The goal of the BLUE Ocean Film Festival is to share at all levels the latest insights on what is happening in our ocean and to provide tangible ways people can make a difference. Executive Director Debbie Kinder talks about BLUE which will be held in Monterey, California, from August 24-29, 2010.

The ocean impacts life in California in many ways. In this report, Amber Mace, Executive Director of the Ocean Protection Council, talks about the role of the OPC in protecting our coastal and ocean resources.

In July 2008, the Governors of California, Oregon and Washington released a West Coast Governors’ Agreement on Ocean Health Action Plan that identified common ocean and coastal management priorities. Brian Baird, Assistant Secretary for Ocean and Coastal Policy for the California Natural Resources Agency, offers an update about this joint effort to protect and manage the vast marine resources shared by California, Oregon and Washington.

For more information, visit:

• West Coast Governors’ Agreement on Ocean Health
• California Ocean Resources Management Program
• Office of Governor Kulongoski, Oregon
• Washington State Department of Ecology

Ocean on the Edge is an exhibit focusing on the issues that impact the ocean and what we can do about them. Our guest is Dr. Jerry Schubel, President and CEO of the Aquarium of the Pacific, the exhibit’s creator and host. (Photo courtesy of K. Leonard, Aquarium of the Pacific)

• Aquarium of the Pacific’s Ocean on the Edge Exhibit
• Thank You Ocean Pledge

April 22, 2010 is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. On this report, we celebrate by focusing on the Ocean with our guest Kaitilin Gaffney, Pacific Ecosystem Program Director for Ocean Conservancy. (Photo courtesy of NASA)

For more information, please visit:

• Ocean Conservancy
• Earth Day Network
• CA State Parks Foundation

“Today everyone can make changes in what we do and in the actions we take that can have a positive impact on the ocean,” says Matt Stout, Chief of Staff for National Oceanic and Atmospheric’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. In this report, Matt offers some great New Year’s resolutions! (Photo courtesy of Josh Pederson / SIMoN NOAA)

For more information, visit:

• Thank You Ocean Pledge
• David Helvarg’s “50 Ways to Save the Ocean”
• California Ocean Protection Council: “Vision for the Future”

This iconic figure and environmental supporter encourages ocean protection through English and Spanish-language public service announcements and a new Spanish language Web site.

For more information, visit:

• Mira El Anuncio De Servicio Público Del Actor Edward James Olmos
• View the PSA Featuring Actor Edward James Olmos

ACID TEST, a film produced by the Natural Resources Defense Council, was made to raise awareness about the largely unknown problem of ocean acidification, which poses a fundamental challenge to life in the seas and the health of the entire planet. NRDC’s Lisa Suatoni talks about the film.

For more information, visit:

• NRDC’s film “Acid Test: The Global Challenge of Ocean Acidification”
• CINMS Sanctuary Advisory Council’s “Report: Ocean Acidification and the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary: Cause, effect and response”
• Thank You Ocean’s Climate Change Web Page

With so much trash and litter entering our ocean every year, the problem of preventing and reducing marine debris is an urgent challenge that we must meet to preserve the health of our ocean. On this report, we talk with Eben Schwartz with the California Coastal Commission and Jolyn Bibb with Whole Foods about California Coastal Cleanup Day which annually brings tens of thousands of volunteers to the state’s beaches and inland shorelines to remove the debris that has accumulated over the course of the year.

For more information, visit:

• California Coastal Cleanup
• Marine debris

Today’s guest, Casson Trenor, author of “Sustainable Sushi: A Guide to Saving the Oceans One Bite at a Time,” specializes in sushi and he is dedicated to transforming the American sushi complex into a sustainable industry. (Photo courtesy of Casson Trenor)

For more information, visit:

• Sustainable Sushi
• NOAA Fisheries Service Fishwatch
• Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Sustainable Sushi Guide