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Tag: ocean conservation

  • Live Wildly Joins Campaign to Turn Invasive Lionfish from Malicious to Delicious

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    Emerald Coast Open – the largest lionfish tournament in the world – encourages restaurants and their customers to discover the joy of eating lionfish


    TAMPA, Fla., May 7, 2025 (Newswire.com)
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    Live Wildly has joined the Emerald Coast Open Lionfish Tournament as a sponsor to help stop dangerous invasive lionfish from destroying Florida’s native marine life and habitat. The tournament takes place in Destin, FL, May 16-17.

    “Florida’s unique marine areas are not just beautiful, they also are the backbone of our tourism, commercial fishing, and outdoor recreation economies,” said Lisa Shipley, CEO of Live Wildly. “Lionfish are an invasive species that pose a real threat to Florida’s natural systems, native wildlife, and nature-based economy.”

    The Emerald Coast Open brings together teams of fishers who compete to catch the most lionfish. Live Wildly is sponsoring a team organized by Ocean Strike Team, a group that supports ocean conservation, citizen science, and research through ecotourism experiences and actions.

    Winners of the tournament receive cash prizes for the most, the biggest, and the smallest lionfish caught.

    Live Wildly is also sponsoring AJ’s Seafood and Oyster Bar which is participating in the Emerald Coast Open’s Restaurant Week which runs May 9-17. Live Wildly is proud to be the first-ever sponsor of Restaurant Week, during which local eateries feature lionfish dishes on their menus, educating customers about the invasive species and encouraging other restaurants to serve lionfish year-round.

    Lionfish – which can be fried, baked, broiled, steamed, poached, or even eaten raw in sushi – are firm, tender, and flakey with a mild taste similar to snapper, black sea bass, and hogfish.

    But while lionfish may be delicious to eat, they are malicious when it comes to the threats they pose to Florida’s marine systems and native fish populations.

    Originally from the South Pacific and Indian Oceans, lionfish were first spotted in Florida’s waters in the 1980s, believed to have been released by home aquarium owners who originally kept them as pets. Because lionfish have no natural predators in Atlantic waters, and because a single lionfish can produce up to 2 million eggs a year, lionfish have quickly spread from Florida’s coasts all the way up to New York posing severe environmental threats up and down the East Coast.

    Lionfish can grow to more than 18 inches long and have long venomous spines. They are voracious hunters, eating nearly any living creature that can fit into their mouths, including juveniles of many commercially important fish such as grouper, seabass, and snapper. Lionfish also threaten Florida’s extensive reef habitats by preying on algae-eating species that help keep corals clean and healthy. And lionfish compete for food with native fish species, further harming their populations.

    Commercial and recreational harvesting of lionfish are some of the most effective ways of controlling its spread and environmental damage. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission hosts seminars and workshops throughout the year to train people how to catch lionfish and to educate the public about the dangers of invasive species.

    “Getting outdoors to catch lionfish is a great way to enjoy wild Florida while also keeping it healthy,” Shipley said. “Restaurants that serve lionfish are not just providing great food to their customers, they’re also helping keep Florida’s marine systems strong and productive for residents, tourists, and local economies.”

    Source: Live Wildly Foundation

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  • BayEcotarium Hosts COP 28 Climate Concert at Dubai Opera

    BayEcotarium Hosts COP 28 Climate Concert at Dubai Opera

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    Grammy Winners to Lead a Musical Resonance Climate Concert With A.R. Rahman’s Firdaus Orchestra in Dubai in Solidarity With Indigenous Voices


    DUBAI, Arab Emirates, October 24, 2023 (Newswire.com)
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    As the historic UN COP28 Climate Summit draws nearer, the world is facing increasing turmoil and strife driven by geopolitics and avarice for resources. Industrialization, warfare, pillage and depletion of natural resources of land and sea are polluting the air with excessive carbon emissions triggering an ever-increasing chain reaction of climate crises that threatens humanity.

    The Climate Concert at Dubai Opera is being hosted by Bay Ecotarium as it celebrates its 42-year legacy in ocean conservation and green advocacy. “Its future transformation into the world’s first Climate and Ocean Conservation Living Museum will leverage Native American environmental stewardship, Silicon Valley technologies including AI, EAI, cloud networking, mobile AR/ VR overlays, immersive experiences, projected holograms, and deep learning, in its bio-mimetic iridescent, organic design inspired by ocean geometry, fish-scales, rippling waves and Ohlone shell-mounds,” says Dr. George Jacob, visionary President and CEO.

