Coral ReefsImproving MPA Management

Our Ocean, Our People, Our Prosperity

Prof Heather Koldewey, Lead, Bertarelli Foundation’s Marine Science Programme

It’s a blustery sunny day as I walk along my beach at home in Cornwall. As I look out across the infinite blue water, I think of the opportunities for action at the Our Ocean conference taking place on the other side of the ocean in Palau. This extraordinarily beautiful archipelago of over 500 islands in the western Pacific has long been on my bucket list, not just for its incredible marine life but also because of the global leadership this small island developing state (SIDS) has taken in fully protecting 80% of its waters. Sadly, this time it was not to be for me as Covid struck meaning I was unable to travel. With quick reorganisation of some very complex logistics, the Marine Science programme was represented by Alexy Khrizman, our PhD student from Stanford University working on coral reefs in Palau and the Chagos Archipelago. Alexy sent news and images throughout the two days of the conference, shared on our @Marine_Science Twitter feed.

Image credit: Jack Fishman (PADI Aware)

I closely followed the conference online – how would Our Ocean deliver in the twice-delayed Ocean Super Year? Would momentum build from COP26 in Glasgow in recognising the ocean crisis is the climate crisis? How do these gatherings really make a difference for the planet, especially as we scrutinise the carbon footprint of every trip we make in the name of conservation? How can we make the most difference for the ocean in the shortest period of time?

The Our Ocean conferences have been defined by the hundreds of commitments of billions of dollars from governments, business, and civil society. A new report launched by the team from Oregon State University found that two-thirds of these commitments had been met, with real progress towards the rest. This encouraging analysis gives real optimism for the likely success of the impressive additional 410 commitments amounting to USD$16.35 billion made in Palau this week. However, the level of urgency and anxiety were clear. There are major problems to be solved. Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing proliferates, the high seas treaty remains mired in political inertia, there are risks to MPAs due to economic crises, we are not meeting international targets for ocean sustainability, and there is an overall lack of urgent action even when we know the solutions. However, this week it seems the shipping sector stepped up to reduce their emissions, new technologies, tools, partnerships and collaborations were announced, and there was more engagement in the High Ambition Coalition of Nature and People.

The Our Ocean leaders were passionate and profound, but the voices of Palau that resonated most were those of indigenous communities and youth. These are voices we need to listen to, to hear and to act upon. The ocean currents from Palau will make waves to the UN Ocean Summit in Lisbon in June. From our perspective in the Marine Science programme, we continue to work to bring science into management and policy. The 121 scientific papers from our programme over the last four years demonstrate and reinforce the value of MPAs for biodiversity protection and ocean resilience. Our marine scientists are ocean leaders. We will be working hard from now till Lisbon, for the ocean, for people and for prosperity.

Improving MPA Management

Podcast: Fisheries – What Needs to Change?

Podcast: Fisheries - What Needs to Change?

Episode 8: Fisheries – What Needs to Change?

For most of us, fish come from a shop. They’re either laid out on ice in their full glory, neatly packaged in cans or hidden away inside fish fingers. An estimated 179 million tonnes of fish was removed from the ocean in 2018, and 87% of that ended up on our plates. But those fish have a backstory that’s far harder to see, but it all comes down to the fact that we’re taking too much.

Join Oceanographer and Physicist Helen Czerski, as she explore the extent of the problem, why people turn to illegal fishing, and how technology can help us better manage fisheries around the world.

With special thanks to Professor Callum Roberts from the University of Exeter, Dr Asha de Vos from Oceanswell, and Anna Sanders from Global Fishing Watch.

Follow or subscribe to Ocean Matters for free so that you never miss an episode

Improving MPA ManagementSentinel Species Research

Drifting Fishing Gear Poses Significant Risks to Marine Protected Areas

Researchers hope their findings will help managers mitigate the impacts of drifting fishing gear in protected areas

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) protect biodiversity within their boundaries by regulating fishing. However, the impacts of drifting fishing gear, especially drifting fish aggregation devices (dFADs), are not necessarily taken into account.

