---

---

Rolex Celebrate the Ocean

It is with a sense of responsibility that Rolex introduces its Oceans Moment on World Oceans Day. The watchmaker has been involved with international efforts to explore our oceans for over seventy years, first for the thrill of discovery, and then for the sake of research and protection. Read more…

---

SEVENSEAS Beach Cleanup & Coral Restoration Events in Marine Protected Areas

SEVENSEAS Media conducted two impactful events in Krabi, Thailand. The Monthly Beach Cleanup Event at Ao Sew Beach saw enthusiastic volunteers remove a staggering 150.6 kilograms of trash, underscoring the pressing issue of marine pollution and the significance of sustainable practices like reducing, reusing, and recycling waste. The organization stressed the importance of proper waste management to protect coastal ecosystems.

Meanwhile, in the face of an unexpected storm, SEVENSEAS Media’s Coral Nursery & Restoration team demonstrated unwavering dedication, rescuing and relocating 75 corals to safer locations, bolstering their chances of survival and growth. The team outlined a comprehensive plan for continued coral recovery missions and data collection efforts throughout the year. The recent storm served as a stark reminder of the urgency to safeguard coral reefs from climate change impacts. We would like to express our gratitude for the support received from individuals and communities in this conservation community. We would not be able to do it without your support. You can make a tax-deductible donation here to keep our publications and Thailand Cleanup Project afloat.

You can either make a direct financial contribution to SEVENSEAS Media through The Ocean Foundation website or connect us with potential donors by sending an email to  Giacomo Abrusci, our Editor-in-Chief.

---

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. 

---

[xyz-ihs snippet=”Prepared-by-PK”]

President Biden must do more to reduce the government’s purchasing of single-use plastics 

The General Services Administration (GSA) announced its final rule on reducing single-use plastic packaging. The GSA is the federal agency that oversees government procurement. The U.S. government is the world’s largest purchaser of goods and services, and decisions by the federal government can have a global impact on the plastic pollution crisis.  

An estimated 33 billion pounds of plastic enter the oceans every year, including single-use items such as plastic bottles, packaging, takeout food containers, and bags. With the GSA’s release of a narrow rule, Oceana calls on the Biden administration to move forward with additional policies to reduce single-use plastic packaging and products and incentivize refillable and reusable alternatives.  

“This is a missed opportunity. This rule can’t be the end, this has to be the first step toward greater action to reduce the federal government’s purchasing of single-use plastics,” said Christy Leavitt, Oceana’s plastics campaign director. “President Biden must do more to address the growing plastic pollution crisis that is already harming our oceans, climate, health, and communities. The U.S. government’s immense purchasing power can play an important role in reducing plastic pollution in the U.S. and around the world. Moving forward, the Biden administration must set strong policies to reduce plastic pollution at the source and support reuse and refill.” 

The Biden administration committed in 2022 to phase out single-use plastic products on public lands managed by the Department of the Interior, including Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Acadia, and all other national parks. According to a national poll released by Oceana in February 2023, an overwhelming 82% of U.S. voters across party lines support reducing the federal government’s use of single-use plastic — nearly 85% of Democrats and 77% of Republicans.  

In February 2024, Oceana submitted comments to the GSA as part of the public comment period on the proposed rule and delivered more than 6,900 petition signatures calling on the federal government to reduce the purchase of single-use plastics. 

Background  

Plastic has been found in every corner of the world and has turned up in drinking water, beer, salt, honey, and more. It’s also one of the greatest contributors to climate change. In fact, if plastic were a country, it would be the fifth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world. With plastic production growing at a rapid rate, increased amounts of plastic can be expected to flood our blue planet with devastating consequences.  

A 2020 Oceana report revealed evidence of nearly 1,800 animals from 40 different species swallowing or becoming entangled in plastic in U.S. waters between 2009 and early 2020. Of those animals, a staggering 88% were from species listed as endangered or threatened with extinction under the Endangered Species Act.  

Less than 6% of plastic in the U.S. is recycled, yet the plastics industry continues to tout recycling as a panacea while pushing new plastic products onto the market. Companies need to dramatically reduce the production and use of unnecessary single-use plastic, provide plastic-free choices, and develop systems that refill and reuse packaging and foodware. Elected officials must enact policies to ensure they do so. 

