Making Waves: November 2022 Community News Roundup

11/24/22: Whale Seeker awarded $529,000 from Innovative Solutions Canada to test marine mammal detection technology

SOA Startup: Whale Seeker (2021 4th Cohort)

Whale Seeker has been awarded a $529,000 contract from Innovative Solutions Canada, as part of the Innovative Solutions Canada’s testing stream for technologies to detect marine species and biodiversity. This project involves analyzing 100,000 aerial images of arctic marine mammals from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) using Whale Seeker’s proprietary AI tool, Möbius. 

11/22/22: The next frontier in e-commerce packaging: reusable bags and boxes

SOA Startup: Returnity (2021 5th Cohort)

Waste generated by e-commerce hit an all-time high during the pandemic. Now, more retailers are embracing a variety of reusable packaging strategies such as Returnity, a startup developing and implementing reusable shipping and delivery packaging solutions for brands and retailers.

11/17/22: ESA collaborates with Sinay to create a Digital Maritime Platform for the Future​

SOA Startup: Sinay (2019 2nd Cohort)

Sinay, an artificial intelligence hub that transforms complex maritime data into comprehensive information, announced the signature of a 1.6 Million EUR contract with the European Space Agency to create the Digital Port Platform – a Hub of maritime modules to improve port operations and reduce environmental impacts.

 

11/1/22: Why did the World Wildlife Fund invest in OCEANIUM? 

SOA Startup: OCEANIUM (2021 5th Cohort)

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) invested in OCEANIUM, a UK-based startup that develops products from sustainably-farmed seaweed, as part of its initial impact investment strategy to help pioneer novel technologies and scale up market growth to benefit the future of seaweed farming.

11/1/22: Vulnerable Coral Moved to a 3D-Printed Reef in Hong Kong Is Thriving

SOA Microgrant: archiREEF

A coral reef developed by archiREEF, a project creating artificial habitats to protect threatened marine life, is thriving off the coast of Hong Kong in the Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park. Fragments of coral inserted into terracotta clay tiles are not only surviving in this new environment but are successfully growing – a hopeful sign in saving the species from the growing threats of climate change. 

 

SOA Partners

11/1/22: How Science, Entrepreneurship, And Surfing are SAVING the Ocean

SOA Partner: Bank of the West

Bank of the West recently teamed up with nonprofit Sustainable Surf in support of their SeaTrees program. The sand “billboard” created by artist Andres Amador washed away in the waves the same day it was made – upholding the message that billboards should disappear with no trace or trash and kelp forests most definitely should not.

 

SOA Mentors, Representatives, and More

11/21/22: Five youth activists to speak at youth climate conference

SOA YPAC Co-Chair: Rayne Sullivan

The Youth Policy Advisory Council (YPAC) is an international group of Young Ocean Leaders created by Sustainable Ocean Alliance that is recognized for their policy acumen and dedication to furthering environmental regulation. SOA YPAC Co-Chair, Rayne Sullivan, was selected as one of five award-winning climate activists from around the world to speak at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute’s second Youth Climate Summit. 

11/16/22: Ocean for Climate: Implementing Ocean-based Climate Action to Build Coastal Adaptation and Resilience

SOA Regional Representative for North America: Mark Haver

Ocean Action Day at COP27 brought together representatives of governments, businesses, experts and practitioners to assess existing ocean and climate action, and identify gaps that must be addressed. In a panel on key takeaways for the ocean, SOA’s Mark Haver highlighted the call for a deep-sea mining ban and emphasized moving from talk to action. “There is a big question whether this COP is a crisis of commitment or a crisis of empathy,” Mark stated. 

11/16/22: Dana Ahmed: Climate change information is a right for everyone

SOA Regional Representative for Egypt: Dana Ahmed

At COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, an official side event was held to present the concerns of youth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region related to the climate crisis. SOA’s Youth Delegate Dana Ahmed presented the first climate action plan for MENA youth in the presence of world leaders while declaring access to climate education as a global human right.

11/14/22: Babson College student to discuss climate activism at COP27 in Egypt

SOA Regional Representative for Turkey: Ela Gokcigdem

CBS News Boston highlighted the work of SOA Youth Delegate from Turkey Ela Gokcigdem advocating for global youth representation in ocean action decision-making at COP27. “We hope to move at least one government to integrate more youth voices, because as of right now it is not enough,” says Ela. 

11/11/22: DSCC Interventions in Response to France’s Statement on a Ban on Deep-Sea Mining

SOA Regional Representative for France: Anne-Sophie Roux

The International Seabed Authority 27th Session Council Meeting (ISA27) was held in Kingston, Jamaica over two weeks to negotiate terms for a "mining code." If adopted, this code would allow countries to apply for deep seabed mining contracts as early as July 2023. Anne-Sophie Roux, Representative for Sustainable Ocean Alliance France, delivered a compelling intervention speech to the ISA Council on behalf of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC) and Sustainable Ocean Alliance.

11/9/22: Inside Alphabet X’s new effort to combat climate change with seagrass

SOA Mentor: Neil Davé

Tidal, a new a machine learning system within Alphabet’s X division, is improving the understanding of underwater ecosystems in order to inform decisions and incentivize efforts to protect the ocean amid mounting threats from pollution, overfishing, ocean acidification, and global warming. “If we can quantify and measure these systems, we can then drive investment to protect and conserve them,” says Neil Davé, Tidal General Manager and SOA Mentor. 

11/6/22: In Latin America, Resistance to Deep-Sea Mining is Growing

SOA Regional Representative: Daniel Caceres Bartra

The body charged with protecting the international seabed, the International Seabed Authority (ISA), is also guilty of promoting its exploitation. Several Latin American experts, including SOA Regional Representative for Hispanoamerica Daniel Caceres Bartra, agree that there is too little scientific information on the deep sea and that we should be prioritizing the protection of the deep sea rather than figuring out how to mine for its resources. 

 

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