Now, a team of scientists led by David Curnick from the Zoological Society of London, UK, has shown the potential harm that dFADs could cause to MPAs. Their study, published in the journal Conservation Biology, found more than a third of dFADs posed a risk to biodiversity in the Chagos Archipelago MPA.

dFADs are floating platforms that attract tuna fish in particular, causing them to accumulate around the devices, making them easier to catch. More than 100,000 dFADs are deployed every year, but they have drawbacks including depleting tuna stocks and catching excessive juveniles and bycatch, such as sharks. They can also be lost and abandoned, becoming marine pollution and stranding in sensitive areas or tangling marine animals, such as turtles, in their trailing nets.

A drifting fish aggregation device (dFAD) beached on a reef in the Chagos Archipelago. Photo: Dan Bayley

A cause for considerable management concern

Using the MPA surrounding the islands and atolls of the Chagos Archipelago as a case study, Curnick and his colleagues modelled the transit of dFADs through the region from 16 different entry points. The devices’ movement was modelled across months and years to account for changing prevailing currents.

The researchers found that over a third (37.5%) of dFADs that drift into the MPA pose a considerable management concern by either beaching on sensitive habitats, such as coral reefs, or drifting through and accumulating fish that could then be exported outside the MPA and into fishable areas.

“The interactions between static MPAs and drifting fishing gears have long been overlooked. However, if left unchecked, we find that drifting fish aggregation devices could reduce the effectiveness of MPAs,” says Curnick. “As such, we need to ensure that MPA managers and stakeholders account for the possible impacts of drifting fishing gears and mitigate against them when required.”

The highest risk of dFADs beaching or remaining in the MPA for longer periods came from those entering the MPA from the east and west. The largest atoll in the region, the Great Chagos Bank, was the most likely to be affected by beaching.

Interdisciplinary approach helped to boost the study’s impact

Curnick says the interdisciplinarity of the project team helped the study succeed. “This project brought together academics, conservationists and fisheries scientists, generously supported by the Bertarelli Foundation,” he says. “By incorporating each other’s expertise and insights, we have produced a more holistic and impactful assessment of the risk posed by dFADs which we hope will lead to a review of their management around the Chagos Archipelago.”

And the approach is designed to be replicable in other MPAs and territories: “We hope the paper will provide a useful reference for others seeking to address the impacts of drifting fishing gears in their waters,” Curnick concludes.

Article details:

David J. Curnick, David A. Feary, and Geórgenes H. Cavalcante (2020)“Risks to large marine protected areas posed by drifting fish aggregation devices,” Conservation Biology

Improving MPA Management

Webinar: Imaging in Marine Science

Imaging in Marine Science

In the latest of the Bertarelli Foundation’s marine science seminar series, Prof. Heather Koldewey introduces four speakers who are all using imaging technology for marine science.

Advances in technology have allowed scientists to capture the underwater world in new and innovative ways, revealing insights in to life in the big blue and providing data to help us better protect the ocean and the life within. This seminar will explore how different imaging techniques are applied to study the ocean and help provide a picture of what the underwater world is hiding.

Speakers:

Joanna Harris – Manta Trust and University of Plymouth
Dr Dan Bayley – UCL
Dr Greg Asner – Arizona State University and Allen Coral Atlas
Dr Jyotika Virmani – Schmidt Ocean Institute

You can watch a recording of the seminar below:

Below you can find answers to questions we didn’t have time to address during the live seminar.

If overcrowding from tourists is having negative impacts on manta rays, how are you encouraging responsible citizen science photography?

Joanna: Encouraging responsible citizen science photography is extremely important. The Manta Trust has engaged in extensive research and provided key recommendations that aim to ensure that the manta ray tourism industry remains sustainable and non-detrimental to the animals’ natural behaviour (Murray et al., 2019). The outcome of this research includes a 10-step guide on how to sustainably interact with manta rays (https://swimwithmantas.org/).

What is the timescale for taking all of the photos to make these 4D maps?

Dan & Andy: We have been monitoring the reefs around the Chagos Archipelago annually using the 3D SfM mapping technique from 2015-2019. To make a ~20 x 20 m HD map takes about an hour for a diver pair to set up the site and collect pictures. The processing time depends on the computer power, number of images and the image sizes, but can take from hours to a day for a site this size. If interested in more detail on this method, we recently wrote a ‘how to’ guide: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/2041-210X.13476

On what scale have you developed the 4D maps? Are they limited to localised in-situ images?