In February 2023, Oceana released the results of a nationwide poll that showed broad bipartisan concern about single-use plastics and support for reducing both the production and use of these products and increasing the use of reusable packaging and foodware. Included among the key findings:  

• 83% of American voters are concerned about single-use plastic products 
• 73% support a pause in building new plastic production facilities 
• 82% support reducing the federal government’s use of single-use plastic 

Polling was conducted by the nonpartisan polling company Ipsos, which surveyed 1,000 American adults from across the U.S. in December 2022.  

To learn more about Oceana’s campaign to stop plastic pollution, please visit usa.oceana.org/plastics. 

---

About Oceana

Oceana is the largest international advocacy organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Oceana is rebuilding abundant and biodiverse oceans by winning science-based policies in countries that control one-quarter of the world’s wild fish catch. With more than 300 victories that stop overfishing, habitat destruction, oil and plastic pollution, and the killing of threatened species like turtles, whales, and sharks, Oceana’s campaigns are delivering results. A restored ocean means that 1 billion people can enjoy a healthy seafood meal every day, forever. Together, we can save the oceans and help feed the world. Visit Oceana.org to learn more. 

---

[xyz-ihs snippet=”Prepared-by-PK”]

Aquarium aerial surveys spot sei and right whales feeding south of Cape Cod

North Atlantic right whales are lingering in New England waters this spring, with recent sightings of the critically endangered animals in unprotected areas including the shipping lanes south of Cape Cod.

Scientists from the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life were flying an aerial survey on June 1 when they sighted two right whales 40 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. Aerial survey observers had previously spotted three right whales feeding in and near the shipping lanes south of the islands on May 9, one of which was “Magic” (Catalog #1243), a 42-year-old female who had given birth to seven calves. During that same aerial survey flight, the Aquarium observers sighted 25 sei whales feeding in the shipping lanes. Sei whales are an endangered species primarily seen in New England waters in the spring when they feed on zooplankton, such as copepods, in similar areas as right whales. The sightings came just days after a cruise ship arrived in New York Harbor with a dead sei whale on its bow. 

Vessel strikes pose a threat to sei whales and are one of the leading causes of serious injury and death for North Atlantic right whales. There are no mandatory vessel speed zones in the area where the whales were seen, and the right whales were not close enough together to trigger a dynamic management area or voluntary speed reduction zone, which warns mariners to slow down to 10 knots or less to prevent collisions with whales. Other recent sightings of right whales have triggered dynamic management areas in the waters near the shelf break off Virginia and New Jersey, including the 20^th right whale mother-calf pair of the season seen for the first time.

Many of these critically endangered whales have been on the move in recent weeks as they travel hundreds of miles to their primary summer feeding grounds in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada. However, a large portion of the population is not accounted for in Canadian waters during the summer, and it’s not entirely known where these other whales go.

“While right whales may have left Cape Cod Bay, these sightings serve as an important reminder that not all right whales migrate north in the summertime,” said Katherine McKenna, an assistant research scientist in the Anderson Cabot Center who was aboard the aerial survey flight. “In fact, the three feeding right whales we spotted in May have never been documented in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where about 40 percent of the species goes to feed each summer.”

Seasonal protections for right whales off Massachusetts were lifted in May, leaving remaining animals more vulnerable to boats and ship traffic. To reduce the risk of vessel strikes, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has proposed modifications to the existing vessel speed rule, which includes changes to seasonal speed zones. Under the revised rule, which is currently under interagency regulatory review, mandatory speed restrictions would be in place in the shipping lanes through May 30, reducing the risk of a vessel strike for all whale species. A scientific paper published this year by scientists at the Aquarium and other institutions found that these speed restrictions would reduce the risk of a lethal vessel strike for right, humpback, fin, and sei whales. The proposed rule was published nearly two years ago but has stalled in various governmental reviews.

The winter/spring season marks the peak time of year for right whale sightings in southern New England waters. The Aquarium’s aerial survey team has flown 40 surveys since December and documented 74 individual North Atlantic right whales, which have an estimated population of less than 360. 

For more than a decade, the New England Aquarium has conducted aerial surveys over the waters south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, collecting data on all marine animals with a focus on protected species of whales and sea turtles. The flights help monitor changes in animal populations, identify various species, and recognize trends using standardized data that has been collected over many years. Determining where right whales occur and how they are using habitats provides crucial information that can be used to better protect the critically endangered species.

---

About The New England Aquarium: 

The New England Aquarium is a nonprofit research and conservation organization that has protected and cared for our ocean and marine animals for more than 50 years. We provide science-based solutions and help shape policies that create measurable change to address threats the ocean faces. We inspire action through discovery and help create engaged, resilient communities.

---

[xyz-ihs snippet=”Prepared-by-PK”]