October 2012 Newsletter
Bermuda declares marine mammal sanctuary and signs Sister Sanctuary Agreement with United States

 
Dr. David Freestone, Minister Marc Bean and Andrew Stevenson offer remarks at press conference.
Credit: K. Morrison





















   On 21 September 2012, the Hon. Marc A. Bean, JP, MP, Minister of Environment, Planning and Infrastructure Strategy declared Bermuda's Exclusive Economic Zone (more than 170,000 square nautical miles) a marine mammal sanctuary.  Bermuda also furthered collaboration with the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary in the United States by signing a  Sister Sanctuary Agreement to protect, and assist in the global recovery of humpback whales, to promote and encourage research into and monitoring of this iconic species while consequently promoting Bermuda as an important  hot spot for whale watching.  The sister sanctuary agreement was the result of on-going diplomatic efforts of SSA.  Click here to read more.  

NAFO Scientific Council to review Sargasso Science Case 

At the September 2012 Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) 34th Annual meeting, the NAFO Scientific Council was formally asked via the EU, to comment and advise on whether the Sargasso Sea provides forage area or habitat for living marine resources that could be impacted by different types of fishing; and on whether there is a need for any closure or other conservation and management measures to protect this ecosystem.  Geographical coordinates were provided by the Sargasso Sea Alliance to illustrate the overlap between the Sargasso Sea Study Area and NAFO jurisdiction. This is an exciting step as the SSA begins to work more formally with fisheries management organizations.

IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee   

Kristina Gjerde worked with partners to organize a well-attended side event at the IMO MEPC 64th session in London on Thursday 4 October. The program included Simon Walmsley (WWF) and Capt. Harry Gale (Nautical Institute) introducing the Sargasso Sea poster as part of a wider effort to educate seafarers on areas of environmental importance and the need to take care of the high seas; Dr. David Freestone and Professor Howard Roe describing the Sargasso Sea Alliance, the importance of the Sargasso Sea based on the Science Case, and recent progress in other international arena.  

Over 50 participants attended from a wide range of states and organizations, including Kuwait, Liberia, Trinidad and Tobago, Sweden, Turkey, Australia, Ecuador, Argentina, New Zealand, Japan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Germany, Jamaica, Norway, Denmark, UK, Singapore, Netherlands, Ireland, Marshall Islands, Russia, Iceland and Israel, as well as the American Chamber of Shipping, the Clean Ship Coalition, WWF, Friends of the Earth International (FOEI), International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), Cruise Line International Association (CLIA), International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA), The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST), and the IMO Secretariat.  

 

The Sargasso Sea Summary Science and Evidence Case was submitted as an Information Document in advance of the MEPC meeting, reflecting the first official submission to this entity.  

 

The Alliance extends a special thanks to Sian Prior and Julian Roberts for their assistance with the event.

 

 

IUCN World Conservation Congress a success 

Dan Laffoley, Dr. Sylvia Earle and Kristina Gjerde at IUCN World Conservation Congress. Credit: M. McGrew

The Sargasso Sea was mentioned several times at the recent IUCN World Conservation Congress in Jeju, Korea, including a Knowledge Café on High Seas Protected Areas, roundtables on High Seas Conservation and with Big Ocean and in a Google+ Hangout. Special thanks to the IUCN Global Marine and Polar Programme, Dr. Sylvia Earle and SSA Steering Committee members Kristina Gjerde, Dan Laffoley and Jeff Ardron for featuring our case study.  Brochures highlighting nine key reasons to protect the Sargasso Sea were also disseminated at the Congress and are available for download here.  

Outreach to Bermuda residents  


 
Richard Rockefeller, Chair of SSA Executive Committee, and Dr. David Freestone share information at BIOS Marine Science Day, Bermuda.  Credit:  K. Morrison  

SSA participated in the Bermuda Institute for Ocean Science's (BIOS) Marine Science Day, an annual event focusing on community outreach in Bermuda.  SSA was pleased to spend the afternoon alongside partner efforts including the Bermuda Blue Halo project and the Bermuda Alliance for the Sargasso Sea (BASS).  At the event, all three entities worked together to explain the ecological importance of the Sargasso Sea and that while protection measures are limited to various jurisdictions, those boundaries are artificial to the mats of Sargassum, and the migratory whales and turtles that call the greater Sargasso Sea their home.
Sargasso Sea Scrolls previewed in Bermuda
The Sargasso Sea Scrolls on display at BUEI. 
Credit:  K. Morrison

On 20 September 2012, SSA hosted a reception at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI) in celebration of the unveiling of a Bermuda exhibition preview of the Sargasso Sea Scrolls.
Jenny Freestone, Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center, describes the inspiration behind the Scrolls.
Credit: K. Morrison


The Scrolls will move to Bermuda as part of a more permanent exhibition in 2013.


The reception was also an advance celebration for the announcement of the  marine mammal sanctuary on 21 September.

 
Thank you for your continued interest in the Alliance's work. 
 
Sincerely,
 
Dr. David Freestone, Executive Director
Sargasso Sea Alliance