Dan & Andy: Our projects have tended to be local, and the technique is usually applied over 10s to 100s of square metres, however it is possible to scale projects to larger areas. We are developing the use of an autonomous surface drone to cover larger regions of reef, and aerial drones commonly use this type of photogrammetry to survey multiple km². It is worth noting that typically to scale up projects, the height from the ground or reef needs to increase, and so the overall resolution decreases.

With these types of coral reef mapping (4D map analysis), would this tend to specialize data gathering and analysis for researchers? How can this be made more accessible to local managers or researchers who may have limited resources and skills?

Dan & Andy: In many ways, this technique democratises small-scale spatial data gathering compared to other methods. It is possible to quantitatively map several hundred square metres of seabed using a single camera, in-situ scales, a mid-range computer, and the requisite software. Total cost buying from scratch would be <£5k (though better cameras and computers will increase resolution and decrease processing time). Mapping the same area with a multibeam sonar or lidar system would typically cost an order of magnitude more for the sensor alone, and result in poorer resolution.

The camera types you use can range from a GoPro to a high-end SLR. While you can get more detail and more control from an SLR, action cameras can produce very good results, particularly in well-lit clear water. The image capture technique just needs to be methodical to ensure sufficient coverage, and again this is detailed in the ‘how to’ guide above. To analyse the models quantitatively, there are a range of paid and open-source software types available. While the processing aspect is straight forward and can be mostly automated, the analysis needs training. However, the models can be analysed in commonly used software tools such as ArcGIS, or using open-source software, which are typically well documented. As a final point, if you wanted to just use the technique for display/educational purposes, there are programmes available which can automatically process your online, mostly at no cost.

Improving MPA Management

Webinar: Tackling Plastic Pollution in the Indian Ocean

Tackling Plastic Pollution in the Indian Ocean

On Tuesday 30th March, the Bertarelli Foundation hosted our first marine science seminar of 2021. Moderated by Prof Jenna Jambeck of the University of Georgia, this seminar featured speakers working across the Indian Ocean region to tackle plastic pollution.

With significant accumulation of plastic being recorded on coastlines across the Indian Ocean region, this seminar explored the impact plastic pollution has on endangered wildlife, how the problem is monitored and how new technology is helping us to better understand the plastic crisis.

A recording of the seminar is now available to watch here:

Moderator: Prof Jenna Jambeck – University of Georgia

Victoria Alis – The Ocean Project Seychelles

Victoria Alis, a French-Seychelloise passionate about preserving the natural environment, returned to Seychelles in 2017 with a BHs in Biological (Marine) Science from the University of Brittany Occidental (France) and began to work as a field research assistant for the Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF) on the Aldabra Atoll. Later in 2019, she then joined the Seychelles Sustainable Tourism Foundation (SSTF) and joined The Ocean Project Seychelles (TOP), two local NGOs, to help integrate sustainability practices within the tourism sector and help tackle the rise and urgency of plastic pollution. She has since helped TOP develop the WIOMSA-funded Seychelles Marine Litter Monitoring programme, which also forms part of a regional study.

Rachel Jones – Zoological Society of London

Rachel Jones has worked for the Zoological Society of London since 1998. Her career has bridged the animal care and conservation departments with a particular focus on tropical marine habitats and species. She spent 16 years working in and managing the aquarium at London Zoo with a personal focus on the large collection of reef fish and invertebrates it housed, before moving departments to work on the Bertarelli Foundations Marine Science programme at its inception in 2017. Now the programme manager, Rachel is responsible for aspects of team coordination, logistics, communications and expedition planning and support for a team of more than 100 scientists working in and around the Chagos Archipelago. Rachel is also project lead for a Darwin Plus funded team exploring the specific impacts of plastics on sea turtles in the Chagos archipelago and the search for solutions to the challenge of ocean plastics in remote island locations.

Thoriq Hamid – Common Seas Maldives

Thoriq has a comprehensive understanding of Maldivian media, politics and civil society. Having worked in a leadership position at an international NGO for eight years, he has extensive experience in communications and project management. Thoriq has provided political analysis for donors, diplomats and international organisations, as well as engaging with political leaders, civil society, and journalists within the Maldives and abroad. In addition to working with Common Seas, he also runs his own communications company. Growing up and living in the Maldives, Thoriq has a close connection to the ocean. He enjoys scuba diving and is a certified PADI Dive Master.

