aquarium (it opened only 4 months ago).  When I arrived, I joined the queue for a admission ticket, and as I was standing in line, a man in a uniform asked who I was, were I was from, and why was I here visiting etc.  I told him, and he said come with me . . .  Next thing I know, I am being given a personal guided tour of MEMA.

The museum is built around the voyages of Admiral Zheng He in the early 1400s as well as the maritime silk route that developed between China and nations as far away as East Africa.  The museum notes that he likely was the first to discover America, but that the records were destroyed.  The museum includes models of the treasure ships, a partial full size replica, and a focus on the goods traded in the maritime silk route.  My guide points to Rhino horn and elephant tusks and notes that they are no longer traded because of animal rights groups.  Similarly, she shows me the snake charmer from India, its basket and the flute (explaining that the Cobra’s are tone deaf, and that it is the vibrations of the flute gourd that make the animal dance); but notes that the practice is now banned due to animal rights groups.  But most of the other products are wonderful to see and it is interesting to learn where they come from and how long they have been traded – spices, precious gems, silks, baskets and porcelains among many other goods.

The museum has reconstructed 9th century Omani Dhow on display inside the museum, and two other regional vessels tied up outside at the start of a historic ship harbor.  Three more are due to be brought over from Singapore (the museum is on Sentosa), and to be added soon, including a Chinese Junk.  The museum is loaded with rather clever interactive exhibits.  Most of which allow you to email your finished effort (like designing your own fabric pattern) to yourself.  It also has a typhoon experience that includes an almost 3D, 360o degree (simulated) film of an ancient Chinese cargo vessel that is lost in a Typhoon.  The entire theater moves, groans of creaking wood, and when waves break over the sides of the ship we are all sprayed with saltwater.

As we leave the theater, we walk into a well-presented gallery on underwater archeology and shipwrecks from this region.  It is amazingly well done and well explained (very good signage).  The highlight moment, which totally caught me by surprise, is that we come around a corner and another young woman is standing by a table covered with artifacts from various shipwrecks.  I am handed surgical gloves and then invited to pick up and examine each piece.  From a small hand cannon (which were in use until about 1520), to a woman’s powder box, to various pottery shards.  All the items estimated to be at least 500 years old, and a few are three times as old.  It is one thing to look at and ready about history, it is another to hold it in your hand.

The aquarium part of MEMA is scheduled to open later this year, and is going to be the biggest ever built, and will be connected to a marine park with Orca and dolphin performers (the park is also planned to be the world’s largest).  When I asked various questions about what the theme was, my guide very sincerely stated that because we in the USA have aquariums and marine parks, she thought they should too.  She was not aware of a geographic or other theme for the aquarium . . .  She was very aware that there was controversy over putting animals on display, especially if they are to be performers.  And, while some of you may disagree about whether such marine parks should exist at all, I began with the assumption that this idea was too far down the road.  So, with a lot of careful, diplomatic wording I convinced her that putting animals on display is often the only way people become familiar with ocean creatures.  In other words, those on display were ambassadors for those in the wild.  BUT, that they had to choose wisely.  Creatures needed to be those who were abundant in the wild, so that taking a few out would not prevent or hinder those remaining in the wild from reproducing and replacing themselves at a rate faster than their removal.  AND, that the captivity needed to be very humane and ensure there would be little need to continually go and harvest more display animals.

Tomorrow the meeting starts!

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One Year Later

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Mspalding

Thank you!  It is the one-year anniversary of Ocean Leadership Fund!

We have raised over $835,000 from both individuals and foundations to support one of the most important “value added” roles that The Ocean Foundation plays in ocean conservation.

The Ocean Leadership Fund allows our team to respond to urgent needs, add value beyond the dollars of our grants, and find solutions that support the health and sustainability of the world’s ocean.

To accomplish this we have divided the spending of this fund across three categories of activities:
1. Building the capacity of the marine conservation community
2. Improving ocean governance and conservation
3. Conducting research and sharing information
Within the three categories of OLF activities, here is a partial list of what we have been able to undertake in the first year:

Building Capacity
•Attended meetings, reviewed budgets and work plans, shared expertise in formal and informal presentations: Grupo Tortuguero de las Californias (President of the Board), The Science Exchange (Advisory Committee Member), EcoAlianza de Loreto (Advisory Committee Member), Alcosta (Coalition Member), and the Collaborative Institute for Oceans, Climate and Security (Advisory Board Member)
•Designed a campaign for sustainable coastal tourism development for Eco-Alianza
•Assisted in the creation and installation of a temporary exhibit on [crimes against our] Underwater Cultural Heritage at the National Museum of Crime & Punishment

