Oceana Magazine Winter 2022

New York Gala

Oceana honors the Marisla Foundation

Oceana expeditions gather evidence to protect marine habitats

TV and film director shares his passion for the ocean

OCEANA.ORG

Braving the Seas

Q&A with Gaz Alazraki

Board of Directors

Sam Waterston, Chair

María Eugenia Girón, Vice Chair

Diana Thomson, Treasurer

James Sandler, Secretary

Keith Addis, President

Gaz Alazraki

Herbert M. Bedolfe, III

Ted Danson

Nicholas Davis

Maya Gabeira

César Gaviria

Loic Gouzer

Jena King

Sara Lowell

Kristian Parker, Ph.D.

Daniel Pauly, Ph.D.

David Rockefeller, Jr.

Susan Rockefeller

Simon Sidamon-Eristoff

Rashid Sumaila, Ph.D.

Valarie Van Cleave

Elizabeth Wahler

Jean Weiss

Antha Williams

Ocean Council

Susan Rockefeller, Founder

Kelly Hallman, Vice Chair

Dede McMahon, Vice Chair

Anonymous

Samantha Bass

Violaine and John Bernbach

Rick Burnes

Vin Cipolla

Barbara Cohn

Ann Colley

Edward Dolman

Kay and Frank Fernandez

Carolyn and Chris Groobey

J. Stephen and Angela Kilcullen

Ann Luskey

Peter Neumeier

Carl and Janet Nolet

Ellie Phipps Price

David Rockefeller, Jr.

Andrew Sabin

Elias Sacal

Regina K. and John Scully

Maria Jose Peréz Simón

Sutton Stracke

Mia M. Thompson

David Treadway, Ph.D.

Edgar and Sue Wachenheim, III

Valaree Wahler

David Max Williamson

Gillian Spolarich

Designer

Alan Po

FSC Logo

Raoul Witteveen

Leslie Zemeckis

Oceana Staff

Andrew Sharpless

Chief Executive Officer

Jim Simon President

Jacqueline Savitz

Chief Policy Officer

Kathryn Matthews, Ph.D.

Chief Scientist

Matthew Littlejohn

Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives

Janelle Chanona

Vice President, Belize

Ademilson Zamboni, Ph.D.

Vice President, Brazil

Joshua Laughren

Senior Vice President, Oceana Canada

Liesbeth van der Meer, DVM

Senior Vice President, Chile

Pascale Moehrle

Executive Director and Vice President, Europe

Renata Terrazas

Vice President, Mexico

Daniel Olivares

Vice President, Peru

Gloria Estenzo Ramos, J.D.

Vice President, Philippines

Hugo Tagholm

Executive Director and Vice President, United Kingdom

Beth Lowell

Vice President, United States

Nancy Golden

Vice President, Global Development

Abbie Gibbs

Vice President, Institutional Giving

Dustin Cranor

Vice President, Global Marketing and Communications

Susan Murray

Deputy Vice President, U.S. Pacific

Vera Coelho

Senior Director of Advocacy, Europe

Christopher Sharkey

Chief Financial Officer

Kathy Whelpley

Chief of Staff, President’s Office

Michael Hirshfield, Ph.D.

Senior Advisor

Oceana Magazine is published by Oceana, Inc. For questions or comments about this publication, please call our membership department at +1.202.833.3900 or write to Oceana’s Member Services at 1025 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036 USA.

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Editorial Staff

Interim Editor

Cover photo: Oceana Board Members Sara Lowell, Beto Bedolfe, and Susan Rockefeller

© BFA/Angela Pham

in Mexico, Alaska, Chile, and Spain fuel Oceana’s campaigns.

Inspired by Global Fishing Watch, Oceana created

© Oceana/Carlos Aguilera

© NOAA

© Oceana/Mario Gomí

CEO Note

campaigning. We specify very concretely what we want to achieve, identify the decision-maker who has authority to get that done, and encourage our country teams (now in Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the European Union, Mexico, Peru, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, and the United States) to find a way to win by an agreedupon date.

We can all easily name ways to make the world better, but what really separates one organization from another is whether they deliver results. Inspirational ocean conservation visions only help produce an abundant and biodiverse ocean when they are implemented.

Results are more feasible at a small scale. But overfishing and pollution in the world’s oceans are occurring globally, so little fixes are not always satisfactory. They are good news but not enough to address the scope and urgency of the challenges facing our worldwide oceans.

That’s why Oceana, together with our Board of Directors, sets its goals to be as big as possible, while remaining realistically achievable. And by achievable, we mean by a pre-defined deadline, never more than five years away. Almost always, that brings us to national policymaking in countries with an outsized role in the health of the world’s oceans, or to campaigns seeking changes in global companies whose operations seriously damage our oceans. We consult with our scientists to determine which policy changes will make the biggest conservation impact. We avoid countries led by dictators or riddled by corruption, and eschew companies immune to honest, science-driven conservation

The results, visible in our annual reports, and again in this issue of our triannual magazine, are encouraging. Please enjoy them. Your support makes them possible.

One exception to our country-bycountry (or company-by-company) approach is Global Fishing Watch, which Oceana launched several years ago with SkyTruth and Google. As its name suggests, Global Fishing Watch provides a near real-time report on the activities of around 75,000 of the world’s largest fishing vessels all over the world. It publishes this information on the internet, making it available to anyone and everyone, for free. The data comes from satellite tracking of these vessels and includes extraordinary details on the activities of specific vessels, as well as of entire fishing fleets, no matter where they are.

This transparency in commercial fishing helps deter illegal operators. As Heather Stevens, whose family, through the Waterloo Foundation, made the first earmarked donation for Global Fishing Watch in 2015 (and who served for 10 years on Oceana’s Board), noted, “We know that when cameras are installed on the motorway, people obey the speed limit.” This transparency also allows citizens to see how vigorously their countries are protecting their 200-mile offshore

exclusive economic zones against foreign intruders. The New York Times, working with Oceana and Global Fishing Watch, recently published a front-page story on the hundreds of distant-water fishing vessels (predominantly Chinese) operating right up against the Ecuadorian border. Ecuador is home to the Galapagos Islands, one of the most biodiverse and productive places in the world’s ocean, and home to thousands of sharks endangered by extinction.

Countries are now demonstrating their commitment to ocean conservation by providing additional satellite data to Global Fishing Watch. Peru, Chile, and Belize are just a few of the countries whose leadership on transparency is commendable.

In this way, Global Fishing Watch is a worldwide accelerant to countryby-country action to protect and restore abundant and biodiverse oceans. I know Leonardo DiCaprio, whose foundation provided Global Fishing Watch its first multimilliondollar grant, is very proud of it — as am I (I serve on its board of directors, together with Heather Stevens, Oceana’s Chief Policy Officer Jacqueline Savitz, and others.) You can learn more about how Oceana is using Global Fishing Watch to shine a light on suspicious activities at sea in this issue of Oceana Magazine.

Thank you for your support!

For the oceans,

Andrew Sharpless CEO Oceana

© Oceana/Juan Carlos Bonilla

For the Win

Chilean court rules in favor of Oceana, orders salmon farming company to release antibiotics data

In August, Chile’s Constitutional Court ruled in favor of Oceana and against a salmon farming company that had previously blocked access to data on their antibiotic use. The court ruled providing access to this data is constitutional, meaning the salmon farming company Mowi is now required to provide Oceana with access to data on its use of antibiotics. “This is a historic ruling. For years, the court allowed information about the use of antibiotics in salmon farming to remain behind closed doors,” Javiera Calisto, Oceana’s Campaign Manager in Chile, explained. “This decision sets a new constitutional precedent for any future cases regarding public access to data on pollutants that can harm the environment and marine life.”