Hawwa Nashfa – Common Seas Maldives

Nashfa has a great interested in circular economy, nature-based solutions and sustainable development models for island nations. Alongside these interests, Nashfa holds a master’s degree in Environmental Management Policy from Lund University, Sweden, and BA’s in International Political Economy and English literature from the College of Idaho, USA. Nashfa wrote her master’s thesis on the feasibility of implementing Extended Producer Responsibility for P.E.T bottles in the Maldives and worked with the Ministry of Environment to develop a single use plastic phaseout plan. She also has experience working with different stakeholders from the tourism and fisheries sectors of the Maldives.

Alasdair Davies – Arribada Initiative

Alasdair Davies is Technical Director of the Arribada Initiative and a Shuttleworth Foundation Fellow. He has 14 years’ experience developing, designing and deploying conservation technologies for conservation organisations globally, including the Zoological Society of London, the National Geographic Society and the World Wide Fund for Nature. His primary focus is the development of open source conservation technologies, with his most notable achievement the release of the first open source Argos satellite transmitter reference design. Alasdair founded the Arribada Initiative in 2017 to unlock access to open source conservation technologies, specializing in low-cost telemetry, biologging and passive acoustic monitoring technologies. Arribada’s current clients include the European Space Agency, the UK Space Agency, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Improving MPA Management

Expanding Marine Protected Areas Could Make a Huge Difference to the Health of the Oceans

“Action is the antidote to despair,” says international expert and advocate for marine protection

Callum Roberts is Professor of Marine Conservation in the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at the University of Exeter. He recently chaired the Bertarelli Foundation’s marine science seminar, The Role of Science for Marine Protected Areas. Here, he describes his work with Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and how they are a rising force for hope in ocean conservation.

You and your team designed a network of MPAs in the North Atlantic that were established in 2010. What did you consider when you were developing the design?

Our research underpinned the creation of four huge MPAs in the North Atlantic, covering half a million square kilometres – the first network of MPAs to be established in the international waters of the high seas.

In recommending sites for protection, we were particularly keen to ensure that the richest and most vulnerable ecosystems were included, and that the network represented the range of biodiversity found in open ocean and the seabed habitats of the region.

Some MPAs, like the ones your team designed, have been in existance for several years now. What benefits have they brought to marine life?

Most of the area covered by these MPAs is protected from fishing and hunting – activities which have had the most significant impacts on the region to date – so this is a big win for conservation.

But other threats remain, like deep sea mining. The International Seabed Authority does not consider these protected areas to be off limits to mining and has already licensed exploration around seamounts (underwater mountains) and hydrothermal vents in other parts of the mid-Atlantic.

What are the benefits of expanding MPAs?

For the last 16 years, the international community has pursued a target of protecting 10% of the ocean by 2020. Unfortunately, not enough of this space has been given enough protection to make a real difference to the marine life living there.

We know that species and habitats rebound quickly and thrive given high levels of protection from extractive use. The ‘light’ protection afforded to most MPAs is not enough to deliver such recoveries. If we match efforts to expand protected areas with increases in protection level, we could make a huge difference to the health of the ocean.

How realistic is it to meet the ‘30by30’ commitment to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030?

Momentum has really picked up in the creation of marine protected areas and the coverage curve is bending upwards as efforts accelerate. If we keep up these efforts, there is every reason to think that 30% MPA coverage is achievable by 2030. Some countries are there already, like the Seychelles, Palau, Chile and the UK, with many more having committed to reach the target.

What are the main barriers to overcome to reach this target?

It would make a huge difference if 30by30 were to become the official policy of the Convention on Biological Diversity at its Conference of Parties next year. There are political differences to overcome first, and lower income countries, where much of the richest biodiversity is located, will need cast iron commitments of financial help from richer nations to convince them to back the target.

What gives you cause to be an ‘ocean optimist’?

Most of the great whales are making huge strides towards recovery since the global whaling moratorium in 1984. Losses of mangrove forests have slowed to a trickle in many countries as their natural values – coastal protection, support for fisheries and carbon capture and storage – are better appreciated. Creating national networks of MPAs has been standard government policy almost everywhere since the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development.

