Sent 29 November 2017. Part of Little Blue Letter.

"Every time I slip into the ocean, it's like going home."
~ Sylvia Earle
¡Viva México!
Despite opposition from a powerful fishing industry, the Mexican government this week announced the creation of North America's largest fully protected marine reserve. The sanctuary covers 150,000km² around the Revillagigedo islands, 390km south-west of Baja California. Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto also announced a ban on mining and the construction of new hotels on the islands.
This bold move not only protects the pristine waters that hundreds of animal and plant species call home (including the mighty manta rays, whales, sea turtles, and sharks), it will also give some of the most overfished species of tuna and mackerel space to recover from the devastating impacts of skyrocketing consumption.
A herd of silky sharks prowling along the coast 

While such announcements are a cause for celebration, only 3% of the ocean is protected by effectively managed marine protected areas, with a paltry 1.5% covered by no-take marine reserves. That means we're still a long way from achieving the ambitious Aichi target of protecting 10% of coastal and marine areas by 2020. Nevertheless, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step” (Laozi). 
#OceanOptimism
There is still some hope for the Great Barrier Reef! Scientists have stepped in as environmental matchmakers, collecting coral eggs and sperm from Heron Island’s reef during last November’s coral spawning to produce more than a million larvae. Some of that larvae was reintroduced to the reef and is now growing successfully. 
Gif of the week
Mass coral spawnings are spectacular events that look a little bit like an upside-down undersea snowfall
Meanwhile, on land
A new report issued by UN Environment's Executive Director, Towards a Pollution-Free Planet, analyses the impacts pollution has on human health and ecosystems. It paints a rather dark picture (nearly a quarter of all deaths worldwide are due to environmental causes), but also provides solutions and ambition for change.
Santa baby
Christmas is coming! Thinking about presents? #Stopsucking and gift your loved ones some metal straws. The ocean will thank you.
Ocean Opportunity
MarXiv, a free new research repository ocean conservation papers, is looking for Ambassadors to help train researchers how to legally make their stuff freely-available for all. They will award US $1,000 to 10 Ambassadors who will serve a one-year tenure. Details here.
From the editor
Another bit of good news on coral reefs - some small areas of the Great Barrier Reef happen to be in cool enough waters to be relatively unaffected by rising temperatures, but also close enough to ocean currents to allow for spawning. This gives us some hope that these reefs can help rehabilitate others. The UN Environment Assembly is currently on in Nairobi. BBC's Blue Planet II series continues to astound and amaze. 

Little Blue Letter was curated this week by Leonie Meier. Leonie is currently a Carlo-Schmid Fellow at the UN Economic Commission for Europe and wrote her Masters thesis about policy responses to microplastic pollution. She is now trying to make the UN a plastic-free organisation.

Editing etc. by Glen Wright. Glen is a researcher studying marine governance, the high seas, and ocean energy. He is a drinker of tea, lover of the sea, and an Oxford comma user. Glen recently published Academia Obscura: The Hidden Silly Side of Higher Education. 
 

 

Little Blue Letter is a splash of uplifting ocean stuff, lovingly curated by young ocean leaders and shipped straight to your inbox every Friday. Pass it on, encourage other ocean lovers to sign up, and follow on Twitter.