Sent 13 July 2018. Part of Little Blue Letter.

"In every curving beach, in every grain of sand there is the story of the Earth"
~ Rachel Carson
Kriller move to protect the Antarctic
In an unprecedented move, a huge group of krill fishing companies have committed to supporting ocean sanctuaries in the Antarctic and will voluntarily stop fishing in sensitive waters slated for protection. Decisions made in the next decade are vital for the future of the Antarctic, so this is great news for penguins and for accelerating political efforts to protect the world’s last wilderness.
Krill is the bedrock of the Antarctic foodweb and krill fishing companies have a powerful voice in negotiations. This precautionary approach was welcomed by major retailers, who have faced public pressure regarding krill oil sourced from sensitive waters.
No country for cold men
With polar scientists gathering in Cambridge to workshops on managing the Antarctic Ocean, Greenpeace installed an immersive geo-dome in the city, projecting stunning footage of the Antarctic seabed thriving with life alongside messages supporting Antarctic protection from people around the world. Oscar-winning actor and penguin fan Javier Bardem stopped by to meet with scientists, describing why he’s joined a movement of 1.7 million people globally to create the world’s largest ocean sanctuary. He even fitted in a meeting with the UK’s Environment Secretary (with a penguin in tow, naturally).
High time for the high seas
Elsewhere in international waters, Enric Sala makes a compelling case for protecting the high seas as new research shows the majority of high seas fisheries are only economically viable with government subsidies and exploited labour.
Gif of the week
After a long busy week of ocean campaigning, I’m like:
Life in plastic
If we’re going to stop sealife choking on plastic, we need to tackle the problem at source - that means calling on companies to help end the era of single-use plastic. Check out campaigns across the world that are helping to #BreakFreeFromPlastic. Be sure to also check out this article, from disability rights campaigner Penny Paper, about the challenges some people may face in giving up plastic: "If there’s going to be a ban, let governments and manufacturers come up with decent, affordable, green alternatives for us all.”
Ocean opportunity
Still time to apply for the Sustainable Ocean Alliance Youth Leadership Summit in Bali. 200 young leaders will join heads of state, industry leaders and passionate changemakers - deadline August 17.
From the editor
Top class puns from Louisa this week. I'm hoping that penguin will become the UK's new Foreign Minister. My institute is looking for a young researcher to work on adaptation to climate change, assessing adaptation activities in small islands in the Pacific and Indian oceans. Contribute to a cool research project by taking this survey about the World Ocean Assessment. You can review the Atlantic Ocean on google maps.
Little Blue Letter was curated this week by Louisa Casson. Louisa is an oceans campaigner at Greenpeace UK, where she is campaigning for the world’s largest protected area to be created this year in the Antarctic Ocean
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.
 

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