The Foundation Blog

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NOAA Leadership Visits Neah Bay Large Marine Debris Removal Project

Photo credit: Francis Choi, NOS Front Office The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation was pleased to have Paul Scholz, NOAA Deputy Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services and Coastal Zone Management, Scott Lundgren, Director of NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration, and Monique Baskin, Deputy Director of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, visit our Large Marine Debris […]

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Record-Breaking Trash Derby Removes Marine Debris in the Florida Keys

Photo credit: Tiffany Duong The second annual I.CARE Trash Derby, held on May 2-5 and sponsored by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation in support of Goal: Clean Seas Florida Keys, was a record-breaking event and one of the largest marine debris cleanups ever held in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.   I.CARE (Islamorada Conservation and Restoration […]

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CHOW Plenary Deep Dive: Leaders at the Helm of Climate-Ready Fisheries

Sustainable fisheries fuel not just the 3 billion people worldwide who rely on seafood for food security and a primary source of protein, but also the communities who need them for their livelihood and their cultural heritage.  Yet nearly one-third of global fish populations are considered overfished. Fisheries around the globe are teetering on the […]

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CHOW Plenary Deep Dive: Living Laboratories: Ocean Economy Conservation and Acceleration

Biodiversity loss is one of the most pressing issues facing our ocean and our planet.   The ocean is home to much of the world’s biodiversity, but species loss is occurring at an alarming rate around the world due to human impacts. This challenge is compounded by and closely intertwined with the dual threats of climate […]

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CHOW Plenary Deep Dive: Community Stewardship of Protected Waters

Leaders in local communities with longstanding relationships to our ocean are most impacted by a changing climate, pollution, and biodiversity loss, and these frontline responders will be the ones to advance policy changes and the solutions we need for effective management of marine protected areas and other protected waters. Yet global and national ocean protection […]

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Mental Health Awareness Month: The Benefits of a “Blue Mind”

Mental Health Awareness Month: The Benefits of a “Blue Mind” Mental Health Awareness Month: The Benefits of a “Blue Mind” A note from the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation: The conservation community lost an incredible champion with the news that Dr. Wallace J. Nichols passed away on June 10, 2024. J was a friend and mentor […]

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Dive In and Become An Iconic Reef Guardian

Photo credit: Jay Clue Written by: JD Reinbott, Iconic Reef Guardians Stewardship Coordinator at the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation Did you know that April is Citizen Science Month?   What is citizen (or community) science? In short… community science is science for everyone! The best part is that ANYONE can be a community scientist, regardless of […]

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A Community Scientist’s Tale: Watching for North Atlantic Right Whales

A Community Scientist’s Tale: Watching for North Atlantic Right Whales A Community Scientist’s Tale: Watching for North Atlantic Right Whales Steve Yeh, Erin Jaszczak, and Nicole Gardner monitoring for right whales from Submarine Pointe, FL. Photo credit: Erin Jaszczak Written by: Erin Jaszczak, Senior Program Operations Manager, Marine Debris, for the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation  […]

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Coastal Careers: Underwater Archaeologist

Written by: Susan Langley, Maryland State Underwater Archaeologist for the Maryland Historical Trust and member of the Sanctuary Advisory Council for the Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary  How is your work connected to national marine sanctuaries?   Photo credit: David J Ruck/NOAA Like all mariners in American waters, we rely on NOAA’s navigational charts, but […]

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Day in the Life of a Dive Operator: Southpoint Divers

Southpoint Divers is Paving the Path from Fun Diver to Community Scientist Written by: Cortney Benson, Marine Debris Removal Stewardship Coordinator at the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation Photo credit: Southpoint Divers Key West is a world-renowned SCUBA diving destination, home to stunning coral reefs and adventure filled shipwreck diving. However, the coral reefs of Florida […]

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Turning Hope Into Action: An Earth Month Message from Joel R. Johnson, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation President & CEO

Photo credit: Nerelle Que Moffitt Written by: Joel R. Johnson, President & CEO of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation In Fogama’a Bay, a secluded slice of paradise surrounded by three sides by rising sheer black basalt cliffs on the island of Tutuila in American Samoa, a short sandy beach leads to a shallow reef. With […]

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World Art Day: Kathryn Robertson Features Flower Garden Banks