Improving Ocean Governance and Conservation
•Helped organize and lead a funders’ collaborative focused on Ocean Acidification, including writing its strategic plan and budget
•Advised and collaborated with non-government organizations on High Seas and Caribbean strategies regarding whaling and Marine Mammal Protected Areas
•Advised European government representatives on presentation and content of a proposed United Nations Resolution related to marine mammals, and especially whaling on the high seas
•Further contributed to the establishment of the Agoa Marine Mammal Sanctuary; a protected marine migratory corridor from Florida to Brazil for 21 species such as Humpback whales, Sperm whales, spotted dolphin, Fraser’s dolphin, and pilot whales
•Strengthened and promoted the Western Hemisphere Migratory Species Initiative (WHMSI), especially in the marine sector
•Served as a Member of the Planning Committee for the International Sea Turtle Symposium in April 2011, which brought together over 1000 sea turtle scientists, activists, educators and others from around the world.
•While serving as Planning Chair for the Conservation Science Symposium held in Loreto in May 2011, brought together the key individuals working to study and protect the natural environment of the Baja California peninsula and Sea of Cortes.

Conducting Research and Sharing Information
•Shared information about creative and effective approaches to ocean conservation, such as carbon sequestration in marine ecosystems including sea grasses, marshes and mangroves, (known commonly as “blue carbon”), including a briefing for the US State Department, and at the Eye on the Earth Summit in Abu Dhabi
•Presented a panel on coastal economics at the 2011 Blue Vision Summit in Washington, D.C.
•Made a presentation on the intersection of governance, enforcement, and science at the 2011 Northwest Mexico Conservation Science Symposium in Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
•Presented on “travelers’ philanthropy” at the 2011 CREST Summit on Responsible Tourism (Costa Rica) and at The International Ecotourism Society’s annual meeting (South Carolina)
•Shared TOF research on sustainable aquaculture, and its integration into community economic development
•Served as peer reviewer for “Troubled Waters: How Mine Waste Dumping is Poisoning our Oceans, Rivers and Lakes”
•Wrote a chapter on “What is Successful Philanthropy?” in the Travelers’ Philanthropy Handbook, ed. Martha Honey (2011)
•Researched and wrote published articles on

- Ocean acidification and the preservation of underwater cultural heritage for the    American Society for International Law’s Cultural Heritage & Arts Review
- Ocean acidification and a review of existing legal tools to address its effects in the American Bar Association’s Joint Newsletter on International Marine Resources
- Marine spatial planning in the Environmental Law Institute’s The Environmental Forum, in E/The Environmental Magazine, and the American Planning Association’s Planning magazine

Vision for Year 2

The Ocean Leadership Fund allows us the flexibility to deploy the talents and expertise of the TOF family of staff, projects, advisors, and fellows on behalf of the oceans and the people who work so hard to defend the marine world.  As important, it allows us to reach beyond the circle of those who already understand the threats to the oceans and the potential for implementing solutions—engaging new audiences in the effort to protect the 70% of our planet.  It is these new presentations, exhibits, and articles that we were able to produce because of the Ocean Leadership Fund.

One big project under way for 2012 is a new book about the next phase of the human relationship with the sea.  We are hoping to finish researching and writing the first draft for Netherlands-based publisher, Springer.  The book is The Future of the Ocean: The next phase of our relationship with the most powerful force on earth.

We will continue to participate where we can as long as we have the resources to do so.  You can help us by clicking here.

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From the macro to the micro

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Mspalding

Last week, I was in Newport Beach, CA where we held our annual Southern California Marine Mammal Workshop, which profiles the research done in the Southern California Bight during the previous year.  This is our 3rd year of supporting this meeting (with thanks to the Pacific Life Foundation) and it is a unique meeting both in its geographic focus, and in that it is multi-disciplinary.  We are very proud of the cross pollination that has come from bringing together acousticians, genetic, biology, and behavioral scientists, as well as rescue and rehabilitation veterinary medical specialists.

This year, over 100 scientists, grad students and one fisherman registered. For some inexplicable reason each year the grad students get younger, and the professors get older.  And, once largely the province of white men, the field of marine mammal research and rescue is diversifying more each year.

This year’s meeting covered:
- Interaction between fishing fleets and marine mammals, and the need for more collaboration and communication between marine mammal researchers and fishers
- Training in the use and benefits of photo identification, and passive acoustic monitoring
- A panel on climate variability, and the ways in which it adds additional stressors for marine mammals and many new unknowns for those who study them:
+ warmer seas (affecting migrations of mammals/prey, phenological changes for prey, and increasing risk of disease),
+ sea level rise (changes in the geography affecting haul outs and rookeries),
+ souring (ocean acidification affecting the shell fish and other prey of some marine mammals), and
+ suffocation in so-called dead zones in estuaries all over the world (which also affects the abundance of prey).
- Finally, a panel on integrating data on marine mammals and their ecosystems to address the gap between environment data which is plentiful and available, and the marine mammal biology data that needs to be made more available and integrated.

The uplifting conclusion of the meeting included highlighting four positive outcomes from years 1 and 2 of this workshop:
- The creation of the California Dolphin Online Catalog
- A set of recommendations on vessel routes in California waters to reduce incidental collisions with whales and other marine mammals
- New software for faster and easier aerial observation of marine mammals
- And, a graduate student who, at last year’s workshop, met someone from Sea World who helped her obtain a sufficient quantity of samples to complete her Ph.D. research, thus moving one more person into the field.

