Listen to Dr. Earle's Episode of "Voices from the Ocean" Podcast!
New Hope Spot!
Palmahim Slide Hope Spot off the Coast of Tel-Aviv
Three cheers for another deep sea Hope Spot! The Palmahim Slide can be found 20-50 km off the coast of Tel-Aviv. It’s identified as a bathymetric irregularity, creating a distinct geological formation starting at depths of 100 meters and reaching up to 1,200 meters deep. This area encompasses important habitats like methane seeps, deep-water coral gardens, and brine pools, and breeding grounds for deep sea sharks like the blackmouth catshark.
Introducing the Hong Kong South Hope Spot
Mission Blue has declared the southern waters of Hong Kong as a Hope Spot! The designated Hope Spot, in excess of 41,700 hectares, includes areas of South Lantau, Soko Islands, South Lamma, Aberdeen, Po Toi and Cape D’Aguilar. Hong Kong South Hope Spot lies within the historical migratory route for animals like the minke, humpback, brydes and gray whales, bottlenose and risso dolphins, sea turtles and squids. Dive in on the Mission Blue website and learn more about the Hong Kong South Hope Spot.
Dr. Sylvia Earle pictured at Colombia’s announcement of expanding the marine protected area at the Malpelo Island Hope Spot
From June 27th through July 1, 2022, we attended the 2022 United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal! We enjoyed getting to meet with our Hope Spot Champions, our Hope Spot Council, our partners, donors and constituents throughout the week. We celebrated the announcement of new marine protected areas, budding new partnerships and commitments to advancing marine conservation on a global scale.
Three cheers for Panama and the Dominican Republic for their commitments to protect 30% or more of their EEZs by 2030!
Dr. Earle’s Interview with CNN Portugal
Ethique and Mission Blue Support The Ocean Voyages Institute
“[The ocean] is not just a kind of supermarket where we take fish!” In this exclusive interview, Dr. Earle discusses her thoughts on topics including deep sea mining and commercial fishing.
Celebrating Our New Partnership with ProtectedSeas!
At UNOC 2022, we celebrated the official launch of our partnership with ProtectedSeas Navigator! This is a free interactive map of marine life and their protections and boundaries. Dive in on the new tab on the Hope Spots map!
Voices from the Ocean features scientists embodying different species of ocean wildlife found in Hope Spots throughout the world, answering questions directly as the species. In this episode out of ten in the series, Dr. Earle gives the Goliath grouper a voice, representing the Florida Gulf Coast Hope Spot. We are deeply thankful for the Gallifrey Foundation who gave life to this creative concept and for their enduring support of our mission to protect the ocean.
We're looking for someone who has a marine science background and experience with program management to join our Hope Spots Program team. Click here to learn about the open position for a Hope Spot Specialist!