I think that pessimism is a significant obstacle to progress because the hopelessness it engenders can become self-fulfilling. Action is the antidote to despair!

Improving MPA Management

Local Heros and Global Collaboration can Protect Threatened Oceans

“It’s time we became more inclusive for the sake of our the oceans,” says marine conservation pioneer

Dr. Asha de Vos is the founder and Executive Director of Oceanswell. She recently chaired the Bertarelli Marine Science Programme seminar, Ocean Optimism: Solutions for a Threatened Ocean. Here, she describes how her work ties into that topic.

Could you explain why you founded Oceanswell and what the organisation does?

Oceanswell is the first marine conservation research and education organisation in Sri Lanka. The fact that it was only established in 2017 should tell you a lot about my island home’s conservation priorities. The unfortunate truth is that in places like Sri Lanka, the ocean has long been seen as a space for extraction rather than a place needing protection.

To save our oceans, every coastline needs a local hero. Oceanswell aims to nurture this next generation of diverse ocean heroes. We do this by equipping individuals from under-represented nations to conduct marine conservation research.

What do you think is the greatest barrier to effective marine conservation?

Colonial or ‘parachute’ science is when researchers from the developed world come to countries like mine and do work that is driven by their own assumptions, motives, and personal needs – often without investing in the country’s people or its infrastructure. This is problematic because it cripples local conservation efforts and creates a dependency on external expertise. Essentially this model is not sustainable.

The most important and meaningful collaborations for me have been those with researchers who acknowledged that working outside their home space is a privilege, not a right. A handful of people from the global North cannot save our oceans, it will take an army of people from around the world. It’s time we became more inclusive for the sake of our oceans.

Why is the seminar topic of ‘Solutions for a Threatened Ocean’ so important?

Most of the news we hear about our planet is shrouded in doom and gloom. Our systems are collapsing, our species are going extinct and at the core of it all, we are spelling sowing the seeds of our own demise. It focusses on how we have failed, and how we continue to fail.

This messaging is incredibly destructive. If we give people nothing to hope for, then we cannot expect them to join us in our efforts to drive change. There is plenty to give us optimism. And the more we bring these conversations to the fore, the more people will grow in hope and potentially even join in and contribute!

Where have you seen the most progress in tackling threats to the oceans?

One thing that has started to change is the sharing of knowledge around our oceans. For too long, the academic narrative has dominated. Little of the work and the wonder of it was accessible to the general public. This means that people often saw the ocean as an infinite space of extraction and dumping rather than as part of their own home. A shift in narrative is important if we are to protect our oceans.

The other obvious area of progress is in the use of technology and innovation. A space to watch is the development of cost-effective tools that can go where humans cannot and can bring back data to help scientists guide decision-makers do what is necessary and right.

What gives you cause to be an ‘ocean optimist’?

My name, Asha, means ‘Hope’ in Sanskrit. So, I guess I was born with a lot of hope in my heart. But jokes aside, in my lifetime I have seen changes that give me a reason to stay optimistic.

When I was growing up and I would tell Sri Lankans that I wanted to be a marine biologist, most responded by saying that there was no scope for such a career in our country. Many questioned the sense of embarking on a degree that would be – in their view – useless. Today, there are more Sri Lankan students than ever before wanting to work in the field and doing degrees in marine biology. If that doesn’t make one optimistic, I don’t know what will.

Improving MPA Management

Webinar: The Science of Large Marine Protected Areas

The Science of Large Marine Protected Areas

The final seminar of 2020 looks at the science for large marine protected areas. Experts from across the world will discuss the role science plays in protecting the marine environment and how science can be used to inform and improve management of large marine protected areas across the world.

Due to technical difficulties during the live seminar, you can find the individual talks available from our panel of experts below.

Please do send any questions you have to info@marine.science and we will aim to get answers to you within a week.