As I headed to the airport, I carried with me the energy of those who have become enchanted with our mammals of the sea and who strive to better understand them and their role in ocean health.  From LAX, I flew to New York to learn about the conclusion and findings of researchers who are enchanted by the smallest of the sea’s diverse life.

After two years, the Tara Ocean Expedition is on its last two legs home to Europe after a few days in NYC to share the outcomes of its research.  This Tara Ocean Expedition’s framework is unique—focusing on the ocean’s smallest creatures in the context of both art and science.  Plankton (viruses, bacteria, protists and small metazoans such as copepods, jellies and fish larvae) is ubiquitous in oceans, from polar to equatorial seas, from deep sea to surface layers, and from coastal to open oceans.  Plankton biodiversity provides the base of the oceanic food web.  And, more than half of the breaths you take carry oxygen produced in the ocean into your lungs.  Phytoplankton (oceans) and land-based plants (continents) produce all of the oxygen in our atmosphere.

In its role as our largest natural carbon sink, the ocean is receiving much of the emissions from cars, ships, power plants and factories.  And, it is the phytoplankton that consumes great quantities of CO2, of which the carbon is fixed in the organisms’ tissues through photosynthesis, and the oxygen is released.  Some of the phytoplankton is then absorbed by zooplankton, the key food for tiny sea crustaceans to giant majestic whales.  Then, dead phytoplankton as well as zooplankton’s poop sink into the deep ocean where part of their carbon becomes sediment on the sea floor, sequestering that carbon for centuries.  Unfortunately, the significant accumulation of CO2 in sea water is overwhelming this system.  The excess carbon is being dissolved in the water, decreasing the pH of the water, and making it more acidic.  So we must quickly learn more about the health of and threats to our ocean’s plankton communities.  After all, our oxygen production and our carbon sink are at risk.

The main objective of the Tara expedition was to collect samples, count plankton, and to figure out how abundant they were in the many different ecosystems of the ocean, as well as which species were successful in different temperatures and seasons.  As an overarching goal, the expedition also was intended to begin to understand plankton’s sensitivity to climate change.  The samples and data were analyzed on land and organized in a coherent database that was being developed while the expedition was underway.  This new global view of the smallest creatures in our oceans is breathtaking in its scope and critical information for those who work to understand and protect our oceans.

Few expeditions expand their work when they come into port, seeing it instead as downtime.  Yet, the Tara Oceans Expedition achieves so much more because of its commitment to meeting and working with local scientists, educators and artists at every port of call.  With the goal of increasing general awareness about environmental issues, it shares scientific data for educational and policy purposes at every port of call.  This Tara Ocean Expedition had 50 ports of call.  NYC was no different.  One highlight was the standing room only public event at the Explorer’s Club.  The evening included magnificent slides and videos of the micro-marine world.  Inspired by her time on the Tara Expedition, artist Mara Haseltine unveiled her latest work—an artistic rendering of a phytoplankton that in the sea is so small that more than 10 of them could fit on your pinky nail—wrought in glass and scaled to the size of a bluefin tuna to showcase its smallest details.

It will take a while to synthesize all I have learned in these five days—but one thing stands out:  There is a rich world of scientists, activists, artists, and enthusiasts who are passionate about the ocean and the challenges before us and their efforts benefit us all.

To support The Ocean Foundation, our projects and grantees, and their work to understand and adapt to climate change, please click here.

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U.S. Fish Policy

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Mspalding

Earlier this month, I was quoted in an article in the Washington Post “U.S. tightens fishing policy, setting 2012 catch limits for all managed species” by Juliet Eilperin (page A-1, January 8th 2012).

How we manage fishing effort is a subject that occupies fishermen, fishing communities, and fishing policy advocates, and not a whole lot of other people.  It is complicated and has been steadily moving away from a philosophy of “fish for everything you can” to “let’s make sure there are fish in the future” since 1996, when it became clear that our fisheries were in trouble.  In 2006, Congress passed the reauthorization of the federal fishery management law. The law requires fishery management plans to set annual catch limits, the regional management councils to heed recommendations of scientific advisors when setting catch limits, and adds the requirement for accountability measures to ensure that objectives are met.  The requirement to end overfishing was to be met in 2 years, and so we are a little bit behind schedule.  However, the halt to overfishing of certain commercial fish is welcome nonetheless.  In fact, I am delighted at the reports from our regional fisheries councils that the “science first” provisions of the 2006 reauthorization are working.  It is about time that we limited our hunting of these wild animals to a level that allows the fish to recover.  

Now we have to ask ourselves what our fishery management goals are if what we want is an end to overfishing as well as a successful effort to end the use of indiscriminate, and habitat destroying fishing gear?