This victory comes after campaigning by Oceana and its allies to stop the expansion of salmon farming

pollution in Chilean Patagonia, a biologically rich marine ecosystem. Salmon farms are often destructive — the waste generated by enormous numbers of fish packed into pens can devastate marine environments. The high density of fish often promotes disease and, consequently, excessive use of antibiotics, which are then released into the oceans where they can harm marine life. Bacterial resistance also results from excessive use of antibiotics.

To avoid the long legal procedures required to access information on antibiotics use, Oceana has been campaigning to pass legislation that will require Chile’s fisheries service to make this information promptly, permanently, and publicly available. Legislation has already been unanimously approved by both chambers of Chile’s Congress and is now nearing final approval.

In 2021, over 460 tons of antibiotics were used to produce salmon in Chile, a 33% increase from the year prior. Salmon farming, as pictured here in Chile, often uses an excessive amount of antibiotics that can be released into the ocean and harm ecosystems, marine life, and even human health.

© Oceana/Mauricio Altamirano

News & Notes

Seafood Watch recommends taking lobster off the menu following entanglements of North Atlantic right whales

In September, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program added more than a dozen fisheries, including the American and Canadian lobster fisheries, to its “Red List” of seafood because of the risks they currently pose to North Atlantic right whales. These endangered whales are threatened with extinction. The long vertical lines used in lobster fishing, primarily in New England and eastern Canadian waters, overlap with the migratory path of the North Atlantic right whales, of which only around 330 remain. About one-quarter of the population is entangled in fishing gear from the U.S. and Canada

each year, and about 85% of the whales have been entangled at least once in their lifetimes. Ropes can wrap around their mouths, fins, tails, and bodies. This slows them down; makes it difficult to swim, reproduce, and feed; and can even kill them. The lines cut into the whales’ flesh, leading to lifethreatening infections. At times, the lines sever fins and tails and cut into bone.

Seafood Watch’s “Red List” includes seafood that the program recommends businesses and consumers avoid purchasing because they are caught or farmed in ways that have a high risk of harming wildlife or the environment. As of today, more than 25,000 restaurants, stores, and distributors have committed to use Seafood Watch ratings to guide

their purchasing and menu choices and to avoid red-listed seafood.

Oceana said the listing is a result of the American and Canadian governments’ failure to implement stronger measures to protect North Atlantic right whales from deadly fishing gear entanglements. Oceana is calling on these governments to create measures that will allow both the fisheries and whales to thrive by reducing the number of vertical lines and gillnets in the water, especially when whales are present, and by transitioning to fishing gear that is safer for whales. Oceana is also recommending the governments expand seasonal closures when and where whales are present and require public tracking of fishing vessels.

About 85% of North Atlantic right whales, which are critically endangered, will become entangled in fishing gear at least once in their lifetimes.

© NOAA

Hugo Tagholm appointed to lead Oceana’s expanded campaigns in the United Kingdom

In September, Oceana announced its appointment of Hugo Tagholm as Executive Director and Vice President of its newly expanded policy campaigns

President Biden signs new bill to address climate change, but fails to uphold pledge to end new offshore drilling

In August, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), funding the most substantial climate investments ever passed by the United States Congress. The bill calls for $369 billion in strategic investments over 10 years to develop clean energy sources like wind and solar. Yet despite the president’s campaign pledge to end new leasing for offshore drilling, the IRA mandates new oil leasing in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska waters over the next year. While these bad offshore provisions impact leasing in 2022 and 2023, what happens next is still being decided by President Biden and the U.S. Department of the Interior. The next five-year plan will determine whether and where offshore oil and gas lease sales are offered between 2023 and 2028.

in the United Kingdom. Oceana CEO Andrew Sharpless said, “With both Oceana and Tagholm’s track records of success, we will win policy victories in the UK that rebuild depleted fisheries, end destructive fishing inside marine protected areas, curb ocean plastic pollution, and much more.”

The UK’s exclusive economic zone yields a massive amount of fish — ranked 15th in the world when accounting for catch by both UK and foreign-flagged vessels — yet only 38% of the UK’s fish stocks are fished at a sustainable level. In 2020, destructive bottom-towed fishing gear was used in over 90% of the UK’s offshore marine protected areas. Under Tagholm’s leadership, Oceana will campaign to fully protect all UK marine protected areas from bottomtowed fishing gear, and to ensure

that commercial fish stocks around the UK, including those shared with the European Union, are fished within responsible, science-based levels.

Prior to joining Oceana, Tagholm served for 14 years as Chief Executive of Surfers Against Sewage, a leading UK charity that campaigns to protect the oceans from pollution. Tagholm also led partnerships and fundraising at The Climate Coalition and served as Programme Director at Theirworld, among other roles. Tagholm is a TEDx speaker, columnist for Oceanographic Magazine, and avid surfer. Oceana’s expansion in the UK is funded in part by the Becht Foundation, whose ongoing partnership helps Oceana protect and restore marine biodiversity in the UK and around the world.

Oceana is calling on the president to uphold his campaign pledge to end new oil and gas leasing by finalizing a five-year program with no new offshore lease sales.

Big wave surfer and Oceana Board Member Maya Gabeira authored Maya and the Beast, with illustrations by Ramona Kaulitzki. The children’s book follows Maya, a young girl from Nazaré, Portugal, on a journey to conquer her biggest fears and follow her newfound passion: surfing. When she discovers the town’s “beast” is really the giant waves breaking on the coast of Nazaré, Maya is mesmerized and dreams of riding the waves like the boys. With her new red board, Maya learns to surf and shows everyone in town that she can

catch the same big waves as the boys. The book’s main character is based on Gabeira, who set a Guinness World Record in 2018 for the biggest wave ever surfed by a woman and broke her own record again in 2020 with a 73.5foot wave in Nazaré. Gabeira is a Brazilian native and a fierce advocate for the oceans. Following campaigning by Oceana, with support from Gabeira, iFood — Brazil’s largest food delivery service — pledged to eliminate 1.5 billion single-use plastic items per year.

Hugo Tagholm joined Oceana as Executive Director and Vice President of its newly expanded campaigns in the United Kingdom.

World record breaker and ocean advocate Maya Gabeira in the news

© Nick Pumphrey

Q+A Gaz Alazraki, director and Oceana Board Member, shares his passion for the seas

You recently directed the film Father of the Bride, which was HBO Max’s biggest movie premiere to date. How was that experience?

GA: The opportunity to direct Andy García and Gloria Estefan in a Warner Brothers movie produced by Brad Pitt’s production company is the sort of thing you dream about when you come to work in Hollywood.

Gaz Alazraki is the director of HBO Max’s Father of the Bride (2022); writer and director of Mexico’s record-breaking comedy Nosotros los Nobles (2013); and the co-creator, executive producer, and director of Club de Cuervos (2015) — Netflix’s first original series in Spanish. He heads Alazraki Entertainment, a Mexico City-based production company focused on high-quality entertainment for audiences across Latin America and Hispanic USA.

I didn’t know what to expect, so I fell back on the fundamentals I learned from working in Mexico and found that most of those principles translated well in Hollywood. However, it was a much bigger machine and it took me a while to understand the size of the boat I was navigating.

At certain points I was intimidated by my relative experience compared to the rest of the cast and crew. But being vulnerable and sincere about my impostor syndrome led to many crew members, the cast, and Jeremy Kleiner — the film’s producer — being supportive and helping to guide me through the experience, while still allowing me to carry the weight of the leadership role. So I’m very glad I did this project because I learned more than I could have ever hoped. The end result was so positive for all of us involved. It’s the sort of experience you wish for when directing your first Hollywood film.

