Issue 69 - February 2021

Frontline Workers Honored with Free Dive Vacations in Yap

The remote island of Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia is among the few places in the world that remains free of Covid-19 thanks to its ocean border and a strict travel ban that has kept its residents safe.

Nonetheless, Yap has been affected, too. As one of the world’s premier, award-winning destinations for divers, this paradisiacal location in the western Pacific Ocean has had no outside visitors to its rich shores and reef for nearly a year. But while there may be no virus, the island hasn’t been cut off from the economic impact experienced around the globe.

That didn’t stop Bill Acker, CEO and founder of the Manta Ray Bay Resort and Yap Divers, from doing something, though.

Last March, soon after the island went into lockdown, Bill began to realize the effect of the virus on daily life beyond the island. “Yes, we are closed, have no divers, had to send our employees home and prepare for difficult times,” he said. “But we’re lucky in that we have, for the most part, avoided the human suffering and death this pandemic has caused.”

Thinking about the problems faced by his family business, they paled when he compared them to those endured by the healthcare workers who have been fighting selflessly around the clock for months on end for the well-being and lives of others.

“One evening, while checking the news online, I saw pictures of frontline workers who were tending to desperately ill and dying people when families and friends could not be with their loved ones. It was heartbreaking,” he added.

The next day, a meeting was held with the resort’s staff and Bill invited suggestions for ways they could do something to honor healthcare workers. The result was the idea to award twenty divers who are working on the frontline to save other’s lives during this pandemic while risking their own, with a free week at the resort.

Divers around the world who had been guests at Manta Ray Bay in the past were invited to submit the names of candidates for the award by December 31, 2020. “We received nominations for 126 individuals from as far away as Germany, the U.S., Australia and Canada,” he said. “It was not easy choosing the winners but our committee of staff members took on the job and selected the 20 finalists.”

“While trying to choose the people to reward for their hard work during this Covid-19 crisis,” Bill added, “by reading the nominations we saw that every one of the nominees was doing things above and beyond the call of duty. Sadly, we don’t have the finances to offer over 100 free weeks in Yap, but we do want to recognize the contributions all of them are making to our world. So, we are offering the rest of the nominees a free week of diving in Yap which includes room, hotel tax, airport transfers, breakfast, diving and Wi-Fi. The only requirement is that they travel with at least three other people and stay in two rooms or more.”

“We do not yet know when Yap will open its borders,” said Bill, “but when it does, we will welcome these important guests to Yap to relax and dive with the manta rays and the other beautiful denizens of the ocean surrounding our island home. They are the true heroes of this devastating, historic time and we look forward to honoring them with a well-deserved dive vacation.

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Issue 69 - February 2021

SEVENSEAS Travel Magazine – February 2021 – Issue 69

Cover Issue 69 Feb 2021 — Cover Art: CEM-Europe

Winter Solstice Present to the Earth: Ivory Coast creates its first Marine Protected Area at Grand Béréby

The Government of Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) announced its first Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Grand-Béréby. Under Professor Joseph Séka SEKA’s chairmanship, Minister of the Environment and Sustainable Development a major ceremony took place on-site, with strong involvement of the local communities and high-level participation of different national ministries, UN representatives, and international guests, including the ambassador of Sweden. Read more…

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Sea Anemones Find Sweet Arrangement with Under-Skin Algae for Emergency Food Source

Every species needs a backup strategy when food is difficult to find. For sea anemones, Plan B is their symbiotic relationship with tiny algae living under their skin. University of California, Irvine biologists have published findings describing how anemones control this remarkable interaction. Read more…

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ANGARI Foundation to Premiere ‘Generation Ocean: Sharks’ 360 Film

ANGARI Foundation is excited to announce the release of its 360 film “Generation Ocean: Sharks,” premiering on January 27, 2021. The second of the “Generation Ocean” series, this short film follows Florida Atlantic University (FAU) shark scientist Stephen Kajiura and his research team from the FAU Elasmobranch Lab as they study the well-known blacktip shark migration, a natural phenomenon that brings blacktip populations down the eastern coast of the United States to South Florida every winter. Read more…

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Frontline Workers Honored with Free Dive Vacations in Yap

The remote island of Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia is among the few places in the world that remains free of Covid-19 thanks to its ocean border and a strict travel ban that has kept its residents safe. Read more…

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Methane-Busting Seaweed Farms on Track for 2021 Production

Construction of the first farm and processing plant to turn red seaweed into a feed supplement for cows to reduce their methane production by 90 per cent is expected to begin mid-next year in South Australia. Sustainable agriculture company CH4 plans to build its first two facilities in South Australia with further ‘eco-parks’ planned in the state and in New Zealand. Read more…

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What Do Homeowners Think About Climate Change?

