Some people know right away that they want to be a marine biologist. Others may shy away for one reason or another at first, and then become an influential part of the marine science community. Dr. Elaine Leung falls into the latter category--her excellence in the field seemed unlikely at first, as she is prone to seasickness! Luckily for the Women in Ocean Science community and beyond, she has pushed through the initial apprehension and now has over fifteen years of experience researching threatened marine animals--especially top predators--and worked with many global stakeholders to protect species based on her findings.

She introduced me to the Lonely Conservationist platform, run by Jessie Panazzolo. I immediately followed the account and downloaded her book, Conserving Conservationists. I gobbled it up in less than 48 hours and knew I needed the WMC and WOS community to hear about her work.

Yes! You heard us right!! We are finally here, the 2021-2030 United Nations (UN) Ocean Decade! As we swim into the new year, we are full of hope and excitement for what the future holds. The UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development is all about reversing the damage to our planet that has created a decline in ocean health.

But here we are, at the start of 2021 (2020 is over, phew), so let’s take a minute to forget about everything that’s gone wrong and think just for a little while, about some of the things that have gone right. Because there are a lot of really great people doing really great things that deserve a bit of recognition too. So sit back (festive beverage optional), relax, and enjoy some of the little wins our big blue friend has achieved this year.

The first time I saw stony coral tissue loss disease, I knew it could mean the end of these beautiful coral reefs that I grew up with, unless we act now!”

I became aware of threats against the ocean as soon as I started scuba diving, whether it was seeing coral bleaching during a dive or discarded fishing nets covering coral reefs, my eyes were now open to what most will never see. The threats to our ocean are mostly hidden to humans and this is why it has been so devastating, and little has been done to stop it.

World Ocean Day feels a little different this year. Heck, everything does. During this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a fight for racial justice, some us have retreated from others, some have sought creative ways to cope with lingering anxiety and the thought of the unknown, and some have taken their anger and sadness to the streets in the form of protests.

You know how they say another mans trash is another mans treasure? Well… the same can’t be said for our oceans. This year for World Oceans Day Girls in Ocean Science partnered with Ocean Mimic to host a bunch of beach clean-up events all over the world! Were you at one of them??