How did you get involved in film?

GA: I was 10 years old when my mother caught me repeating the dialogues to my favorite film (James Bond: For Your Eyes Only), and I think she felt a bit frustrated

when she politely asked: “What are you going to do with all the hours you’ve wasted watching movies?” I shrugged and told her I didn’t know, so she proposed that I become a filmmaker. I didn’t even know you could do that, but she told me that my grandfather (my father’s dad), was, in fact, a filmmaker, and I could walk in his footsteps. I was exhilarated to tell my dad that I knew what I was going to be when I grew up! “What?” He asked with a big smile. “A filmmaker!” I said. His smile collapsed: “No! Your grandfather was a filmmaker, and he ruined his family! Pick something else!”

Deflated, I put it off for another 10 years, convincing myself I was going to take over my dad’s advertising business one day. But every time I was on a commercial set, something lit up inside of me. So finally, at age 19, after getting my first big laugh from an audience during a screening of my first short film at the New York Film Academy, I walked down Sixth Avenue with my brother, looking at the sunset and told him: “I’m going to do this for the rest of my life.”

I guess sometimes the strongest “Yes” is actually a “No.”

How have you incorporated important issues like saving our oceans into your films?

[Spoiler alert!]

GA: In the third act of the Father of the Bride, the daughter’s wedding is ruined by a hurricane that destroys the venue. This leaves the father to improvise a new version of the wedding that demonstrates his

newfound skills of accepting and adapting to change.

So while we didn’t specifically dive into saving our oceans, the movie highlights the threat of climate change in creating storms so strong that they can actually take down the bridge to Star Island in Miami, which is one of the biggest cities threatened by climate change.

What originally got you interested in ocean conservation and joining Oceana’s Board of Directors?

GA: It all starts with John Varvatos. For as long as I could remember, all I ever wanted was to be successful enough to afford a John Varvatos wardrobe. I pestered their head of studio relations for years until she actually dressed me for the premiere of my first movie in Los Angeles. One day she even invited me to an event in Hollywood, where John was planning to be. I was so excited to meet him that I hopped on a plane and flew to LA, only to learn that:

A) It was NOT a fashion or a rock ‘n’ roll event in Hollywood, but an Oceana fundraiser in the Beverly Wilshire Hotel; and

B) John didn’t make it to the event! But I was seated in his actual chair when Andrew Sharpless stepped up to play a video explaining how quickly our oceans were overfished and how Oceana was using science, advocacy, grassroots, communications, and law to make a meaningful impact in many countries around the world. I felt hopeful and inspired by the existence of such an amazing organization with such an accomplished board, so when I learned that Oceana didn’t have offices in Mexico, I didn’t think twice. Even if I didn’t know anything about ocean conservation, I didn’t want to sit idly by watching the world destroy its oceans, so I did everything I could to bring Oceana

to Mexico. A few years after that, I was honored to receive an invitation to join Oceana’s Board of Directors, and my life has never been the same since. So … thank you, John Varvatos!

How important is it to have a group like Oceana in Mexico fighting for more abundant and biodiverse oceans?

GA: Mexico is only one of a few countries that has coasts on both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. With 130 million people, it’s the 10th largest nation in the world. Our oceans could be a prime source of food if they are properly managed and enforced. However, like in many other countries, our ocean laws in Mexico are weak and lack transparency. Oceana’s presence in Mexico has already resulted in getting our nation’s fishing data on Global Fishing Watch so that it’s publicly available. And we are starting to improve the laws that protect the longevity of our fisheries. Now more than ever, as energy projects seem to be aggressively developed along our coasts, it looks like we will likely have to gear up for one of our most important battles yet.

Why do you think Oceana is so successful in delivering policy victories for our oceans?

GA: The first reason is because our oceans are generous. You can see results almost immediately — at the

speed of business cycles — while other conservation efforts take longer to yield results. Second, the localization of operations by country allows Oceana to win victories at a national level. But I think what sets Oceana apart is its resultsbased system of accountability. They set their sights on targeted campaigns that must yield tangible results in limited timeframes. And their toolkit combines the best of many other NGOs — ranging from smart legal strategies backed by science to grassroots advocacy, to visible marketing campaigns. The combination of these ingredients makes Oceana one of the most exciting NGOs out there.

If you could tell Mexico’s president to do one thing to help protect our oceans, what would it be?

GA: I would ask him to picture his grandchildren living under two possible scenarios:

One is outdoors on a boat, smiling under a beautiful sunset, enjoying a day of fishing with their family.

The other one is a world where the only food people can find in the empty and polluted oceans is jellyfish.

Our responsibility is not only to our current society, but to the next generations as well, because we are only stewards of this planet.

The choice is simple.

Gaz Alazraki directing a scene during the filming of his latest movie, Father of the Bride.

Oceana Expeditions

Brave Wind and Waves to Save

Important Ocean Habitats

Oceana and Blancpain led two expeditions in the Gulf of Mexico to Alacranes Reef and Bajos del Norte to gather evidence to drive new protections.

The powder-white beaches and azure waters of Scorpion (Alacranes) Reef might seem inviting, but this cluster of coral in the Gulf of Mexico is infamous for its “sting.” Beneath Alacranes’ balmy waves lies a cemetery of ships that fell prey to the reef’s lurking hazards. In 1524, shipwrecked sailors spent almost five months on one of the reef’s desert islands, drinking the blood of seabirds to survive.

During a 2021 expedition to this remote Mexican national park and

nearby Bajos del Norte, Oceana scientists did not have to resort to such extremes, but the scorpion’s sting remained in full effect. Days of foul weather threatened a shipwreck of the team’s very own. Then an approaching hurricane sent the research vessel, the Caribbean Kraken, racing back to shore — driving a year-long wedge between the mission’s first and second halves.

This was not the only Oceana expedition that faced big risks and even bigger rewards as pandemic

restrictions eased over the last two years. In a quest to document and protect the ocean’s at-risk nurseries and other key habitats, Oceana’s teams traveled to some of the most remote corners of the globe, from the rain-drenched fjords of Patagonia to the bonechilling waters of Kodiak, Alaska. Oceana’s expeditions have helped protect nearly 4 million square miles (10 million square kilometers) of ocean habitat.

Over the last two years, Oceana scientists have traveled to some of the farthest reaches of the globe to document underwater habitats and gather evidence to win their protection.

© Oceana/Carlos Aguilera

A fishy fiesta in Scorpion Reef

Alacranes Reef lies 90 miles (140 kilometers) north of the Yucatán Peninsula, a 10-hour boat ride from the coast. While a bane to sailors, the reef’s remoteness has been a boon to sea life. As corals wither elsewhere in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean — victims of an overbuilt coastline and other threats — Alacranes has remained relatively untouched.

Its dive sites, with names like “the mushrooms” and “columns of the fine arts,” hint at the treasures below. Storms of rainbow-hued damselfish flit through underwater arches, while processions of sea turtles and nurse sharks glide between coral heads. “It was really

amazing,” said Mariana Reyna, Ph.D., Oceana’s Oceans and Fisheries Scientist and expedition leader. She recalled a fellow crew member’s surprise at the teeming reef: “She said, ‘I was afraid to move; there was so much life there. I was afraid to crash into something’.”

But the park’s secluded location has not insulated Alacranes Reef from every danger. Its old-growth colonies of elkhorn and staghorn coral were wiped out decades ago by disease, and as the Oceana team discovered, pathogens remain an ongoing threat. Invasive lionfish lurked “almost everywhere,” Reyna said, their insatiable appetites an existential threat to many species of native fish.