·  We need to lose our expectation that wild fish can feed even 10% of the global population

·   We need to protect the food of ocean animals who can’t just swing by McDonalds for a happy meal when their forage fish disappear

·  We need to enhance the capacity of marine species to adapt to warmer waters, changing ocean chemistry, and more intense storms, by ensuring that we have healthy populations and healthy places for them to live.

·  In addition to our new found annual catch limits, we need to have more meaningful controls on bycatch to prevent the unintentional killing and disposal of fish, crustaceans and other oceanic life that were not part of the intended catch

·  We need to protect parts of the ocean from destructive fishing gear; e.g. the spawning and nursing grounds of fish, delicate sea floor, unique unexplored habitats, corals, as well as historic, cultural and archeological sites

·  We need to identify ways in which we can raise more fish on land to reduce pressure on wild stocks and do not pollute our waterways, because aquaculture is already the source of more than half our current supply of fish

·  Finally, we need political will and appropriations for real monitoring so that the bad actors do not harm the livelihoods of the dedicated fishing communities that are concerned about the present and the future

A lot of people, some say as many as 1 in 7 (yes, that is 1 billion people), rely on fish for their protein needs, so we also need to look beyond the United States.  The U.S. is a leader in setting catch limits and moving toward sustainability at this time, but we need to work with others on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing so that we ensure that our planet does not continue to have a situation where the global capacity to fish significantly exceeds the capacity of fish to naturally reproduce.  As a result, overfishing is a global food security issue, and will even have to be addressed on the high seas where no nation has jurisdiction.

The capture and marketing of any wild animal, as food at global commercial scale, is not sustainable.  We have been unable to do it with terrestrial animals, so we should not expect much better luck with marine species.  In many cases, small-scale, community-controlled fisheries can be truly sustainable, and yet, while the concept of well-managed local fishing effort is replicable, it is not scalable to a level that would feed the population of the U.S., much less the world, or the marine animals that are a key part of healthy oceans. 

I continue to believe that fishing communities have the greatest stake in sustainability, and often, the fewest economic and geographic alternatives to fishing.  After all it is estimated that 40,000 people lost their jobs in New England alone as a result of overfishing the North Atlantic Cod.  Now, cod populations may be rebuilding, and it would be nice to see local fishermen continue to reap a livelihood from this traditional industry through good management and a careful eye on the future.

We would love to see the world’s wild fisheries rebound to their historic levels (the number of fish in the sea in 1900 was 6 times what it is today).  We are proud to support all of those working to restore the ocean and thus protect the people who depend on its natural resources (you too can be part of this support, just click here.)

Mark J. Spalding
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A Guest Blog from Shark Advocates International

Posted on January 25, 2012 by admin

Shark Advocates International (SAI) is excited about starting our second full year as a project of The Ocean Foundation (TOF).  Thanks to TOF, we are well poised to ramp up our efforts to safeguard sharks and rays in 2012. 

 We’re building upon many rewarding achievements in which we played a part in 2011, including manta ray protection under the Convention on Migratory Species, the first international conservation measures for Atlantic silky sharks, a greatly reduced international quota for skates in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, international protection for oceanic whitetip sharks in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, and protections for porbeagle sharks in the Mediterranean.

 The coming months also bring lots of possibilities for improving the conservation status of vulnerable sharks and rays.  SAI will be focusing on collaborative efforts to prevent overfishing, unsustainable trade, and finning through a variety of local, regional and global bodies. 

 For example, 2012 will be a big year for conservation of hammerheads, among the most threatened of the highly migratory sharks. Aimed at strengthening US Atlantic hammerhead limits, I will continue to participate in meetings of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel where the government’s options for rebuilding hammerhead populations will be developed over the course of this year.  SAI has called for hammerhead sharks (smooth, scalloped, and great) to be added to the federal list of prohibited species (meaning possession is banned).  At the same time, because hammerheads are exceptionally sensitive species and tend to die easily and quickly when caught, it is imperative that other measures are also researched and implemented to prevent hammerhead capture in the first place, and to improve the chances that caught and released hammerheads survive.

Hammerheads also make good candidates for listing under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) because the fins of these species are highly valued and globally traded for use in traditional Chinese shark fin soup.  The US developed a hammerhead listing proposal (aimed at improving tracking of international hammerhead trade) for the last CITES conference in 2010, but did not win the 2/3 majority of votes from other countries that is required for adoption.  SAI has been cooperating with Project AWARE Foundation to urge the US government to continue the effort to restrict hammerhead trade through a proposal for the 2013 CITES conference.  SAI will take advantage of various upcoming opportunities to comment on US priorities for CITES proposals, highlighting the plight of hammerheads and other shark species.  Final decisions on U.S. proposals for CITES are expected by the end of the year.  In addition, we will work with a variety of international conservation groups to encourage CITES listing proposals from other countries for other threatened, highly-traded species such as spiny dogfish and porbeagle sharks.

