Ocean Acidification: MCBI's Special Edition of Current, the Journal of Marine Education

This issue of Current highlights ocean acidification, the ongoing global change in seawater chemistry caused largely by burning of fossil fuels. Acidification will have severe consequences for marine life and people, and has been nicknamed global warming’s “evil twin.” The articles focus on threats to marine life, economic implications for fisheries and ecosystem services, and policy options for slowing acidification. Because ocean acidification is so threatening, we need strong policies immediately and at all levels of government. Moreover, we must all do our part to curtail fossil fuel use to safeguard the future of our oceans.

We Got More Money for Monk Seals!

As part of the new Federal budget, Hawaii is scheduled to receive millions more this year for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Plan. The monk seal is America’s most endangered marine mammal. MCBI is leading the campaign to increase funding for the seal, and succeeded in getting the federal Monk Seal Recovery Plan budget nearly tripled, from last year’s $2.1 million to $5.7 million! Last year MCBI actively encouraged the State of Hawaii to increase its monk seal response budget and declare the endemic monk seal the Hawaii State Mammal. Additionally, in response to public advocacy, all of the Hawaiian counties passed resolutions advocating for an increase in federal funding and the need for state and local government coordination in the efforts to save the monk seal.

MCBI and NOAA's Marine Protected Areas Center Gold Ocean Uses Mapping Workshop

MCBI and the MPA Center recently held an experts’ workshop to learn about where ocean uses occur in Northern California. This was the second of four workshops that draws upon the knowledge of regional experts in ocean use and management to create maps that reflect the variety of ocean uses in state and federal waters off California. The California Ocean Uses Atlas Project was designed to inform management decisions by mapping how people are using the four regions of California's Marine Life Protection Act Initiative.

Staff Profile of the Month
Dr. John Guinotte
Marine Biogeographer

John Guinotte, now in his fifth year at MCBI, works on MCBI’s program areas, including climate change, bottom trawling, coral ecosystems, high seas conservation, marine protected areas, ocean zoning, and sustainability of deep-sea fisheries. John’s love of the marine environment had its roots in landlocked Kansas. “As a kid, the closest I could get to the oceans, aside from the occasional vacation to the coast, was books by Jacques Cousteau and the amazing photos of marine life I would see in National Geographic. As I entered college I learned the oceans were under intense pressure from people and wanted to do what I could to help protect marine life.”