The team — which included scientists, 3D videographers, and a representative from expedition partner Blancpain — also spotted several boats illegally fishing, evidence of the lack of enforcement in the park. Oceana — thanks to support from Blancpain, Sobrato

Philanthropies, and the Wyss Foundation — is campaigning to boost protections in Alacranes Reef and protect Bajos del Norte, a fishing ground that is part of the same reef system as Alacranes Reef. The goal is to either declare it a separate protected area, or to absorb it into the national park. Oceana is also calling on the Mexican government to increase patrols within Alacranes Reef, and to update the park’s outdated management plan, which does not account for a recent surge in tourism.

Bajos del Norte, which stunned expedition researchers with the profusion of its marine life, forms an important shelter for juvenile fish. Safeguarding this coralencrusted nursery is vital not just to the Gulf’s biodiversity, but to the 4,000 local fishing families who rely on commercial species, such as snapper, grouper, and lobster. “If we lose these coral reef areas,” Reyna said, “we lose a way of life for many families in the Yucatán.”

A diver swims close to a school of porkfish in Alacranes Reef, a marine protected area in Mexico. Oceana conducted an expedition to the area to gather evidence for its increased protection.

A coral in Bajos del Norte, an area Oceana is campaigning to protect in Mexico.

An anemone in Alacranes Reef.

© Oceana/Carlos Aguilera

© Oceana/Juan Carlos Bonilla

© Oceana/Juan Carlos Bonilla

In Patagonia, preserving nature and tradition

Over 5,000 miles (more than 8,000 kilometers) to the south, Oceana’s Chilean team was setting out on its own wave-tossed journey to help preserve local livelihoods. Katalalixar — a far-flung maze of islands and fjords to the west of the Patagonian ice fields — is the ancestral homeland of the Kawésqar people, an Indigenous group with roughly 600 remaining members.

Beneath Katalalixar’s glacier-chilled surface lies anemones, sponges, and pastel-pink corals, swimming with fish and mammals, such as the rare Chilean dolphin. Despite its inaccessibility and punishing weather, this region is in danger — particularly from the country’s highly polluting salmon farming industry. In 2018, a years-long campaign by Oceana and local townspeople succeeded in blocking salmon pens from nearly 2,700 square miles (about 7,000 square kilometers) in Tortel, a next-door neighbor to Katalalixar.

As Oceana sought to fend off the salmon industry in other parts of Patagonia, Katalalixar — a key link between the Laguna San Rafael and Bernardo O’Higgins national parks — became essential to protect. Chile’s national conservation agency, however, had other ideas. First it asked the team to find evidence of certain rare lichens in the area’s forests, which Oceana and a partner nonprofit supplied. Then it demanded proof of Indigenous people’s support, a far trickier ask.

In response, Oceana funded a storygathering project with Kawésqar

consultants to document and map out their traditional knowledge of the local land and sea. This work then inspired the organization’s first “cultural” expedition, which paired staff with a five-member Kawésqar family on a 15-day journey.

But Patagonia is hardly a placid place, and just getting everyone to Katalalixar was a hair-raising exercise. A storm grounded the family’s connecting ferry, along with the expedition’s entire food supply. Though the Kawésqar participants finally arrived on a last-minute flight, more trials were in store. In the middle of the crossing to Katalalixar, blue skies turned black, and 3-meter waves tossed the vessel around like a bathtub toy. Then, a few days later, the expedition’s food ran out.

There are, however, worse places in the world to live off the sea. The captain, a skilled fisherman, pulled up king crabs and buckets of mussels. “We ate like kings,” Liesbeth van der Meer, DVM, the leader of Oceana in Chile, laughed.

But another highlight outshone even the free seafood buffet: Kawésqar elder Francisco Arroyo’s intimate, almost uncanny, knowledge of the sea. “He would fall asleep, and all of a sudden, he would open his eyes and know exactly where we were,” van der Meer recalled. Arroyo knew precisely where to find conger eels, or shellfish, or even plastic pollution, leaving the crew in awe.

Footage from the expedition is now being turned into a documentary film, which will premiere in January 2023. The goal is to bring national attention to the Kawésqar and their home in Katalalixar, and to generate support for banning salmon farming in this area, which can have devastating impacts on the surrounding marine ecosystem. Van der Meer emphasized that the Kawésqar are the protagonists of this story, with Oceana playing a supporting role. “We’re always the scientists, teaching people about the ocean,” she said. “This time, they actually taught us everything.”

Oceana’s team in Chile embarked on its first cultural expedition this year alongside members of the Kawésqar Indigenous community to document the Katalalixar area.

Oceana is campaigning for greater protections from salmon farming in the Katalalixar National Reserve in Chilean Patagonia.

© Oceana/Lucas Zañartu

© Oceana/Valeria Fuentas

On the opposite side of the globe, Oceana’s Gulf of Alaska expedition, supported by the Becht Foundation and the Krupp Foundation, had plenty of commonalities with its Patagonian counterpart: frigid water, nasty weather, and special guest appearances from two Chilean team members, Oceana Science Director Matthias Gorny, Ph.D., and Oceana’s robotic submarine. While rough seas chased the team into sheltered bays and fjords on a few occasions, the team took it in stride. “You have to be really adaptable and have lots of different options for an expedition,” said Oceana Campaign

Manager and Senior Scientist Jonathan Warrenchuk. “You have to have options b, c, and d.”

All those different options made for a busy vessel. The remotecontrolled submarine was finicky and repair-prone, while a loaded schedule meant team members often stayed awake until 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. to retrieve “drop cams” once they had bobbed to the surface. All that effort, though, paid off. Underwater footage revealed unexpected sights, from kelp forests and deep-sea hydrocorals to lingcod “stacked up like cordwood,” Warrenchuk recalled. Evening rewatches of the day’s films revealed “all sorts of little surprises,” from hidden octopuses to rockfish dozing in sponges.

All the while, a who’s who of Alaskan wildlife put on a spectacular show, with Kodiak brown bears patrolling the shoreline, and sea otters, fin

whales, and raucous flocks of albatross roaming offshore. A curious young fur seal, who spent half an hour investigating the boat, was a particular delight for the crew.

Not all the surprises, however, were happy ones. In areas up to 3,300 feet deep, where bottom trawlers had plowed up the seafloor, it was far less biodiverse, with corals snapped off at the base, or missing entirely. The aftermath of these deadly scenes threatens the health and productivity of this unique marine ecosystem. The Gulf of Alaska is the last major region along the west coasts of the U.S. and Canada that remains open to bottom trawling. Oceana will now use the expedition’s discoveries to campaign for “freezing the footprint” of bottom trawling, preventing this destructive fishing method from expanding into so-far untouched zones.

“Freezing the footprint” in the Gulf of Alaska

An albatross enjoys lunch in the Gulf of Alaska.

A bat star, hydrocoral, and an anemone captured on the Alaska seafloor.

Oceana scientists prepare to deploy a remotely operated vehicle to capture images of the seafloor in the Gulf of Alaska.

© Oceana © Oceana

© Oceana

Signs of life amid Spain’s trawl scars and plastic pollution

In the Alboran Sea, east of the Mediterranean’s Strait of Gibraltar, the fourth and final of Oceana’s 2022 expeditions revealed just how bad things can get when trawlers run rampant. “In some areas we found almost nothing living on the seabed,” said Oceana Senior

Advisor and expedition leader Ricardo Aguilar. Whether seagrass meadows, sandy beds of sea fans, or deep-sea reefs, “most of them have disappeared because of the trawlers.”