Sebastián Yancovic Pakarati (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid) – Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Marine Protected Area

Prof. Jessica Meeuwig (University of Western Australia) – Documenting the Status of Ocean Wildlife in the Big Blue: Implications for Marine Parks

Prof. Graeme Hays (Deakin University) – The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) Marine Protected Area: Conservation Gains and Key Challenges

Prof. Julia Baum (University of Victoria) – Climate change and MPAs: Insights from a Remote Reef

Improving MPA Management

Webinar: Ocean Optimism – Solutions to Save our Blue Planet

Ocean Optimism: Solutions to Save our Blue Planet

On Tuesday 10^th November the next of the marine science webinar series was held online providing a welcome dose of ocean optimism as a panel of international experts discussed different solutions to save our blue planet.

Dr Asha de Vos (Oceanswell) was joined by the expert panel to discuss solutions to key threats to the ocean including climate change, illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing and plastic pollution.

A recording of the webinar is now available to watch here:

Moderator: Dr. Asha de Vos – Oceanswell

Dr. Asha de Vos is an internationally acclaimed Sri Lankan marine biologist, ocean educator and pioneer of long-term blue whale research within the Northern Indian Ocean. She is also an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Oceans Institute of the University of Western Australia. She has degrees from the University of St. Andrews, University of Oxford and the University of Western Australia but escaped academia to establish her own Sri Lankan grown non-profit, Oceanswell – Sri Lanka’s first marine conservation research and education organization. Her work has been showcased internationally by the BBC, the New York Times, TED and National Geographic to name a few. Amongst her many accolades Asha was listed on the BBC 100 Women 2018 list of most inspiring and influential women from around the world and named Lanka Monthly Digest’s Sri Lankan of the Year also in 2018.

Dr. Jeffrey Maynard – SymbioSeas

Dr. Jeffrey Maynard is the Director of SymbioSeas, a non-profit based in coastal North Carolina in the US. Dr. Maynard assembles and then leads teams that support marine conservation and management. SymbioSeas teams use statistics, climate models, GIS, and ecological modeling to develop decision-support frameworks. Examples of work led by SymbioSeas teams include: climate projections of future green sea turtle population viability in Hawaii, forecasts of epizootic shell disease prevalence in New England and Canada, and maps of cumulative exposure to disturbances in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Dr. Maynard recently co-led a team supported by the United Nations and the Bertarelli Foundation (with others) to develop state-of-art climate model projections of future coral bleaching conditions. Dr. Maynard has authored 100+ peer-reviewed publications in the fields of climate science, coral reef ecology, and marine and reef conservation and management.

Nick Wise – OceanMind

Nick Wise is founder and CEO of OceanMind, a non-profit organisation dedicated to protecting the world’s fisheries. Using satellites and artificial intelligence, OceanMind empowers effective fisheries enforcement and enables more responsible seafood sourcing, increasing compliance and sustainability. Nick has been designing large scale, highly secure software solutions for over 20 years, using innovative techniques focused on market needs. Before joining the ranks of social entrepreneurship, Nick’s journey saw him starting an Internet security business, as CTO of a mature SME, and managing product development in a billion-dollar multinational. Nick now empowers people to solve global issues with technology.

Claire Collins – University of Exeter

Claire is a social scientist interested in how understanding of social dimensions can be better integrated into marine policy and management. Her PhD focuses on shark fisheries in Sri Lanka, looking at how value chains are structured and how fishers perceive regulations and management. Her work also looks at how social science approaches and techniques can be used to characterise and manage illegal fishing and is currently studying non-compliance of fishers with the MPA surrounding the Chagos Archipelago.

Nakul Saran – Minderoo Foundation

Nakul Saran is the Chief Operating Officer of Sea the Future, Minderoo Foundation’s global industry-led initiative to end plastic leakage to nature and accelerate the transition toward a circular plastics economy. At Sea the Future, Nakul leads a global team to design innovative market-based mechanisms that can enable plastics circularity and kick-start commercially viable recycling markets. Nakul’s work has largely focused on developing financing and governance solutions to restore the world’s fragile ecosystems. Prior to joining Minderoo, he served as an independent consultant for major public and social sector clients including the World Bank, World Economic Forum, and Friends of Ocean Action. A passionate lover of oceans, Nakul has served as Vice President, Fish Forever at Rare, where he led the global conservation organization’s efforts to revitalize oceans, scaling the program to span five countries and over 100 coastal communities, and was awarded the Mulago Foundation’s Rainer Arnhold Fellowship for his leadership.