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Dear Friend,
Thank you very much for your interest in MCBI. We
hope you find our monthly newsletter to be informative and that
it allows you to come to know who we are and what we do.
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More Money for MPAs
 MCBI
convinced members of Congress to allocate more money in the federal
budget for the National Marine Protected Areas Center, increasing
its 2009 budget from $1.46 million to $2.9 million. The MPA
Center was established in 2001 by President Clinton in response
to MCBI's advocacy. In recent years the program has been underfunded
and it was in the process of laying off 70% of its workers.
MCBI is glad to see the MPA Center continue on its mission to
conserve our natural and cultural marine resources through
ecosystem based management. We would like to thank all of those
who made this possible. Read more...
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Deep-sea Fish Populations Threatened
 New
research by Dr. David Bailey of the University of Glasgow shows
trawlers harm deep-sea fish populations a kilometer below the
deepest reach of a trawl net. Dr. Bailey was a recipient of
our Mia J. Tegner Memorial
Research Grant, to look at long term changes in the deep sea.
The Mia J. Tegner program provides support to early-career
scientists to study marine environmental history and historical
marine ecology. The application process for the 2009 round
of Mia J. Tegner grants will open on April 15th. Read more...
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New Ocean Acidification Law Funds Research
 President
Obama recently signed into law the first bill that addresses the
growing threat of ocean acidification - global changes in
seawater chemistry caused by increased absorbtion of
anthropogenic carbon dioxide into the oceans. The Federal Ocean
Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2009 provides much
needed funding for research that addresses the consequences of
ocean acidification on marine organisms and ecosystems, as well
as the socioeconomic impacts to coastal communities. MCBI
advocated for passage of this bill and continues to work on ocean acidification
and climate change issues. Read more...
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 Consider
doing something special to protect our oceans and our
planet. Make this the day you start using less energy, wasting
less water, and throwing out less trash. For ideas on what to do
from at home, at work, or at school to do your part to save the
planet, visit EarthDay.gov. There
you can also look up planned Earth Day activities and events as
well as volunteer opportunities. One simple thing you can do to
help the ocean is to clean up your local beach and properly
dispose of the trash washed on shore.
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Monk Seal Day
 Volunteers
are needed on April 18th from 10am to 1pm for the annual
monk seal count in Hawaii. Sign up online to
volunteer or contact your monk seal
coordinator. The annual monk seal count not only gets a
census of the monk seals living on the main Hawaiian islands, but
also educates the public on the plight of the monk seal. The
Hawaiian monk seal is an endangered marine mammal species found
only in the Hawaiian Islands. It is the State Mammal of Hawaii.
To learn more about monk seal and what MCBI is doing to save
them, visit our monk seal webpage.
There is a push in the Hawaiian State legislature to declare the
day of the monk seal count Hawaiian Monk Seal Day.
Hopefully, with a little nudge from you and MCBI, this will
become a reality. Read more...
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Thank you very much for your continued support of
the Marine Conservation Biology Institute and our mission to
protect marine ecosystems and advance the science of marine
conservation biology.
Elizabeth Purvis
Marine Conservation Biology Institute
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