The worst trawling marks uncovered by the expedition were within a string of marine protected areas along the Spanish coast. Given the fact that corals, sponges, and other reef-building species can take tens to hundreds of years to regrow, these findings were particularly worrisome. Even the area’s seagrass meadows, Aguilar explained, are less like lawns and more like old-growth forests, taking

at least a century to fully recover after trawls have plowed them up.

Scars from fishing gear were not the only signs of harm. At several sites, the team recorded more wet wipes than fish — the stomach-turning evidence of untreated sewage dumping. Several marine canyons were found clogged with trash.

Still, there were signs of hope. Researchers were thrilled to discover a reef carpeted in soft corals and vivid sponges — most notably the common antlers sponge, which has disappeared across most of its range and is protected under a set of Mediterraneanspecific conservation laws. With so little untrawled habitat left in the Alboran Sea, this reef represents a particularly important refuge for fish and other animals.

Oceana will use the evidence gathered from this expedition to campaign for the Spanish government and the European Union to end bottom trawling in all their marine protected areas. “They should not allow destructive fishing gear, destructive activities like oil exploration, and waste in these areas,” Aguilar said. “Some very good areas remain that are wellpreserved, but they are under threat because of bottom trawling.”

The Alboran Sea did have one thing in common with the other recent expeditions: bad weather. This stretch of ocean, normally mirror-flat and blazingly sunny, howled with high winds during the expedition, at times making it too dangerous to leave protected ports. Considering all the threats that the ocean faces, some foul moods are understandable. Regardless of any “sting” — scorpion or otherwise — Oceana will continue exploring the seas from pole to pole to secure victories that will restore the oceans.

The Ranger catamaran in the Alboran Sea. Oceana documented plastic pollution and trawl marks in the area to gather evidence for its campaigns.

Oceana found evidence of plastic pollution and untreated sewage dumping.

A red sea star nestled among sponges and anemones in the Alboran Sea.

© Oceana/Enrique Talledo

© Oceana/Enrique Talledo

© Oceana/Enrique Talledo

A diver and remotely operated vehicle ascend back to the Ranger after surveying the waters of the Alboran Sea in Spain. During the June 2022 expedition, Oceana discovered trawl marks on the seafloor including in marine protected areas (MPAs). The habitat damaged from bottom trawling can take tens to hundreds of years to regrow. Oceana is campaigning to end destructive bottom trawling in all EU MPAs.

Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke about the importance of transparency at the launch of Global Fishing Watch in 2016.

Spotlight on the Seas

How Oceana uses Global Fishing Watch to conserve the oceans.

In July 2018, the Spanish government fined two fishing vessels for “going dark,” aka disabling their automatic identification system (AIS) for more than 1,000 hours over several years. Turning off AIS — the device that shares a ship’s direction, speed, location, and identification every 2 to 30 seconds — is dangerous, as these transmissions help prevent vessel collisions and promote transparency of fishing operations.

So how did the Spanish government know to call out these two bad actors when there are thousands of Spanish-flagged vessels out at sea? They were alerted about the questionable behavior by Oceana, which used Global Fishing Watch’s public map to track the ships’ whereabouts.

María José Cornax conducted similar investigative work by hand many years ago. While a campaign manager at Oceana in Europe, Cornax tediously tracked the movements of a single Spanish vessel by its AIS transmissions. Oceana’s Chief Policy Officer, Jacqueline Savitz, recalled Cornax plotting the ship’s location every hour, using the dots created on the map to determine whether it was fishing or transiting. Her efforts led to an illuminating find: The vessel was fishing in an area where it did not have a license to operate.

Soon after, a Google staff member told Savitz they could get AIS data. That’s when Savitz had a lightbulb moment. What was taking Cornax months to do — tracking a fishing vessel’s activities hour by hour — could actually be done very quickly by computers. And not just for one boat, but also for all other AIS-transmitting boats globally. “I remember emailing her afterwards and listing all the things we could do if we had those data. We could see when people were fishing in places they weren’t supposed to

be, like marine protected areas, or fishing for things they weren’t supposed to be fishing for.”

Savitz soon found herself in a meeting with Google and SkyTruth, a nonprofit using satellite data to monitor environmental threats. SkyTruth’s team had a similar idea to Savitz’s. Together, the trifecta created Global Fishing Watch in 2016, an independent nonprofit that provides a free and easy online tool that uses satellite technology to give the public an unprecedented ability to view and track commercial fishing activity worldwide.

Since its inception, Oceana has used the Global Fishing Watch platform to identify fishing trends at sea and spotlight bad actors. In 2020, Oceana used the Global Fishing Watch map to pinpoint nearly 300 Chinese vessels fishing the waters off the Galapagos Marine Reserve, likely for squid, for more than 73,000 hours in just one month. Oceana also spotted some Chinese vessels that were disabling their tracking devices and engaging in other suspicious activities.

The exposé raised serious alarms around the world about the impact

China’s massive fleet is having on the oceans.

Back in Spain, Oceana used Global Fishing Watch data in its campaign to expand Cabrera National Park, an area south of Mallorca, home to rich marine life, including corals, dolphins, and whales. Oceana showed the area proposed for expansion was not heavily fished and would therefore not have a big economic impact on fisheries in the region. This helped make the case to the government, which officially expanded the park nearly tenfold in 2018, making it the second-largest marine park in the Mediterranean.

Broadening horizons

Despite its groundbreaking technology, Global Fishing Watch’s beginnings presented new challenges. “There were some areas where we didn’t have a lot of data because of where the satellites were located or because there was so much ship traffic that it was blocking out the fishing vessels,” Savitz explained. Another source of information — the vessel monitoring system (VMS) installed on some industrial fleets — could help fill in some gaps on the Global Fishing

In 2020, Oceana used Global Fishing Watch to expose nearly 300 Chinese vessels fishing the waters off the Galapagos Marine Reserve for more than 73,000 hours in just one month.

Watch map, but it was not publicly available.

VMS devices are tamper-proof, and they transmit a signal once an hour. They are typically more powerful than AIS and less likely to lose their signal, whereas AIS provides more real-time information. Together, the two technologies can work in tandem to form an even more useful tool.

With this knowledge, Oceana used its proven campaign approach to persuade governments to share their VMS data and publish it on the Global Fishing Watch map. First, Oceana succeeded in Peru in 2017, when the government agreed to share its VMS data — making it the first nation in South America to do so. As one of the world’s most significant fishing nations, and home to an enormous anchovy fishery, Peru’s collaboration with Global Fishing Watch set an important precedent and made it easier to identify, track, and stop illegal

fishing in Peru’s waters and empower the government to enforce its laws more effectively.

From there, Oceana was instrumental in securing a string of victories in Belize, Brazil, Mexico, and Chile, which all shared their VMS data with Global Fishing Watch. Additional countries that have already shared their VMS data with Global Fishing Watch include Norway, Benin, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Papua New Guinea.

“Transparency and collaboration are driving real change on the water, helping put an end to illegal fishing and other destructive practices,” said Tony Long, CEO of Global Fishing Watch. “As more countries share their vessel tracking data on our map, our global view of fishing activity comes into focus, enabling better ocean governance.”

Securing VMS data was just the tip of the iceberg for Oceana. “We

have found so many ways to use data from Global Fishing Watch to advance our campaigns and win victories for the oceans,” Savitz said. Oceana has even used the Global Fishing Watch platform to create its own vessel tracking platforms: Ship Speed Watch, to monitor vessel speeds in areas where critically endangered North Atlantic right whales navigate, and Karagatan Patrol, which polices the waters of the Philippines to deter illegal fishing.

