Thank You Ocean Report

 National Marine Sanctuaries: Play Now | Download (207)

America’s ocean treasures are right off our coasts! National marine sanctuaries are special ocean places that have a unique ability to touch people. Thirteen national marine sanctuaries and one marine national monument make up the National Marine Sanctuary System. Four are in California: Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones, Monterey Bay and Channel Islands national marine sanctuaries. Dan Basta, Director of the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, talks about how “America’s ocean treasures” help people change how they think about our ocean and create a “community of the committed.”

For more information, visit:

• NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries
• Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary
• Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary
• Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
• Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary

 California King Tides Initiative: Glimpses into the Future of Rising Sea Levels: Play Now | Download (404)

King Tides are the highest predicted high tides of the year.  Combined with winter storm events, these high water levels can show us how rising sea levels due to climate change might impact our communities in the future.  The California King Tides Initiative is inviting the public to shoot (from a safe distance) and share photos online using social media to build a living record of current and future coastal areas vulnerable to inundation.   Marina Psaros from the San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve discusses how these photographs help us visualize the future impacts from sea level rise in your local community and all along the California coastline.
 
For more information, visit:
 

• California King Tides Initiative
• California King Tides Flickr Page
• Thank You Ocean Climate Change Page

 New California Law Protects Sharks Against Brutal Finning: Play Now | Download (234)

Shark finning is a practice of cutting the fins off of living sharks and dumping them back in the ocean to die. The fins are then dried and consumed in costly shark fin soup. California’s historic Shark Protection Act, banning finning, was recently signed into law, working toward ending the destruction of shark species globally. We talked with Assembly Member Paul Fong (D-Cupertino) who, along with Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), authored the groundbreaking bill supported by a host of organizations, agencies and citizens who celebrated the signing. (Photo courtesy of Terry Goss/Marine Photobank)

For more information, visit:

• CA Assembly Member Paul Fong
• CA Assembly Member Jared Huffman
• AB 376 fact sheet (NRDC)
• Asian Pacific American Ocean Harmony Alliance (APAOHA)

 California Ocean and Coastal Amateur Photography Contest: Seeing our Watery World Through a Lens: Play Now | Download (301)

Over 1,400 photos were submitted to the 13th Annual California Ocean and Coastal Amateur Photography Contest, sponsored by the Thank You Ocean campaign, the California Coastal Commission, and Fairmont Hotels and Resorts of California! Brian Friedman, the Judges’ First Place Winner, recalls the moment he snapped the winning photograph “Coming Through” at Catalina.  Enjoy the three judges’ choice winners and 13 honorable mentions that were selected by a panel of professional photographers, naturalists, and Coastal Commission and Thank You Ocean staff and the viewers’ choice winner selected by online voters.

For more information, visit:

• 13th Annual California Ocean and Coastal Amateur Photography Contest
• California Coastal Commission
• Fairmont Hotels and Resorts

 Enforcement of Marine Protected Areas [3:28m]: Play Now | Download (400)

A network of marine protected areas (MPAs) are in the process of being established along California’s 1,100 mile coastline. One of the critical aspects of managing these MPAs is enforcement. On this podcast, we talk with California Department of Fish and Game Assistant Chief Tony Warrington about some of the issues surrounding enforcement of MPAs. (Photo credit: California Department of Fish and Game)

For more information, visit:

• Marine Life Protection Act web site
• California Department of Fish and Game’s mobile phone app
• Thank You Ocean’s new web page on MPAs

 Managing California’s Network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) [3:40m]: Play Now | Download (404)

The Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) directs the state to re-evaluate and re-design California’s network of marine protected areas (MPAs). Becky Ota, Habitat Conservation Program Manager of California’s Department of Fish and Game (Marine Region), discusses how adaptive, long-term management through education and outreach, monitoring, and enforcement will be critical to meet the goals of the MLPA. (Photo courtesy of Alex MacLeod/PISCO UCSC)

For more information, visit:

• Thank You Ocean’s new webpage on MPAs
• California Department of Fish and Game
• Monterey Bay Sanctuary Foundation
• National Marine Protected Areas Center

 Using the Power of Film to Protect the Health of the Ocean: Play Now | Download (464)

MacGillivray Freeman Films is the world’s largest independent producer of IMAX theatre films with an extraordinary track record and a new campaign to restore the health of the ocean.

For more information, visit:

• One World One Ocean
• MacGillivray Freeman Films

 Ocean for Life: Play Now | Download (308)

Ocean for Life brings together students of diverse cultures and backgrounds to discover marine science, conservation, and how the ocean connects us all. NOAA’s national marine sanctuaries provide the optimal setting for this unique opportunity to enhance cross-cultural relationships, while creating a stewardship ethic for the ocean and the universal human experience.

For more information, visit:

• Ocean for Life | Youth Media Projects
• National Marine Sanctuaries
• National Marine Sanctuary Foundation
• Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE)
• SCUBAnauts International

 California Coastal Cleanup Day [3:42m]: Play Now | Download (280)

California Coastal Cleanup Day, an annual beach and inland waterway cleanup held on the third Saturday of September, is the state’s largest volunteer event. Shannon Waters, California Coastal Commission Public Education Program Assistant, lets you know how you and your group can be part of the solution to marine pollution by getting involved in Coastal Cleanup Day! (Photo courtesy of John Eagle)

For more information, visit:

• California Coastal Cleanup Day
• “Bring Your Own” Campaign
• International Coastal Cleanup Day
• Thank You Ocean Marine Debris Page

 One World One Ocean Campaign: Play Now | Download (444)

The One World One Ocean Campaign is using the power of film, television and new media to inspire people to protect and restore the health of the ocean. Learn about the campaign from Greg MacGillivray, Chairman of the One World One Ocean Foundation and President of MacGillivray Freeman Films, and watch a brief film about the campaign narrated by Dr. Sylvia Earle.

For more information, visit:

• One World One Ocean
• MacGillivray Freeman Films