Hope

That seems an appropriate title given that it is one year since Nelson Mandela passed away and I wrote then that he was, for me, hope personified. 

Off the SST website

I am not talking about him though. Last night I went to a talk by Dr Sylvia Earle. I am embarrassed that I didn't actually know who she was and was lured in by free food and a Google search that revealed that she has a Lego figurine made in her image. I figured she must be a person worth listening to... and she was. She is in South Africa to promote various "hope spots" around the South African coastline. Areas of special conservation interest through community involvement. There was also the launch of the book: "South African Coasts" which includes a compilation of photos that have been sent in from the public to portray the public view of the South African coastlines. You can buy it here using technology I don't really understand yet. 

Dr Sylvia Earle started making waves (yes, feel free to shake your head at me at the terribly obvious pun) as a female scientist when reporters still thought it OK to say: "surprisingly the scientists are not physically fit males but young, attractive females, like real life mermaids under the sea". You have to hope that they cringe now. While, thank goodness, Dr Earle and her contemporaries have paved the way for a new generation of female scientists (there are 3 males in my lab of ~10 people) but I couldn't help noticing that at the fisheries stock assessment meeting this week, the 5 (?) person international panel is all male - so maybe we (female scientists) still have some work to do.  (Although this is the second "Rock Star Scientist" female we have had come to chat to us this year. I wrote about Jane Goodall in Feb)

Dr Earle is over flowing with enthusiasm and energy. She said that South Africa is a place of HOPE, written right there on the map 'Cape of Good Hope'. She also said that we should be excited that we live in a time when knowledge is more accessible than ever because "We can't care, if we don't know". She is 79 years old (according to Wikipedia) and still diving and living at full throttle. She, frankly, made me feel like a sloth. Her talk couldn't have come at a better time for me. With no current income and a huge amount of uncertainty and insecurity about what I will do next, the temptation is to move away from conservation and science and into something more stable and reliable and... dare I say it... commercial... BUT, Dr Earle said something that struck: "Somebody needs to speak for the fish". In fact, she was given the nickname "Sturgeon General" (when working as Chief Scientist at NOAA) for her persistence in speaking on behalf of the fish.  

This is OBVIOUSLY something I feel strongly about (and should probably be speaking about more). Sometimes the issues of over-fishing and ocean exploitation can become a little too big to see any light at the end of the tunnel. But, Dr Earle highlighted examples of good things that are happening: Palau has decided that sharks are worth more alive than dead and has banned large scale commercial fishing; there is also the goal to get 30% of the world's oceans declared as marine protected areas by 2030 (we are currently on 3%). There are amazing initiatives all of the world, and one of my favourite is SASSI's green list  and the MSC ecolabels which just give people the power of making knowledgeable decisions.  (Because, our consumer driven society might seem awful on many levels, but it does give the consumers a certain amount of power if they choose to wield it). 

The question that Dr Earle raised was whether we can figure it all out fast enough... She said we can't just sit back and watch it all dissolve. We might not be able to get things back to how they were, but we can work towards making them better than they would be. I reckon that's worth fighting for... 

(Due to an unfortunate incident involving my not-quite-sealed water bottle and handbag yesterday morning, I tragically didn't have my note book on me last night. I was feeling self conscious about the loud clicky-ness of my backberry keypad so I couldn't really jot things down. So, I apologise for not-quite-word-perfect quotes and that I can't give you heaps more information about what she said. I am pretty sure that you can find out more about the Hope Spot initiative, Sustainable Seas Trust, Mission Blue and other marine conservation success stories through the links in the text and all-powerful Google. There is also the trailer to the movie that includes the mermaid line... here! There is also a National Geographic article about marine protected areas in SA here - featuring awesome photos by Tom Peschak)

They are cute, right... but they also represent a huge
conservation concern which you can read about in a brilliant
penguinologist's blog.