Slowing down to save whales

Since 2019, Oceana has campaigned in the United States and Canada to save North Atlantic right whales from extinction. Only around 330 of these animals remain.

North Atlantic right whales migrate seasonally from the northern Atlantic waters of New England and Canada to the warmer southeast

In 2017, following campaigning by Oceana, at least 1,300 of Peru’s industrial fishing vessels, most of which were previously undetected by GFW’s automatic identification system (AIS) data, were made public on the GFW map.

Atlantic waters. The whales are dark in color and difficult to spot, swim slowly at the water’s surface, and lack a dorsal fin. Combined, these characteristics have put right whales in the direct path of two major threats: ship strikes and fishing gear entanglements.

At high speeds, vessels simply cannot maneuver to avoid these slow swimmers, putting the whales at great risk of being struck. A collision can cause deadly injuries from blunt-force trauma or cuts from propellers.

Slowing ships down could help reduce collisions with right whales, but many speed limits set by the U.S. and Canadian governments have been voluntary, leading to low compliance and an inability to conduct enforcement.

Using Global Fishing Watch data about vessel speed and direction from both fishing and shipping vessels, Oceana created a standalone platform — Ship Speed Watch — in 2020 to monitor ship speeds along the migratory route of the right whales. “Most of the speeding happens beyond the horizon,” Gib Brogan, Oceana Campaign Director, said. “Observing these vessels and checking for compliance with speed limits has been very difficult. Now with Ship Speed Watch, the public and government enforcement agencies can monitor speeding ships from their desk.”

Ship Speed Watch has proven to be a powerful platform, showing where vessels are ignoring the speed zones designed to protect right whales. In 2021, Oceana found that speeding boats are rampant throughout the whales’ route along the U.S. East Coast, in both the mandatory and voluntary speed zones. In Canada, though compliance is high in the mandatory zones, Oceana found this year that most vessels did not

abide by the voluntary slowdown in a key right whale migratory area, the Cabot Strait.

“Ship Speed Watch has allowed us to paint a clear picture of this problem. We’ve been able to show both the U.S. and Canadian governments that their voluntary restrictions aren’t being taken seriously,” Brogan added.

And the U.S. federal government took note. After confirming Oceana’s data from Ship Speed Watch and verifying through their own analysis, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) released a new proposed vessel speed rule in July that aims to reduce the risk of vessel strikes to North Atlantic right whales. This updated proposal contains critical changes, such as including vessels greater than 35 feet in length (compared to

the previous 65 feet), expanding seasonal speed zones, and upgrading current voluntary speed zones to mandatory in areas where whales are seen.

The proposed rule has undergone a public comment period, and when the final rule is published, enforcement will be key. Experts at NMFS say that to save the right whales, ship speed compliance needs to be close to 100%, Brogan added.

“We don’t want a marine mammal going extinct on our watch,” said Beth Lowell, Oceana’s Vice President for the United States. “With Ship Speed Watch and a strong new rule to slow down vessels, we are giving North Atlantic right whales a fighting chance at survival.”

A North Atlantic right whale is marked with scars from a vessel’s propellers. Oceana is campaigning to slow ships down to reduce collisions with these endangered whales.

Using Ship Speed Watch, Oceana found speeding vessels are rampant on the whales’ migratory route along the U.S. East Coast.

© NOAA

Shining a bright light on illegal fishing

In the Philippines, commercial fishing vessels are known to encroach upon the country’s municipal waters, which are reserved for artisanal fishers. “It impacts the health of the habitats because some of the vessels use destructive fishing methods,” Danny Ocampo, Oceana’s Senior Campaign Director in the Philippines, explained. “The municipal and artisanal fisherfolk cannot compete with the technology, the gear, and the capacity of these commercial vessels.”

In some instances, locals have reported not being able to catch anything for a week or so after commercial fishing vessels enter their municipal waters. This means lost income and lost nutritious food. “We are considered one of the centers of marine biodiversity and nearshore fish species, but our

fisherfolk are among the poorest of the poor in Philippine society,” Ocampo added.

When browsing Philippine waters on the Global Fishing Watch map, there is not much to see, especially when compared to other countries’ waters that have both AIS and VMS data available on the map. While vessel monitoring systems are now required on vessels in the Philippines, following campaigning by Oceana and its allies, the adoption of the law is still quite slow. VMS data is still held closely by the government and compliance is only around 50% of qualified commercial fishing vessels.

Despite these challenges, Oceana was keen to increase transparency in the Philippines. In 2019, Oceana teamed up with the League of Municipalities to create a new tool called Karagatan Patrol (“karagatan” translates to “sea” in Filipino) to empower fisherfolk, scientists, government officials,

and other stakeholders to protect their municipal waters from illegal commercial fishing.

First, the duo created the Karagatan Patrol Facebook group to allow the public, fishers, and law enforcement to post information about apparent illegal fishing in their local waters. These instances are often recorded at night because the commercial fishing vessels with bright lights can be seen from shore. A post or message to the Facebook group — either by Oceana or members of the platform — would alert the enforcement agencies and local governments who have jurisdiction over municipal waters of the alleged activity, who could directly inspect the vessel’s activity.

These bright lights are also trackable by a technology called the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), another satellite technology that captures visible and infrared images

Oceana’s Karagatan Patrol, which tracks fishing vessels’ bright lights through satellites, reported commercial fishing vessels illegally encroaching on the municipal waters of Tawi-Tawi, as shown by the red dots in the map above, on Sept. 14, 2020 (left). Oceana quickly alerted local government officials, who apprehended the five vessels before the following day on Sept. 15, 2020 (right).

emitted by vessels at night. Access to VIIRS data was essential in taking Karagatan Patrol to the next level, said Jessie Floren, Oceana’s Database Administrator, who helped Oceana launch the accompanying Karagatan Patrol web application.

“We drew so much inspiration from Global Fishing Watch when creating this platform,” Floren said. The Karagatan Patrol map allows the public to see VIIRS data in Philippine waters in near real time. “With VIIRS data and interaction from scientists, fisherfolk, civil society organizations, and academia, we’ve created a really powerful tool.”

Data from Karagatan Patrol has been key in convincing national and local law enforcement and other governmental officials to reduce illegal fishing in their municipalities. Oceana sends a quarterly publication to local governments of the top “hot spots” where apparent illegal commercial fishing is most rampant.

In one instance, Floren recalled working with law enforcement in Tawi-Tawi, one of the southernmost regions of the Philippines that was

consistently among the top 20 on Oceana’s illegal fishing hotspot list. Officials in the region were keen to take action and get their municipality off the list. Upon receiving near real-time data from Oceana, they were able to simultaneously apprehend about five commercial fishing vessels.

Endless possibilities

In just a few short years, Global Fishing Watch has shined a spotlight on fishing vessel activity around the world and has helped power Oceana’s campaign efforts to increase transparency, stop

illegal fishing, and restore ocean abundance. From developing new tools like Karagatan Patrol that empower local communities, to saving megafauna at the brink of extinction, to protecting key marine habitats around the world, the possibilities and potential to be discovered on Global Fishing Watch seem endless.

“Global Fishing Watch raised the bar for everyone. Now fishing vessels are visible and it’s the norm,” Lowell said. “By building and acting on this information, we can increase transparency in fishing. That’s the way we’re going to have healthy oceans.”

In the Philippines, municipal waters are reserved for local artisanal fisherfolk. Using Karagatan Patrol, Oceana is helping to ensure their waters are protected from illegal commercial fishing.