Since the late 1800s, the global temperature of Earth has increased by 1 degree Celsius(or 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit). Studies suggest that if we stay on the same emissions path we are on today, the global temperature will increase 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2040 and 2 degrees Celsius by 2100. Read more…

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Feature Destination: Grand Béréby: Ivory Coast’s first Marine Protected Area

Home to 1625 species of fish, not to mention sea turtles, whales, and dolphins, the Great Barrier Reef is a place where the best of Queensland marine life encounters are pretty much guaranteed. With 2300km of coral reef stretching from Bundaberg all the way up to Cape York to explore, you might be wondering where to begin – or how much time you’ll need to see it all. Read more…

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The pink hairy squat lobster – Jack’s February Underwater Photograph

This marine crustacean is commonly known as the “Pink hairy squat lobster”, also known as the “Fairy crab”. Its scientific name is Lauriea siagiani. Actually, L. siagiani is not really a lobster but belongs to a group of crabs called Anomurans. Read more …

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Ocean Valentines – Printable Cards & GIF’s

Ocean-Valentines-full-color-coloring-sheets-envelope-template-from-Everett-Taylor-Living-Porpoisefully-1

Our love for ocean animals + ocean puns equals a match made in heaven that’s perfect for Valentine’s Day cards! So we’ve taken 18 ocean animals from our children’s books and transformed them into sweet little free printable cards – both full color AND coloring sheets (& mini-envelope template). PLUS, we’ve made 6 of them into animated GIFs that you can send digitally! Here’s one for a peek. See More…

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Dive Guides Called to Apply for the Green Fins Dive Guide Scholarship

The Reef-World Foundation – international coordinator of the UN Environment Programme’s Green Fins initiative – is calling for dive guides to submit their application for the Green Fins Dive Guide Scholarship. As a result of the Scholarship campaign, dive guides working around the world – including Brazil, the Philippines, Egypt, Colombia, South Africa, Indonesia, and Turkey – have received their certificate proving their status as a Green Fins certified dive guide. Read more…

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Project Holocene by Russ Ronat

Russ Ronat is an artist and the creator of Project Holocene. The project has been shown at zoos, science, and art museums around the world. The project focuses on large mixed media paintings of endangered animals. The artist also creates projected films that show the steps of the drawings in creation. See more…

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Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Triples In Size

Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary has been expanded from 56 to 160 square miles. The expansion adds 14 additional reefs and banks to the sanctuary, with slight adjustments to the boundaries of the sanctuary’s original three banks. Read more…

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IPNLF calls on IOTC to take decisive action on yellowfin stock rebuilding at Special Session in early 2021

The International Pole & Line Foundation (IPNLF) is calling on members of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) to take urgent action, while working in the best interests of the region’s tuna resources and its coastal fisheries, when this regional fisheries management organization convenes its Special Session in early March 2021 to discuss the rebuilding of the overfished Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna stock. Read more…

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NOAA expands Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico

NOAA is expanding Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary from approximately 56 square miles to approximately 160 square miles to protect additional important Gulf of Mexico habitat. The move builds upon the sanctuary’s rich 30-year history of scientific studies and public review of the preservation of this special place. Read more…

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First New Seafloor Map of the Decade Collected on New Year’s Expedition in Australian Waters

Lead Scientist Helen Bostock seafloor mapping from control room aboard Falkor

Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel Falkor has collected the first public seafloor data of the New Year, as part of a global effort to map the entire ocean floor by 2030. Australian scientists aboard the ship literally “Pinged in the New Year” as they sent sonar waves down to the ocean floor at midnight on Dec. 31 and throughout New Year’s Day, flying the first official flag of The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project. Read more…

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Miami-based Start-Up Launches Venture Studio & Innovation Pipeline to Save the Oceans

Seaworthy Collective (SC), a new Miami based start-up is empowering a community of current and aspiring ocean entrepreneurs (known as sea change makers) to innovate for regenerative ocean impact, officially launches their Opportunities for Sea Change initiative. Read more…

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New Online Platform Creates Knowledge Portal for Aquaculture Farmers

The Gulf of Maine Research Institute announced the launch of The Maine Aquaculturist — a free-to-use online knowledge portal designed to help Maine’s sea farmers access an array of existing business resources across the state. Maine’s rapidly growing aquaculture industry enjoys a comprehensive support system that includes state agencies, NGOs, research labs, academic institutions, trade groups, and other organizations invested in the economic potential aquaculture brings to the state. Read more…

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An Angler’s Winter Chore May Spark an Idea to Make the World a Better Place

Winter is annual maintenance time for many anglers, and re-spooling with a new line and recycling the old is a common task. Ever thought about what happens once you dispose of the old line in a fishing line recycling tube? Read more…

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The FREE Weekly Conservation Post and Jobs List

Signing up for the free Weekly Newsletter & Jobs List will get you a round-up of upcoming events, webinars, meetings, reports, funding opportunities, photos of the week, and recent postings to the jobs list.

