Sent 2 November 2017. Part of Little Blue Letter.

"We know more about the surface of Mars
than we do about the deepest parts of our seas."
~ David Attenborough
Blue Planet 2 is so incredible that I'm compelled to once again sing its praises. Attenborough's team continued to amaze on Sunday, plunging to the darkest depths of our planet to show us sharks feeding on a whale carcass and an eel writhing in toxic shock after venturing into an underwater saltwater lake (the deep sea is a weird place indeed). Deep sea scientists have also discovered a new type of hunting - 'kleptopredation' (i.e. eating something that has just eaten something).

The South Pacific comes to Germany this week, with Fiji hosting COP23 in Bonn (IISD coverage here). The meeting takes place during one of the hottest years on record and just after the US pulled out of the Paris Accord (Nicaragua and Syria just joined, leaving the US completely isolated). Here's what to expect.

Fiji is a dedicated ocean advocate (see here & here), so our seas are getting more airtime than ever at these climate talks: many stakeholders have united behind the Ocean & Climate Platform, a nine-point policy framework for integrating ocean and climate action; Oceans Action Day (tomorrow) will bring together high level policymakers and scientists to advance ocean issues; and a signing ceremony will be held for the Because the Ocean declaration, which calls on countries to include the ocean in their national climate plans.

November is Manatee Awareness Month! Here is a bunch of interesting stuff that you might not know about these gentle giants. Click here to symbolically adopt one (comes with a cute plush toy!), and here to read the fascinating story of the (long extinct) 12-ton Steller's Sea Cow.
Calming Manatee
Stressed? Summon a calming manatee!
#OceanOptimism
Bluefin Tuna grown in a lab could be the next wave of sustainable seafood. Coral reefs in deeper waters might be better able to survive bleaching events. UNESCO and Monaco are working together to preserve world marine heritage. The Earth’s ozone hole is shrinking - it's the smallest it's been since 1988. Could shipping go electric? This man is catching fish every day to feed an injured cormorant.
It makes no difference who you are...
Further reading
Gif of the week
The Asian Sheepshead Wrasse.
An especially ugly fish that can, incredibly, change its gender.
Little Blue Letter is a splash of uplifting ocean stuff, lovingly curated by young ocean leaders and shipped straight to your inbox every Friday. It is edited by Glen Wright. Pass it on, encourage other ocean lovers to sign up, and follow along on Twitter.