© Oceana/Danny Ocampo

Global Fishing Watch raised the bar for everyone. Now fishing vessels are visible and it’s the norm. By building and acting on this information, we can increase transparency in fishing. That’s the way we’re going to have healthy oceans.

– Beth Lowell, Oceana’s Vice President for the United States

Oceana’s victories over the last year

Chilean court orders salmon farming company to release antibiotics data

U.S. state of California enacts boldest plastic pollution reduction policy in the nation

Canada eliminates production, sale, and export of six types of ocean-polluting single-use plastics

U.S. national parks protected from single-use plastics

U.S. state of Maine rejects permit for fish farm that would pollute the ocean right outside of Acadia National Park

New at-sea monitoring requirements will strengthen accountability and abundance of groundfish fishery in Northeast United States

New safeguards set by Canadian government will help rebuild fish stocks

Spain curbs ocean-polluting single-use plastics through new waste law

Fisheries and Oceans Canada protects two critically depleted forage fish

Coca-Cola pledges to reduce single-use plastic bottles, increase refillables

Norwegian insurance company Hydor ends coverage of three blacklisted fishing vessels

Philippines government protects marine ecosystems and fishers from harmful coastal development projects

New law in U.S. state of New York will reduce plastic waste in hotels

Mexico ushers in greater transparency by publicly tracking fishing vessel activity

Endangered shortfin mako shark in the Atlantic gets a fighting chance at survival with new protections

Brazil publishes vessel tracking data for its commercial fishing fleet

Major European marine insurance companies take action to deter illegal fishing

Major global insurance company AXA XL introduces transparency requirement for insured fishing vessels

Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean strengthens transparency requirements for fishing vessels

With the help of its allies, Oceana has won 19 victories in the last 12 months

Marc Hayek, President and CEO of Blancpain, on why the time to act for the oceans is now

Since he was a child, Marc Hayek has been amazed by the ocean, with its beauty and mysteries waiting to be discovered below the surface. Now, as an avid diver and CEO of Swiss luxury watchmaker Blancpain, Hayek has created and nurtures the Blancpain Ocean Commitment, an ocean exploration and conservation initiative. “The ocean is the cradle of life and the key for our survival. Its health is vital to ensure a future for our children,” Hayek said.

Since the 1953 birth of Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms watch, the world’s first modern diving watch, the company wasted no time connecting with the world’s oceans and the communities dedicated to their preservation. Through the Blancpain Ocean Commitment, Blancpain provides a platform to raise awareness of ocean issues, supports multiple ocean conservation initiatives around the globe, and has co-financed dozens of exploratory missions, including 21 major scientific expeditions, such as recent Oceana expeditions to the Alacranes and Bajos del Norte reefs in Mexico. To date, Blancpain has contributed to the establishment of more than 4.7 million square kilometers of marine protected areas (MPAs).

“Exploration is essential because we still know very little about the ocean. The deep sea is not easily accessible and therefore barely explored, but shallow and mesophotic areas also remain poorly known,” Hayek said. “You first need to know what to preserve and how to preserve it to be able to ensure efficient conservation efforts.”

In a recent expedition to Alacranes Reef, the largest reef in the southern Gulf of Mexico, Oceana and Blancpain found evidence of illegal fishing, diseased corals, and possible signs of overfishing, all worrying conditions that threaten Mexico’s rich biodiversity. Despite these concerning findings, the team also identified some previously undocumented species and the recolonization of elkhorn coral, a species that builds refuge and feeding areas for other marine life, suggesting that this reef can thrive under further protection.

“Almost every expedition we have supported has allowed us to discover or document new species. Some of these species are critically endangered, and we risk losing them before even knowing about their existence. It is imperative for humankind to be aware of the consequences of species destruction and ecosystems imbalance.”

As a passionate diver, ocean conservationist, and underwater photographer, Hayek has spent hours at sea witnessing the threats marine life and ocean habitats face without proper protections and oversight. Hayek says poor management of industrial fishing fleets is leading to intense collateral damage.

“Too many fish and habitats, such as seagrass beds, are destroyed by industrial fishing,” Hayek said, pointing especially to bottom trawling, a highly destructive fishing practice that can clear-cut seafloors. “Fishing should be better regulated and controlled, in a strictly equivalent way in all countries and by neutral organizations.”

Moving forward, Blancpain, under Hayek’s leadership, hopes to continue using findings from its expeditions to establish long-lasting protections for marine life and habitats, like creating more MPAs and ensuring they are effectively managed.

“We have done a lot of work in raising awareness of the beauty of the ocean and exploring the underwater world. These two components are still at the center of our preoccupations, but it’s now time to take a step forward. Because after awareness and understanding comes action,” Hayek added.

“As the world’s largest organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation, Oceana has an impressive power and impact of communication and action. Oceana has also been instrumental in deploying initiatives such as Global Fishing Watch, which provides open-source data to researchers and to the public. It is an ideal partner to achieve concrete results.”

© Blancpain

Ask Dr. Pauly

Why are we giving subsidies to the fishing industry?

Subsidies are government funds or other benefits, such as lower taxes, awarded to certain economic sectors or industries. Subsidies to fisheries are nothing new.

From the 17th-19th centuries, the sail-driven navies of leading European powers — notably England, France, and the Netherlands — required huge numbers of experienced sailors for their all-too-frequent wars. The fishing industries of the time trained and employed thousands of sailors, and thus these countries have a well-documented history of subsidizing their fishing fleets. The idea was to prevent the fishing fleets from shedding sailors during

periods of fish scarcities, and thus, for the navies to become unable to crew their man-o-wars.

Nowadays, we don’t have this excuse (if it ever was one) for fishing subsidies, which are now one of the major drivers of global overfishing. This can be readily explained: Fishing reduces abundance, and overfishing even more. At some point, revenue from fishing no longer covers its costs. This is a clear signal that fish populations should be allowed to rebuild.

Subsidies, however, keep the fishing industry from hearing the clear message that nature sends.

Dr. Daniel Pauly is the founder and principal investigator of the Sea Around Us project at the University of British Columbia’s Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, as well as an Oceana Board Member.

Subsidies harm marine life and increase the already substantial carbon footprint of industrial fisheries. The World Trade Organization reached an agreement earlier this year to address this issue, but it was a hollow one, according to Dr. Pauly.

abundance that nature provides; exploited. In the worst cases, the amount to about $35 billion USD, billon USD of these subsidies are “capacity-enhancing”.2

Because they are a major driver of markets” (which is a thing, though probably a rare one), the ranges from neo-liberal economists

community. Thus, the hope of many groups was that the World

Ten years ago, I was at the WTO, as

to see subsidies as what they are: prevented the consensus necessary to reach a subsidies phaseout agreement.

reached, but sadly, a close

22(1-2),

it is a hollow outcome full of loopholes.

So, although we are almost back

they destroy marine life, they drive

Also, subsidies exacerbate equity because they are overwhelmingly help — improving the quality and pressure.

183-208; Poulsen, B. (2008). Dutch herring: an environmental history, c. 1600-1860 (Vol. 3). Amsterdam University Press.

© Oceana/Carlos Minguell

New York Gala

On Sept. 13, distinguished business, philanthropic, and cultural leaders gathered at Rockefeller Center’s Rainbow Room for Oceana’s annual New York Gala to celebrate and support the organization’s mission to restore the health and abundance of the world’s oceans.

The event raised $1.6 million in support of Oceana’s global campaigns and featured Oceana Board Member and master of ceremonies Ted Danson; Oceana Board Members and gala chairs Susan Rockefeller and David Rockefeller; Oceana Board Chair Sam Waterston, and Oceana Board Member and professional big wave surfer Maya Gabeira, among others.

