With World Ocean Day being celebrated on or around June 8, there is still time to make your plans to celebrate our world ocean and our personal connection to the sea. The Ocean Project is working to expand and improve the World Ocean Day website; please visit it today for resources and ideas to help in planning your World Ocean Day event! If you are planning an event -- whether large or small -- please enter your information at the website so that we can include you in the listing of events around the globe. You can also visit our partners in World Ocean Day coordination, the World Ocean Network.

"Indonesia has the most diverse shark and ray fauna and the largest shark and ray fishery in the world, with reported landings of more than 100,000 tons a year," said William White, a co-author of the study. "Before this survey, however, there were vast gaps in our knowledge of sharks and rays in this region." The survey was part of a broader project working toward improved management of sharks and rays in Indonesia and Australia, researchers said.

Contact the Shark Alliance to take action to help sharks!

Coastal upwelling along the eastern margins of the Atlantic and Pacific gathers steam in the spring and summer, when the land heats up and the temperature differences between ocean and land grow. The difference sets off winds that flow along the coastline. As the winds interact with the ocean, they trigger surface currents that head offshore. The outbound water is replaced with cold, nutrient-laden water that rises from depths, in effect "fertilizing" plantlike plankton that form the foundation for the marine food chain.

Check out NOAA's Arctic Theme Page for lots of data, maps, information, and images.

Fish farming, particularly offshore fish farming, raises environmental concerns, including the issue of wastewater generated by such operations, disease transfer to native species, and the sustainability of feeding fish to grow fish. Demand for seafood is rising fast and Secretary Gutierrez said that the proposal "ties in very well with reducing overfishing. This is very much the future, and we need to get to work to be able to have an adequate supply of fish."

Learn more: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) and SeaWeb's Aquaculture Center.

According to Harvard University professor Robert D. Putnam, author of Bowling Alone, more needs to be done to help get working-class youths involved in volunteering, politics, and other aspects of civic life, before the nation develops a "caste system" of middle-class children who are far more engaged than their less affluent peers.

The Ocean Project, as part of a reciprocal promotion to achieve a common goal, will be helping the author to coordinate events and signings with our Partners across the country. Her summer dates are going fast, so if your organization is interested in learning more about the power of "fiction with a mission," please contact us.
Be part of the '07 Way of Water Tour! For more information contact: Bill Mott or Lisa Lovell and visit the Gaia Girls website .

As a general rule for the pelagic species (including tuna, sharks, mahi mahi and swordfish), in the absence of data demonstrating that bycatch rates are declining, they have taken a precautionary approach toward evaluating the sustainability of global longline fisheries. Even for those fisheries that can demonstrate low or declining bycatch rates as a result of improved observer coverage and other management measures, there is still a high conservation concern about the bycatch of species with vulnerable life histories (e.g., sea turtles and sharks) or species whose stock status is a critical conservation issue (e.g., some species of billfish or bluefin tuna). As a result, fish from nearly all pelagic longline fleets are now in the "Avoid" category, with only a few exceptions. These exceptions include longline fleets from Hawaii and the rest of the U.S. where conservation measures have been shown to be effective and where targeted tuna stocks are doing better.

Join actor Matt Damon as he examines why nearly half the world's marine animals may face extinction over the next 25 years. Case studies focus on how global warming, sea-level rise, over-fishing, and habitat destruction are beginning to empty the world's ocean. Along the way, viewers will come to appreciate the diversity of our planet's marine life: the beauty, the incredible animals, and the dangers that threaten them all. Watch the video introduction and find out when it is airing in your town.

The documentary follows a female loggerhead turtle as she sets off to lay eggs in the place where she was born. Her voyage will take her from the east coast of Mexico to Japan. It is the longest journey undertaken by any animal on land or sea, and she will make it all alone -- facing typhoons and sharks, whales and squids, and passing through several exotic kingdoms of the sea. Visit the PBS website for more information, and airing schedules.

Get involved by finding an event in your area.