This year will also bring the final battles in a long fight to strengthen the European Union (EU) ban on shark finning (slicing off a shark’s fins and discarding the body at sea).  Currently the EU finning regulation allows permitted fishermen to remove shark fins at sea and land them separately from shark bodies. These loopholes seriously hamper enforcement of the EU finning ban and set a bad standard for other countries. SAI is working closely with the Shark Alliance coalition to encourage EU fishery ministers and members of the European Parliament to accept the European Commission’s proposal to require that all sharks be landed with their fins still attached.  Already in place for most US and Central American fisheries, this requirement is the only fail-safe way of determining that sharks were not finned; it can also lead to better information on shark species taken (because sharks are more readily identifiable to species level when they still have their fins).  The vast majority of EU Member States already prohibit shark fin removal at sea, but Spain and Portugal – major shark fishing countries – are sure to continue to put up a good fight to maintain exceptions.  A “fins attached” rule in the EU would improve the chances for success of US efforts to strengthen international finning bans in this way and could therefore benefit sharks on a global scale.

Closer to home, SAI is growing increasingly concerned and active with regard to growing and yet unregulated fisheries for “smooth dogfish” (or “smooth hound) sharks off the Mid-Atlantic states.  The smooth dogfish is the only US Atlantic shark species which is being targeted without overall fishing limits. Unlike most other commercially fished sharks in the region, smooth dogfish have also yet to the subject of a population assessment that would determine safe catch levels.  Atlantic state managers backed off on plans to restrict catches after the fishing industry objected. The first federal limits to cap the fishery were scheduled to take effect this month, but have since been postponed due in part to delays in implementing the Shark Conservation Act, which includes language that might lead to exceptions for smooth dogfish.  In the meantime, landings of smooth dogfish are increasing and fishermen are demanding that any future limits be raised beyond what was previously agreed.  SAI will continue to raise our concerns with state and federal fishery managers with the immediate goal of basic catch restrictions while the population is assessed.

Another vulnerable Mid-Atlantic species of concern to SAI is the cownose ray.  This close relative of sharks is the subject of a seafood industry campaign known as “Eat a Ray, Save the Bay” which capitalizes on hotly disputed scientific claims that the US Atlantic cownose ray population has exploded and poses a threat to more valuable species, such as scallops and oysters. Fishery proponents have convinced many that eating cownose (or “Chesapeake”) ray is not only a great new sustainable activity, but also an environmental responsibility. In reality, cownose rays usually give birth to just one pup per year, making them especially susceptible to overfishing and slow to recover once depleted, and there are no limits on cownose ray catches. While scientific colleagues work to refute the study that led to many misconceptions about cownose rays, SAI is focused on educating retailers, managers, and the public about the vulnerability of the animal and the urgent need for management.

Last, SAI is involved in a variety of activities aimed at studying and minimizing incidental take (or “bycatch”) of particularly vulnerable sharks and rays, such as sawfish, oceanic whitetips, and manta rays.  I’m participating in several committees and working groups that serve as great opportunities to discuss pressing bycatch issues with scientists, fishery managers, and conservationists from all over the world.  For example, I’m proud to be a new member of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation’s Environmental Stakeholder Committee through which I can encourage support for specific improvements to the international shark fishing policies of the various regional fishery management bodies for tuna.  I remain a long-standing member of the US Smalltooth Sawfish Recovery Team which, among other things, aims to quantify and minimize sawfish bycatch in US shrimp fisheries.  This year, members of sawfish team will be joining other experts from the International Union for Conservation of Nature Shark Specialist Group to develop a global action plan for sawfish conservation.   

SAI appreciates the opportunities that the US government grants conservationists and other stakeholders to discuss and help formulate national and international shark and ray policies.  I hope to continue to serve on US advisory committees and delegations to relevant international fisheries meetings.  SAI also plans to continue to work closely with colleagues from Project AWARE Foundation, Wildlife Conservation Society, Shark Trust, World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, Humane Society, Ocean Conservancy, and TRAFFIC, as well as scientists from the American Elasmobranch Society and European Elasmobranch Association. We remain deeply appreciative for generous support of our “keystone contributors” including the Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation, the Henry Foundation, the Firedoll Foundation, and the Save Our Seas Foundation.  With this support and help from people like you, 2012 can be a banner year for safeguarding sharks and rays near you and around the world.

 Sonja Fordham, SAI President

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For the people and our ocean

Posted on December 26, 2011 by Mspalding

“The Closing of the Year” is a song sung by children’s voices in the movie “Toys” (1992) written by Trevor Horn and Hans Zimmer. One verse in particular expresses the sentiment here at The Ocean Foundation, as we close out one calendar year and look forward to the year ahead:

This is a time to be together

And the truth is somewhere here
Within our love of people
At the closing of the year.


As the song says above, the truth is somewhere within our love of people.

Healthy oceans equal healthy communities and healthy people.  Not only do oceans provide us with food for sustenance, they also provide us with a healthy physical and mental well-being through recreation activities like swimming and surfing. Our ocean also has the power to inspire, as well as reduce stress and calm us.  While one of our fiscal sponsorship projects, LiVEBLUE, is exploring the connection between the human brain and the ocean, we consider health a cross-cutting issue for all that we do.