Written by: Kathryn Robertson, Artsy Rooster Studio (She/They) Kathryn is an artist living & working in many mediums, specializing in hand-drawn illustrations, digital art & design, and fine art portrait photography. Her true passion is to always keep learning… always pushing personal creative boundaries, and continuing education in her field… but most importantly to use […]

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Black History Month: Hermina Glass-Hill, Ocean Abolitionist

Black History Month celebrates the achievements of the African American community and their critical role in United States history. Each year, in recognition of Black History Month, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation shares stories of Black individuals who have shaped the past and present of our national marine sanctuaries. Hermina Glass-Hill (she/hers) is an award-winning […]

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Black History Month: Meet MISS, an Organization Dedicated to Empowering Tomorrow’s Shark Scientists

Photo credit: Minorities in Shark Science Black History Month celebrates the achievements of the African American community and their critical role in United States history. Each year, in recognition of Black History Month, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation shares stories of Black individuals who have shaped the past and present of our national marine sanctuaries. […]

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Humpback Whale Birth Witnessed for the First Time By Scientists in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary

Incredible Animal Journeys, a docuseries that premiered on National Geographic in November 2023, features a first for wildlife filmmaking in episode 1, “Ocean Odysseys” – the never-before-filmed birth of a baby humpback whale, in the waters of Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.   [All footage was taken under the authority of the National Marine […]

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Black History Month: Q&A with Ayana Melvan

Photo credit: Ayana Melvan Black History Month celebrates the achievements of the African American community and their critical role in United States history. Each year, in recognition of Black History Month, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation shares stories of Black individuals who have shaped the past and present of our national marine sanctuaries. Ayana Melvan […]

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Coastal Careers: Whale Entanglement Rescue Responder

Photo credit: Stephanie Marcos Written by: Stephanie Marcos, Operations Manager of Marine Life Studies, Whale Entanglement Team (WET)®, Level 3 Whale Rescue Responder: Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program How did you get started in entanglement response? As a freshman in college at CSU Monterey Bay, I knew that I needed to get my […]

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Listening In to Learn about Sei Whale Behavior

Photo credit: Dana Cusano Written by: Dana Cusano, National Post Doctorate Fellow at the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation  I often get asked what I do for my postdoctoral research here at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. To keep things simple, I often say that I study sei whales. The overwhelming response, from family, friends, and […]

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Blue Beacon: Rapid Growth – Kelp as a Source of Valuable Habitat, Sustainable Food, Climate Solutions, and Economic Diversification

The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation in partnership with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute hosted a Blue Beacon Series event in Portland, Maine on November 16, 2023. The Blue Beacon Series aims to bring to light the ocean and Great Lakes’ biggest challenges through panels, lectures, and film screenings hosted around the country in order […]

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Sea Wonder: Shortfin Mako Shark

The shortfin mako shark is the fastest known species of shark and one of the fastest fishes on the planet.

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Sea Wonder: Peacock Mantis Shrimp

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Sea Wonder: Hopkin’s Rose Nudibranch

Sea Wonder: Hopkin’s Rose Nudibranch Sea Wonder: Hopkin’s Rose Nudibranch Photo credit: Lauren J The Hopkin’s rose nudibranch (Okenia rosacea) is a small, colorful, shell-less sea slug that adds a pop of color to tidepools along North America’s West Coast. This stunning slug is named for its vibrant, rosy-pink coloration, which it gets from its […]

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Hispanic Heritage Month: Q&A with Katherine Muniz

Katherine Muniz, Azul’s RAY policy fellow, poses during Semana Azul in Washington, D.C. in June 2023. Credit: Azul. Written by: Katherine Muniz, Ray Policy Fellow at Azul Editor’s note: Katherine Muniz is a Ray Policy Fellow at Azul, a Latinx-led and serving grassroots environmental justice organization, which continues to be the only U.S. ocean conservation […]

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The Importance of Ocean Conservation for Our Hispanic Communities

Photo credit: Hispanic Access Foundation Written by: Claudia P. Tibbs, Claudio Lapidus, and Shanna Edberg Hispanic Access Foundation’s conservation programs bring Latino voices to the forefront of conservation and climate policy and stewardship. We activate Latino leaders and provide them the resources they need to create a more sustainable and equitable future. Despite being among […]