The Gala honored the Marisla Foundation, one of the original five foundations that established Oceana in 2001. Oceana Board Members Beto Bedolfe and Sara Lowell accepted the award on behalf of the foundation. Marisla’s leadership and generosity has created marine protected areas, strengthened fisheries policies, restored habitats, and stopped ocean pollution around the world.

Oceana CEO Andrew Sharpless delivered keynote remarks laying out Oceana’s next approach in its “Save the Oceans, Feed the World” strategy — focusing not just on who catches the most fish, but also who needs fish the most.

Oceana CEO Andrew Sharpless addressed guests at the New York Gala about the important role fish consumption can play in providing essential micronutrients for those who are food-insecure.

Regina K. Scully, Gally Mayer, Kara Ross, and Oceana Board Members Susan Rockefeller and Ted Danson.

© BFA/Angela Pham

© Rob Rich

Oceana Board Members Ted Danson, Sara Lowell, Beto Bedolfe, and Sam Waterston. Lowell and Bedolfe accepted an award on behalf of the Marisla Foundation.

© BFA/Angela Pham

“There are over 740 million people on this planet who rely on the oceans to meet their economic or nutritional needs. Over and over, research has shown that fish consumption improves nutrition for the food-insecure,” Sharpless told attendees.

Over the past nine years, Oceana’s New York Gala has raised more than $13 million to help deliver policy victories for the oceans. “Oceana is restoring wild fish populations so that people have access to a healthy and climate-friendly protein that can feed local communities, provide critical nutrition, and support livelihoods,” Susan Rockefeller told guests. “Because of your support and because you are here tonight, Oceana can deliver tangible results every day for the oceans, for our planet, and for the next generation.”

The gala was also co-chaired by Kay and Frank Fernandez, Agnes Gund, Kelly and Jim Hallman, Melony and Adam Lewis, Dede McMahon, Northern Trust, Regina K. and John H. Scully, Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III, Oceana Board Member Jean Weiss and her husband Tim Weiss, and Linda and Larry Weiss.

The event’s vice chairs included Barbara Cohn, JP Morgan, Konica Minolta, Andrew Sabin, Samriti and Scott Seltzer, Leslie and Robert Zemeckis, and Mercedes Zobel. Corporate partner attendees included Andrew Handschin, Maria Escovar, and Sunny Kil from Blancpain; Marsh Mokhtari and Jan Livingston from Gray Whale Gin, with Bill Deutsch, Founder and Chairman of Deutsch Family Wine and Spirits; and Jonathan Propper, Founder and CEO of Dropps. Additional attendees included Robert Nederlander, Jr. from Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment, Oliver Niedermaier from Tau Investments, Glenda Pedroso and John Hoffman from Northern Trust, and Natasha Krupp from JP Morgan.

Blancpain returned as this year’s Presenting Partner and donated two of its renowned Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe watches to the event auction. Other featured auctions items were donated by Amanyara Turks and Caicos, Hamanasi Adventure & Dive Resort Belize, Hidden Doorways Travel, Lindblad Expeditions, Maritz Global Events, PONANT, The Ritz Carlton South Beach, and Six Senses.

The night concluded with a lively dance party led by musical guest The Rakiem Walker Project.

Oceana Board Members Sam Waterston, Susan Rockefeller, Ted Danson, and David Rockefeller, Jr.

Oceana Board Member and event co-chair Susan Rockefeller, Blancpain representatives Andrew Handschin and Maria Escovar, Oceana CEO Andrew Sharpless, Oceana Board Member Ted Danson, and Blancpain representative Sunny Kil.

Event co-chairs Kelly Hallman, Kay Hernandez, and Dede McMahon.

Northern Trust representatives John Popa and John Lee; Oceana Board Member Ted Danson; and Northern Trust representatives Glenda Pedroso and Dan McSwiggan.

© BFA/Angela Pham

© Rob Rich

© Rob Rich

© Rob Rich

With Scallops, Soba, and Spinach Miso Soup

© Jim Henkens

Scallops are a tasty delicacy you can often find seared in a delicious garlicky, buttery sauce at fine-dining establishments. In this recipe, you will find a twist on this succulent seafood favorite from Mark Bittman, renowned food journalist. According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program, most scallop options are relatively sustainable. The best practice is to look for farmed scallops or weathervane scallops from Alaska when purchasing at your local supermarket or fishmonger. Unlike many other species, farmed scallops are a better alternative to their open-water counterparts, in part because they use a practice known as off-bottom culture, which does not impact the ocean floor. Farmed scallops and other bivalves do not need to be fed because they filter particles from the ocean water and are thus generally a more environmentally friendly option.

Below, Bittman explains the two other key ingredients to this scallop recipe: dashi and miso.

Dashi

Japanese stock, dashi, is a real change from chicken or vegetable broth, and since the main ingredients are sea greens and bonito flakes*— a type of dried fish that you can find now in many supermarkets — it’s as simple as steeping tea. It’s easy to do while you assemble the soup and worth using an extra pot. Feel free to vary the vegetables based on whatever you like and have handy.

Miso

Keeping a tub of miso in the fridge should be a habit. This fermented soybean paste adds tremendous flavor to soups, sauces, rubs, and marinades. It’s easy to use and keeps forever. Always buy miso in paste form, not powdered or instant. You’ll find it at many supermarkets and always at Japanese or Asian markets. The darker the miso, the more assertive the taste. White and yellow varieties are mild with a touch of sweetness (that’s what I usually use for miso soup); red, brown, and black misos all taste a bit stronger, more tangy from the fermentation. You use them all the same way.

* Sea greens generally have a low environmental footprint, and responsibly sourced bonito flakes can also be found.

Mark Bittman’s Miso Soup

With Scallops, Soba, and Spinach

Serves: 4

Time: Less than 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 large piece dried kelp (kombu; 4 to 6 inches long)

1 bunch spinach (1 pound)

8 ounces sea scallops

½ cup dried bonito flakes

8 ounces soba noodles

Instructions

⅓ cup any miso

Pinch of five-spice or black pepper Salt

• Put the dried kelp and 8 cups water in a large pot over medium heat. Bring another large pot of water to boil; salt it.

o Trim off any thick stems from the spinach and chop the leaves.

o Cut each scallop crosswise into two or three thin rounds.

• When the water with the kelp just starts to bubble, turn off the heat, remove the kelp (you can save it for stir-fries if you want), and stir in ½ cup bonito flakes. (The broth is the dashi.)

• When the pot of salted water comes to a boil, add 8 ounces soba noodles. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are barely tender, 3 to 5 minutes.

• When the noodles are ready, drain them and rinse under warm water, then return them to the pot. Add the spinach and put the raw scallop slices on top.

• Strain all but 1 cup of the dashi into the pot with the noodles and cover. Return the pot to high heat. Cook undisturbed until it just starts to bubble, the scallops are barely opaque at the center, and the spinach is tender, 3 to 5 minutes.

o Strain the remaining dashi into a small bowl. Add ⅓ cup miso and whisk until smooth.

• When the soup is ready, turn off the heat and stir the miso mixture into the pot.

• Taste and add more salt if necessary. Serve with a sprinkle of five-spice or pepper over the top.

From How to Cook Everything Fast, Revised

Edition by Mark Bittman

Copyright © 2022 by Mark Bittman.

Reprinted by permission of Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Mark Bittman is an award-winning food journalist, author, and former columnist for The New York Times His new book, How to Cook Everything Fast, Revised Edition, was released in September.

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