To sign up for our free subscription, please Click Here or email us Here.

Since 2004, SEVENSEAS Media has fostered an informal and non-partisan platform to promote understanding of key issues and challenges while building partnerships across an increasingly diverse group of marine conservation professionals and students.

Our mission is to promote communication and build partnerships across the global marine community and to identify and address gaps in the community’s work. SEVENSEAS Media achieves this through multimedia promotion and partnerships. The community consists of a diverse and growing group of participants, including non-governmental organizations, government agencies, foundations, bilateral and multilateral agencies, fellowship programs, independent consultants, and academia/students.

If you are interested in contributing or getting involved, email us Here.

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Issue 69 - February 2021

An Angler’s Winter Chore May Spark an Idea to Make the World a Better Place

a man is fishing on a rock next to a river

It’s not pretty. Turning fishing lines into new products is labor-intensive, requiring a series of workers to manually comb through, sort, clean, remove hooks and weights, and separate out miles of encrusted debris in an entangled fishing line. So as you pile up a few reels of the line to be recycled this winter, the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is asking for your ideas on how to help grow the volume of line recycled each year.

Teaming up with fishing tackle company Berkley, the BoatUS Foundation’s Recast & Recycle Contest seeks out new ideas and improvements to the process, new ideas for recycled products, or technology breakthroughs for the current process that will increase the volume of line and soft baits that are recycled. Entry is simple – all you have to do is send a short video or one-page summary explaining your idea. Thirty thousand dollars in prize money is at stake for the three best ideas submitted through May 14, 2021.

“It’s great that anglers recycle,” said BoatUS Foundation Director of Outreach Alanna Keating. “Now we need to ask for help with scaling up recycling with a greater volume of line, whether it’s a time- and labor-saving process improvement or creating a new market to fully sustain recycling efforts.”

Judges will add weight to contest submissions that actually work, are practical, innovative, and have the potential to have a significant impact.

The first-place prize is $15,000, second place receives $10,000, and $5,000 will be awarded for third place. Contest submissions can address any part of the process (or multiple parts) of taking discarded fishing lines and soft plastics from the end of life to a new beginning. Professionals, amateurs, and students alike are encouraged to apply, as are school teams and groups. Contest entries can be submitted with as little as a link to a video demonstration of the idea or a one-page graphic summary. Videos are limited to 4 minutes.

Contest rules and conditions, details on the current recycling process, and videos on how various plastics and soft baits are recycled can be found at the Recast & Recycle website BoatUS.org/Contest.

About the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water

The BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is a national leader promoting safe, clean, and responsible boating. Funded primarily by donations from the more than 700,000 members of Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), the nonprofit provides innovative educational outreach directly to boaters and anglers with the aim of reducing accidents and fatalities, increasing stewardship of America’s waterways, and keeping boating safe for all. A range of boating safety courses – including 36 free state courses – can be found at BoatUS.org/Courses.

About Pure Fishing

Pure Fishing, Inc. is a leading global provider of fishing tackle, lures, rods, and reels with a portfolio of brands that includes Abu Garcia, All-Star, Berkley, Fenwick, Fin-Nor, Greys, Hardy, Hodgman, Johnson, JRC, Mitchell, Penn, Pflueger, Sebile, Shakespeare®, SpiderWire, Stren, Ugly Stik, and Van Staal.

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Conservation Photography

The pink hairy squat lobster – Photo taken in Indonesia – Jack’s February Underwater Photograph

This marine crustacean is commonly known as the “Pink hairy squat lobster”, also known as the “Fairy crab”. Its scientific name is Lauriea siagiani. Actually, L. siagiani is not really a lobster, but belongs to a group of crabs called Anomurans.

Anomurans are decapod crustaceans, meaning they have ten appendages (legs). But unlike their relatives called brachyuran (the true crabs), the two rear appendages are small and are hidden under the shell, together with the respiratory organs or gills.

The fairy crabs are tiny. Adults typically measure no more than 1.5 centimetres; thus they are of no value from the point of view of a commercial fishery. However, despite their small size, and because of it, they are spectacularly beautiful. Their body is almost translucent; their legs show edges of intense, nearly florescent pinkish-purple color, with purple spots and lots of white hairs covering the entire body.

Anomuran crustaceans live in almost all oceans, but this particular species, the fairy crab, lives associated with a species of sea sponge called the “Giant barrel sponge” (Xestospongia testudinaria) which abounds in coral and rocky reefs off the coast of the Lesser Sunda Islands (Bali) and Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Fairy crabs are usually difficult to photograph because they are very shy and hide under the projections on the sides of the sponges.