Cultural heritage is another one of the ways that people connect with oceans, as they often provide a sense of identity, particularly for those of us who interact with the oceans on a daily basis: whether we live in coastal communities, island states, or earn our living at sea in trades such as fishing, diving and other trades. It is our responsibility to respect and protect this cultural identity.  For example, the islands and atolls that make up the nation of Tuvalu are about the same size as Washington, DC (10 square miles).  With its highest point 16.4 feet above sea level Tuvalu is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change and rising oceans.  What happens to its people and its culture when it is under water?  Another example, from the Sea of Cortez involves our work with the Seri, a 650 person indigenous group that live mostly on an island (Isla Tiburon) and whose way of life has been preserved for many centuries.  At the core of their culture, the Seri focus on an ancient creation story of their sacred connection to the sea turtle, and its role in bringing their land to being following a great flood.  As a result, the Seri people have long been stewards of the marine and coastal biodiversity in the Northern Sonora and Central Gulf regions of Mexico.  Our Ocean Revolution project asks how do we ensure we apply traditional teaching and modern science to address threats that confront the desert and marine environment and the health and culture of their community.

Rapid response during times of disaster – whether it is a tsunami or a hurricane, or some other un-natural disaster- is a key to recovering and protecting ocean communities and habitats.  Through The Ocean Foundation’s restoration projects focused on seagrass, oyster reefs and mangroves, to name a few, we are in the business of proactive disaster mitigation. We have also actively responded to a number of natural disasters, including the 2004 tsunami that devastated Southeast Asia, Hurricane John in Baja California in 2006 and the 2011 wreck of the M/V Oliva at Nightingale Island that threatened sea birds and their habitat in the South Atlantic Sea.

Everything we do at The Ocean Foundation is about people in one way or another.  Our main tag line is “tell us what you want to do for the ocean, we’ll take care of the rest.”  When we look at our Ocean Leadership Fund, we are “building community and advancing solutions for the ocean and those who depend on it,” and when we work in partnership with green resorts to support marine protected areas we “Love this Place & its People.”

These efforts are bringing visible results as TOF continues to provide leadership and guidance to the marine conservation community and key stakeholders around the world.

Signing off on the closing of the year 2011, and looking forward to our next year of reversing the trend of destruction of the ocean, I wish Happy Holidays to one and all!  We thank all of you for your encouragement and support, and wish you a happy and prosperous new year for 2012!

For the ocean,

Mark J. Spalding, President

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How do we add value beyond the dollars of our grants?

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Mspalding

The majority of the world’s human population lives less than 50 miles from the coast. While we prefer to begin from the perspective of “first, do no harm,” there is also the knowledge that much harm has already been done. Thus, improving the relationship between human activities and the ocean is central to addressing the threats to the ocean and all of those who depend on a healthy ocean.At The Ocean Foundation, we know very well what the threats to the ocean are, and we have some good ideas about what the solutions are going to look like.  With the overarching goal of seeking a healthy ocean, we established The Ocean Foundation to fulfill its mission to reverse the trend of destruction of the ocean and its inhabitants.  Much of our work is dedicated to finding ways to improve the human relationship with the oceans for the benefit of both people and our underwater neighbors.

Recently our colleagues at the Hewlett Foundation, Paul Brest and Karen Lindblom, wrote:
“In its role of supporting institutions and fields, a foundation can add value beyond the grant dollar in a number of ways:

  • by identifying, through due diligence, the most effective or promising nonprofit organizations in its areas of interest;
  • by pressing organizations to articulate and improve their strategies and outcomes;
  • by strengthening organizations, either through the direct efforts of program officers or through grants to retain consultants;
  • by encouraging other funders to join in supporting particular organizations;
  • by creating new organizations to fill gaps in a field; and,
  • by linking organizations, policymakers, funders, and various stakeholders.”

                                      [Beyond The Grant Dollars, 12 December 2011]

Like most foundations, we do all of these things at The Ocean Foundation.  But I thought I would share three specific categories of our value added, how they relate to finding solutions and improving the health and sustainability of the ocean.

We work to build the capacity of the marine conservation community

  • We do strategic planning and executive coaching
  • We provide non-profit sustainability and fundraising advice
  • We give our time and talent to our fiscally sponsored projects and to other organizations and individuals
  • We help new entrants and those in transition

We work to improve ocean governance and conservation

  • We promote collaboration and cross-communication among key ocean stakeholders and the marine conservation community (actors and donors)
  • We facilitate meetings and community processes around the world
  • We foster advocacy for policy change

We conduct research and provide information

  • We identify priority action areas, monitor emerging issues, and implement best practices
  • We write articles, conduct research, appear on panels, and serve on boards & committees

We call these three categories our Ocean Leadership.  And, it is what allows Team TOF to stand out as a thought leader and otherwise share expertise.

