Mission Blue
A Commitment to Protecting the Oceans…
Grant Recipient 2010: National Geographic Society
Our oceans cover more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface and we depend on it for survival. With every breath we take, every drop of water we drink, we’re connected to the ocean. It is our life support system, giving us more than half of the oxygen we breathe, regulating climate, and providing valuable resources. Mission Blue is a global call to action with a goal to raise public awareness, start conversations, and inspire people to help protect this vital natural resource.
Our planet depends on the vitality of the ocean to support and sustain it. But our ocean faces major threats: global climate change, pollution, habitat destruction, invasive species, and, not least, the dramatic decrease in ocean fish stocks now so extensive that more than 40 percent of the ocean has been severely affected and no area has been left untouched. Species are disappearing and entire ecosystems are degraded, especially those near the coasts. Consequently, humanity is losing a source of food, jobs, and critical environmental services that a healthy ocean generates. Recognizing the need for an urgent response, a new coalition of committed communities is coming together to take action.
The National Geographic Society and the Waitt Foundation along with strategic government, private, scientific, and conservation partners—including the TEDPrize, Google, and IUCN—are beginning an action-oriented marine conservation initiative. Under the banner “Mission Blue,” this global initiative is aimed at restoring health and productivity to the ocean by inspiring people to care and act, reducing the impact of fishing, and promoting the creation of marine protected areas (MPAs).
This growing, collaborative effort will promote the expansion of proven, replicable, and scalable solutions, as well as new, cutting-edge ideas from fisheries policymakers, the seafood industry, and local fishing/coastal communities.
Mission Blue Expedition: Gulf of Mexico
Deployment of Waitt Institute's dual Deepworker. National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Sylvia Earle and ecologist Thomas Shirley describe the green "blizzard of life" that enveloped them during the dive.
As a part of Mission Blue, a team of scientists from several institutions participated in a ten-day expedition in January 2011 to explore and document several areas in the northern Gulf of Mexico east and west of the site where the BP Deepwater Horizon drilling rig began releasing nearly 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf from a depth of 5,000 fee on April 20, 2010.
The goals were to help answer questions concerning the fate and impact of spilled oil, gas, and dispersants applied during 2010, to identify areas in good condition that, if protected, can serve as sources of renewal for damaged systems, and to compare the status of key species and ecosystems with data acquired in the region starting in the 1950s.
Mission Blue Supporting Sponsors:
Partner Project Highlights:
Through global exploration and research, many efforts are already underway to address the most challenging issues confronting our oceans today. The goal of Mission Blue and its partners is to identify threats the oceans are facing and the hope is to generate possible solutions. Located all over the world, Mission Blue partners are working to investigate, map, and conserve unique and valuable marine animals and resources.
Kingman Reef: Scientists describe it as a "time machine," an ecosystem that has survived in an almost pure state of nature ~ Photo by Brian Skerry
National Geographic Society: Pristine Seas Expeditions
National Geographic has conducted three expeditions to date: Cocos Island & Las Gemelas Seamounts (2009); southern Line Islands (2009) and the northern Line Islands (2005 & 2007). This project is a global exploration, research and conservation initiative to study the last healthy, undisturbed places in the ocean. The hope is that by carefully studying how marine ecosystems work without human interference, we can learn how to help healthy reefs thrive, unhealthy reefs recover and do a better job at preserving the ocean, which covers more than two-thirds of our planet.
Cocos National Park has the largest biomass of predators measured to date on Pacific tropical marine ecosystems ~ photo by Octavio Aburto
Cocos Island & Las Gemelas Seamounts - During September 2009, a team of scientists including National Geographic Fellow, Dr. Enric Sala, and leading marine scientists from Central America and across the globe conducted an exploratory marine expedition to Cocos Island and the submerged Gemelas Seamounts. While there, the team collaborated with local marine scientists and conservation organizations to collect data on these aquatic ecosystems in order to establish new scientific baselines for these critically important environments. The expedition team found Cocos National Park to be generally healthy and discovered an amazing ecosystem with rich biodiversity within the Gemelas Seamounts. However, while there are many groups who try to patrol the these marine protected areas (MPAs), there are more fishers than protectors and they need further support to remain vital.
Additional Partner Projects
-SeaWeb: KidSafe Seafood
- Ocean Conservancy: Marine Protected Areas, Yosemites of the Sea
- Environmental Defense Fund: The Way Forward, Catch Shares
- IUCN: Saving Western Gray Whales; Seamounts of the South West Indian Ocean
MPAs
Catch Shares
KidSafe
Grey Whales
Take Action
Learn more about how you can help make the right seafood choices and get tips on how you can help save the ocean. The National Geographic ocean heroes will inspire and educate. Take Action Now.
About National Geographic
A valued partner of the Waitt Foundation since 2004 on a number of strategic initiatives, National Geographic Society has been inspiring people to care about the planet since 1888. It is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world with interests including geography, archaeology and natural science, and the promotion of environmental and historical conservation.
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