    Unlike conventional science museum exhibits that often tend to deliver an overdose of data, graphs and technical analysis, the Ecotarium is an evocative platform that is programmed for a three-part trigger. First, to appreciate the wondrous beauty of our Blue Marble we call home in all its magical biodiversity and delicate and complex balance of the web of life. Second, to feel the anguish of a planet in pain that remained silent to the Anthropocene and then began exploding with ominous fury that is existential for human-kind. Third, to remember that our collective future relies on taking decisive action — be it with programs, policy or personal lifestyle choices driven by sustainability and 360 circular economies. At the heart of the Ecotarium is a two-million-gallon saltwater aquarium with 300 species and 30,000 animals that offers a lens to life — silent and unseen — below the depths of the ocean.

    Indigenous environmental stewardship in mitigating climate change is integral to conservation efforts — locally and globally. With the office of the President of the USA naming representative Deb Haaland of New Mexico as the Interior Secretary, creating history while honoring heritage, a new era for the environment awaits. Native American Laguna Pueblo lineage makes her the first Native American to ever hold a Cabinet Secretary-level position. A co-sponsor of the Green New Deal, Secretary Haaland brings a unique indigenous perspective to environmental leadership to 574 federally recognized tribes holding sovereign treaties with the United States.

    Many indigenous leaders are expected to participate at the UNCOP28 in Dubai Expo City. Two years ago at the UNFCCC Glasgow meet, 137 countries signed Declaration of Forest and Land Use — a $130 trillion commitment to climate finance, and a $1.7 billion pledge of direct support to Indigenous Peoples and local communities. For the first time in the history of the UNFCCC, 28 indigenous peoples were nominated from each of the seven UN indigenous socio-cultural regions to engage directly as knowledge holders and share experiences as indigenous experts with governments

    Indigenous Peoples of the world comprise five percent of the world’s population and live on 22 percent of the land that is home to over 75 percent of the global biodiversity. According to the 2018 IPCC Report (Inter-government Panel on Climate Change), the native symbiosis with environment is synonymous with climate solutions. The Special UN IPCC Report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems, draws on indigenous perspectives and practices. Everything from the rotation of crops, plant palette of native species, conservation and forest management practices, water distribution, hunting and fishing levels of consumption, recycling, burning cycles, terrain and geographical nuances, seasonal adaptations, curation of flora and fauna, recognizing vectors of pollination and cross-pollination, and movement of livestock will be at play in regulated measures seeking 360-degree circular economies both at the micro and macro levels. From treaty obligations to Earth Justice, the list of complex issues is long and multi-generational, braided with emotional and trust issues of marginalization, racism, and the specter of “climate refugees” from the tiny pacific island of Kiribati to the mighty burning greens of the Amazon. With over 18,500 indigenous peoples, tribal traditions in the San Francisco Bay Area and languages have survived through sheer tenacity of elders and youth.

    Being in the mecca of tech, IT and AI will play a major role in the guest experiences of the Bay Ecotarium. Augmented and virtual reality will immerse visitors into scenarios of real climate change crisis examples and provide an elevated sense of urgency for immediate action. Machine learning, emotional intelligence, Google-driven visual mapping and real-time user engagement will be utilized to further these experiences and create inspiring messaging that translates into real action. The VR platform component of the building can transcend geo-political boundaries and engage upwards of two billion people, despite the physical footprint projections of two million visitors per year.

    Source: BayEcotarium

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  • BayEcotarium Ocean Museum Project in San Francisco Wins 2022 Global Future Design Award

    BayEcotarium Ocean Museum Project in San Francisco Wins 2022 Global Future Design Award

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    Press Release
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    Oct 20, 2022 21:00 PDT


    SAN FRANCISCO, October 20, 2022 (Newswire.com)
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    The transformation of the Aquarium of the Bay into the world’s first comprehensive Ocean and Climate Literacy Living Museum, the BayEcotarium has won the 2022 APR Global Future Silver Design Award. A jury of architects from around the world reviewed hundreds of submissions across various categories of exterior and interior design, construction, materiality functionality, sustainability and environmental perspectives to select the winners. The overwhelming creativity exuded in the range of designs exceeded previous submissions over the years. This highly competitive review process culminated in the jury’s decision criteria.