To find solutions that sustain the ocean we track down and highlight economic development that does not degrade natural marine ecosystems or undermine basic human needs for either this generation or future generations.  It is based on ocean conservation needs, ocean services, and the livelihoods of the human communities that depend on it.  As industries respond to changes in ocean governance, sea level, storm patterns, and ocean chemistry, we hope to highlight the innovations that make our relationship with the ocean more sustainable. Some examples of this are:

  • Mitigating Climate Change: The ocean as a vehicle for carbon sequestration; and ocean sources of energy (wind, tides, waves, thermal conversion) to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels
  • Sustainable resource extraction: shellfish farming; oyster reef, seagrass, and other habitat restoration techniques and materials; and, the potential for land-based, cost-effective sustainable aquaculture operations
  • Human livelihoods: improved development standards and materials for protection of nearshore habitat and water quality; and reduction of coastal degradation and water pollution; healthy oceans = healthy communities
  • Mitigating effects of ocean pollution: floating plastic waste in the five gyres; waste water management; leak detection; runoff of pollution from land-based sources
  • Developing new technologies for ocean transportation (which is ready for revolutionary change): ballast water controls; new fuels; new sources of power generation; green marinas, ports and trade facilities, as well as green shipbuilding

We are proud of how our Ocean Leadership goes beyond our grant dollars to restore the health and sustainability of the world’s ocean; all in concert with those working for the ocean.  Please partner with us to provide the leadership and expertise TOF delivers to the marine conservation sector (you can be a monthly recurring sponsor of this leadership, just click here).

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The Loreto Christmas Project

Posted on December 20, 2011 by admin

Here is a holiday story from us to you.

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The Best Time to Give

Posted on December 14, 2011 by HeatherLane

When I introduce myself as the Development Officer for The Ocean Foundation, I am often asked, “How is that going for you these days?” It is not an unfounded question, considering the persisting economic recession, but people are usually surprised by my response:

It is a time of great opportunity.

Sure, it has been challenging for all of us in the fundraising profession these past few years, but recessions also provide the opportunity to hone in on the most strategic objectives of the organization, as well as find a more mutually beneficial connection with potential donors.

It can be almost certain that a donor who chooses to support an organization when times are tough, is firmly committed to the overall health of the organization and the goals it seeks to achieve. This type of relationship is one that development professionals strive for, as the donor will most likely be around for the long haul. It is also a time for creative thinking: in other words, going beyond the usual suspects for strategic partnerships.  One way in which The Ocean Foundation has been creative is by aligning ourselves with like-minded corporations, which are increasingly seeking out a “triple bottom line.” Environment and Corporate aren’t always known for their collaborative partnerships, but this is rapidly changing as companies look to the long-term sustainability of their businesses and recognize that conservation and environmental sustainability are good for their bottom line.

A good example of this creative alliance is our partnership with Columbia Sportswear and the SeaGrass Grow campaign. Columbia recognizes that seagrass habitats provide an important ecosystem for certain fish species (seagrass meadows are often referred to as “nurseries of the sea”) that are highly prized by one of their key clientele: Sports fishermen. Columbia and The Ocean Foundation have partnered to restore and protect seagrass meadows and enable marine species, including fish, sea turtles, sea horses, marine mammals and seabirds to flourish and thrive, which also keeps sports fishing enthusiasts happy.

This is just one example of the creative partnerships that can emerge in times of economic difficulty.  I am both excited and encouraged by the countless creative and strategic opportunities to work with donors to benefit our ocean and marine habitats.

This holiday season, as you consider your end of the year giving options, I hope you will consider The Ocean Foundation and the many innovative ways in which we partner with donors to protect our ocean.  Because whether you are passionate about protecting key marine species and their habitats, or raising broader public awareness about the importance of ocean conservation: Just tell us what YOU want to do for the ocean, and we will take care of the rest!

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The Future of Fish Aquaculture

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Mspalding

Last Tuesday night, Heather Lane and I attended an event in Baltimore, Maryland, hosted by the Maryland-Asia Environmental Partnership.  As part of the event, we had the opportunity to tour the aquaculture research facility at the University of Maryland’s Aquaculture Research Center at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology.  There we had the opportunity to see a new sustainable future for aquaculture.

Photo courtesy of Maryland-Asia Environmental Partnership

As we have seen all over the world’s oceans, global fisheries are suffering from overfishing, bycatch, and degradation of habitat.  The collapse and near collapse of certain fisheries threaten not only the health of our ocean, but also a major source of protein for the majority of the world’s people.  Some small-scale subsistence, artisanal and recreational fishing can be sustainable if managed well.  However, because no wild animals can be captured in quantities sufficient to sustain global scale consumption over time, aquaculture is the future source of the world’s protein from fish. Unfortunately, aquaculture carries its own challenges in being taken to scale to help feed 7 billion people.

From an economic perspective, aquaculture has been successful: the industry is growing rapidly and now represents more than half of all seafood consumed globally.  What aquaculture promises is the production of animal protein for alleviating global shortages (from fish, shellfish, and invertebrates) all with less economic and environmental costs than terrestrial animal production.  However, its environmental consequences must be addressed to ensure that the protein promised by aquaculture is not overshadowed by harm to the environment.

