LIVING IN THE DARK: EXPEDITION IN SEARCH OF DEEP-SEA CORALS
This past August Ocean Frontiers cameraman and editor, Ralf Meyer, joined the Southeast Deep Coral Initiative team aboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster to capture the expedition on film. The expedition goals: To map new areas, survey and sample deep-sea coral ecosystems in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and provide new information about areas that are under consideration for protection. This work to discover, study, and collect data, particularly on the location of the most vulnerable deep-sea coral ecosystems, is critical so that managers can use this information when making decisions.
Watch our 4-minute video (above) that brings you right into the fast-paced action of deep-sea coral exploration!
While deep-sea coral ecosystems are out of sight and out of mind to most, they are not immune to 
human impacts, as deep-sea trawling, oil and gas exploration, submarine cable laying and ocean acidification threaten these systems much more than their shallow-water counterparts. Deep-water corals are particularly vulnerable to such impacts, because they are typically slow growing and long lived (on the orders of centuries to millennia), and as a result require very long timescales to recover from disturbances. *
What strikes us most about deep-sea ecosystems is how little we know about the largest ecosystem on this 
planet. A key outcome of this expedition was that they found more coral in more places than expected. “Collecting this type of information is what’s needed to develop conservation measures that will protect these ecosystems in perpetuity,” said Dr. Daniel Wagner, Expedition Coordinator. This important work off the Southeast U.S., a region including the U.S. federal waters of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Bight, continues through September 2019.
* Source: Southeast Deep Coral Initiative website
WATCH OCEAN FRONTIERS III FOR FREE ONLINE
We are pleased to share Ocean Frontiers III with you online at no cost. Explore the challenges at the heart of ocean conservation and development and learn about the solutions from a range of people who are leading the way to a healthy and sustainable ocean future. Get a dose of ocean optimism from these inspiring stories!
Watch Ocean Frontiers III
TAKE ACTION
Trump Administration Plans to Open Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic to Offshore Drilling
The Trump administration has moved to open the West Coast, the East Coast and the Arctic to offshore oil and gas activities in its proposed new 5 year plan. Many legislators and governors on both sides of the aisle, along with numerous coastal municipalities and business owners who rely on clean oceans, vehemently oppose this proposal.
ACTION: Attend an In-person public open house
Public meetings are being held January 16 to February 28th, with one meeting in each coastal capital. The meetings have an open house format and you can arrive any time between 3-7pm to participate (5-9pm for Anchorage, AK). For those of you who live near your state’s capital, plan to attend and speak up for healthy oceans. If you’re inspired to make a real splash, create a Facebook event for it and invite your friends to join you there. As far as we know, there will be no option for live public comments in front of an audience at the meetings. So make a sign or t-shirt that lets others know your position.
ACTION: Submit an official comment online
Public comments can be submitted through March 9th via regulations.gov. When submitting written comments, include as much fact-based material as possible: potential impacts to your community’s health and livelihood, environmental resources at risk, alternatives to the proposed action, etc.
ACTION: Submit an opposition letter to President Trump and Secretary Zinke
Here’s an easy-to-use action alert from our friends at Ocean Conservancy.
BOSTON’S WORKING PORT EVENT FEATURES OCEAN FRONTIERS III SCREENING
Boston’s waterfront is undergoing an historic redevelopment boom. Boston’s Designated Port Areas are experiencing increasing pressure to be developed for commercial, recreational and residential uses. Boston Harbor Now, a champion of the working port, has drafted a comprehensive white paper that examines the current state of Boston’s working waterfront. A two-day idea exchange is scheduled in conjunction with the release of the ‘Innovation in Boston’s Working Port’ report.
Kicking off their schedule of events is a special screening of Ocean Frontiers III on January 23rd at the New England Aquarium. This event has sold out, but you can join the waitlist in case we have cancellations. We are excited to be working with this group whose focus is on creating a working port in Boston that is increasingly innovative, climate-resilient, and economically viable!
UPCOMING FILM SCREENINGS
Calendar of Events
Check out our calendar of upcoming film screenings for more information on these dates.
- January 23, 2018 – Boston, MA – Ocean Frontiers III with panel discussion. Join the waitlist!
- January 24, 2018 – Strafford, NH – Ocean Frontiers III
- February 22, 2018 – Ludlow, MA – Ocean Frontiers II
Host Your Own Screening
Don’t see a screening near you? It’s easy to plan one! Just sign up to receive free downloads or DVDs and our screening toolkit. Need some help planning your screening? We can help you shape your event, suggest speakers, answer questions about the toolkit, and more. Many individuals, groups, agencies, libraries and schools have hosted their own screening – so can you! For more information, please contact Eva Barnett.
OCEAN PLANNING NEWS
Northeast
Keep up with the Northeast Regional Planning Body (RPB) at neoceanplanning.org.
- Summaries of November’s Northeast Regional Planning Body workshop and meeting can be found on the RPB’s website.
- January 17 – The RPB is hosting an Ocean Health Index (OHI) webinar from 12:00-1:30pm to update participants on Northeast OHI project progress and next steps. Participate
Mid-Atlantic
The Mid-Atlantic RPB events and updates can be found at www.boem.gov/MidA-New.
- January 24 – Mid-Atlantic Regional Planning Body meeting at the Environmental Protection Agency in Philadelphia, PA. Open to the public, though advance registration is required due to federal security requirements. Deadline to register is January 19th. Register / Meeting agenda
West Coast
Keep up with the West Coast RPB’s news and events at www.westcoastmarineplanning. org.
- The West Coast Regional Planning Body had their Annual Meeting last month in Long Beach, CA. You can find documents and recordings of the meeting here.
- A webinar to review December’s RPB meeting is in the works for February.
Pacific Islands
After a series of listening sessions this past Fall, meetings are scheduled to develop the vision, purpose, process and stakeholder engagement for the ocean plan. For more information go to pacificislandsrpb.org.
- January 22-23 – CNMI Ocean Planning Team meeting in Saipan. Agenda
- January 25-26 – Guam Ocean Planning Team meeting. Agenda
- February 14-15 – Pacific Islands Regional Planning Body meeting in Honolulu, HI. Agenda coming soon.
Thanks for all you do!
Karen Anspacher-Meyer
Green Fire Productions