    Designed by Paris-based XTU architects led by Anouk Legendre, the Bay Ecotarium/Climatorium draws its inspiration from the native American Ohlone shell mounds, ocean geometry, fish scales and iridescence. The bio-mimetic organic forms gird the San Francisco Embarcadero at its current site, protruding into the ocean in a flexible configuration of a floating structure docked via a pressure tunnel. At the core of the BayEcotarium is a living aquarium with its shark tubes holding 2 million gallons of saltwater and 30,000 live animals. The ocean offers a lens into the climate cruises, habitat destruction, Greenhouse gas emissions, global warming, and melting polar ice caps resulting in sea level rise that will tip past the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold. “Winning this award for the second year in a row reinforces the endorsement in our vision and collective resolve in realizing this critical initiative that generates Climate Awareness leading to informed Action,” says George Jacob, President and CEO of BayEcotarium, who envisioned this unique generational environmental edifice. The aquarium has attracted millions of visitors over the decades and now looks to re-invigorate its future to address climate change and resilience.

    Additional information for The BayEcotarium can be found at www.bayecotarium.org .

    Source: BayEcotarium

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  • BayEcotarium Hosts Primary and Final Berkeley Innovation Forum Sessions

    BayEcotarium Hosts Primary and Final Berkeley Innovation Forum Sessions

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    Press Release
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    Oct 15, 2022 11:00 PDT


    SAN FRANCISCO, October 15, 2022 (Newswire.com)
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    More than 100 global CEOs and leaders of some of the world’s most influential companies reflected on recent innovations and actions to combat climate change at a special dinner for the opening of the Fifth Berkeley Innovation Forum. The Smithsonian-affiliated Aquarium of the Bay hosted the primary session, and the final session of the event took place at another branch of the BayEcotarium, the Bay Model in Sausalito.

    The 5th annual US-India Conference took place at the Speaker Forum on the University of California, Berkeley campus. Executives, professionals, academics, students from both India and the U.S., and key members of U.S.-India trade and economic bodies attended the dinner to exchange ideas in an open forum.

    “The world is changing at a quick and dramatic pace, and new orientations and alignments are needed from the world’s major economies,” said George Jacob, President and CEO of BayEcotarium. “India and the U.S. must work together to shape and ensure mutual prosperity and peace around the globe.”

    R. Mukundan, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at Tata Chemicals in India, spoke about the importance of corporate responsibility to support climate resiliency in an interview that evening. “We believe that conservation, protecting biodiversity and working on climate change cannot be done by one company,” Mukundan said. “It has to be done by partnership and ecosystems. If by coming to these forums we can connect with like-minded people, we would like to find them, work with them, and share what we know.”

    At the closing session held at the Bay Model in Sausalito, Professor Solomon Darwin (Haas School of Business University of California Berkeley) opened the final session. Presentations included industrial activities on the planet, how sustainability is key for the future, and best business practices to thrive in the modern business world. The forum included time for open discussion and question-and-answer sessions.

    WHO ARE WE:

    Established 42 years ago as the Bay Institute, Bay.Org/BayEcotarium and its seven branches are united under one mission to enable conversations on climate resilience and ocean conservation globally, while inspiring actionable change locally by protection and preservation of the San Francisco Bay and its ecosystems, from Sierra to the Sea™. Visit www.Bayecotarium.org.

    BayEcotarium, one of the largest non-profit watershed conservation groups in the Bay Area, which includes the Smithsonian-affiliated Aquarium of the Bay, is marking its transformation to become a first-of-its-kind BayEcotarium – an immersive, sustainability-driven and multi-disciplinary education, research and climate leadership facility.

    The Berkeley Innovation Forum is a membership organization hosted by Dr. Henry Chesbrough, Faculty Director of the Garwood Center for Corporate Innovation. Professor Chesbrough has become a world-renowned authority on the topic of open innovation, a term that he is credited with inventing. BIF is an exclusive membership group consisting of carefully selected corporate Directors from non-competing firms who are deeply involved in managing innovation within their company. The forum provides its members an ongoing window on innovation challenges confronting companies around the world, and gathers members together to share their experiences in dealing with these challenges. We also incorporate recent innovation research, from UC Berkeley and other universities. We keep the size of the membership limited in order to promote greater exchange of viewpoints.

    Source: BayEcotarium

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