Currently, more seafood is imported into the United States than is exported (some of which is our own seafood returning as higher value products after being processed abroad). The U.S. federal government is increasingly focused on creating incentives to build the domestic aquaculture industry to address this “seafood deficit.”  This push includes permitting the growth of aquaculture farming operations in federal waters.  If domestic production can be increased, jobs and economic development may result especially if the processing that has moved offshore to China and elsewhere comes back.  However, if development is not undertaken in a responsible manner given how much we know about the negative effects of the salmon, shrimp, and tuna farming industries, then efforts to support the aquaculture industry could continue to degrade the environment.  The coming years offer many opportunities to influence policy development and ensure that irresponsible and unsustainable practices do not receive government support, if Congress and federal agencies take seriously their responsibility to protect both the economy and environment.

Nearshore and coastal aquaculture facilities have been tagged for habitat destruction, pollution, escapes of non-native fish into local streams, high levels of nutrient, antibiotic, and food waste pollution, as well as the introduction of diseases into local fish populations.  And farming of carnivores requires the capture of other wild fish (eg. anchovy and menhaden) to feed the captive fish.  Many of these issues are as present in offshore aquaculture operations.  Thus, instead of solving the problems, it just moves them out of sight.  In addition, steaming in and out by boat to operate and maintain these facilities has a huge climate footprint, and while they may offer better dilution of pollution, the facilities have been found to be vulnerable to both oil spills and increasingly intense storms, pose a danger to migrating animals in the sea, while still being subject to the same kinds of escapement, disease, and other issues as their nearshore counterparts.

The environmental harm caused by aquaculture would be reduced or mitigated through the robust application and enforcement of existing regulations, however, the development and implementation of new laws, and the creation of financial and regulatory subsidies or incentives for responsible production may become necessary.  To date, some of TOF’s aquaculture work (in partnership with the Environmental Law Institute) has focused primarily on how third-party certification systems are designed to ensure that they will effectively reduce the impacts of aquaculture.  This led to the development of the “Gold Standard” that was the result of analyzing many eco-labels and eco-label projects to determine what best governance practices should look like for certification of aquaculture to ensure it is truly sustainable.

In short, The Ocean Foundation staff, Board and Advisors have been looking at aquaculture for decades and we are familiar with the main tenets of truly sustainable and commercially viable aquaculture:

  • Closed recirculating systems – to avoid any interference with wild species and contamination/pollution
  • Multi-species production, integrated with hydroponics for market diversity, and sustainable use of waste—a concept in practice in China and elsewhere for centuries
  • “Zero waste” incentives – strive for a completely closed-loop system to capture and reuse waste
  • At or near market – Farming and processing should be near their markets to reduce carbon footprints
  • Avoid carnivorous fish – this further lessens the pressure on wild stocks caught to produce feed for aquaculture, and the use of fossil fuel to catch them

As we saw on our visit to the University of Maryland’s Aquaculture Research Center at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology in Baltimore on Tuesday night, there are exciting opportunities for growing protein on site, so that even carnivorous fish, a high-demand, high-value fisheries commodity, may be grown sustainably.

Photo courtesy of Maryland-Asia Environmental Partnership

At this facility, they are growing algae to feed to phytoplankton and in turn, to make feed pellets with the oil and proteins needed for fish feed. This closed-loop system enables them to produce carnivorous fish that are in demand for commercial consumption, including the high value cobia, striped bass, bronzini, sea bream and blue crab. They are even raising nurse and bamboo sharks on site for medical science research purposes!

They are using their own saltwater mixture, which they make from the municipal water system, and then recycle the water used throughout the facility. The fish excrement and waste sludge is used to create fuel grade methane to help power the facility.  Thus, other than burning the methane and releasing some nitrogen into the atmosphere, there are no negative by-products from this operation.  And in fact, another experiment they are conducting on site, in partnership with HyTek Bio, would even address that issue by using algae to eat the CO2 emissions from burning the methane.

If the aquaculture technology from this project can be ramped up to a commercial scale for a city-sized market, it certainly looks like it can be responsive to local demand, yet also be responsibly promoting consumer demand for sustainably-farmed food and for the types of fish that are themselves, from a lifecycle perspective, sustainable.

One place we may be able to do this is in New Orleans East at the Viet Village Urban Farm, a project of The Ocean Foundation’s Ocean Doctor and the Mary Queen of Vietnam Community Development Corporation. The Viet Village Urban Farm is a new model for improving economic stability, which integrates an organic garden to grow produce for local restaurants, an aquaculture facility, and hydroponics. As a commercial model, we hope it can then be replicated in other locations for decentralized production.

We would love to see the world’s wild fisheries rebound to their historic levels because we identify better, more cost-effective ways of providing fish for human consumption at the global scale.  We are proud to be part of examining how to make aquaculture more sustainable, and to support all of those working for the oceans (you too can be part of this support, just click here).

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