Project AWARE Foundation is calling on all AWARE Divers and supporters to join the Protect our Coral Sea campaign and create the world’s largest marine protected area. The Coral Sea, off the north east of Australia, is one of the last remaining places on Earth where large marine animals can still be found in great numbers. Yet less than one percent is fully protected.

The Australian government is considering the future of the Coral Sea. Recent international studies have highlighted that the Coral Sea is one of the last remaining areas of the world’s oceans where large-scale and biologically rich ecosystems remain relatively intact. 

We need your help to establish a fully protected marine park and secure the future of this unique and diverse region. 

Take action:

1. Sign the online petition  asking your local Australian Federal Member of Parliament to support the creation of a fully protected Coral Sea Heritage Park.

2. For supporters outside Australia: Tell the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to create the world’s largest marine protected area.

3. Spread the word: Meet the Protect Our Coral Sea Ambassador, Barry the Wrasse, tell your friends and share on Facebook and other networking sites.

Coral Sea Facts:

• Less than one percent of the Coral Sea within Australian waters is fully protected.
• It’s an important travel route for humpback whales, dolphins, turtles, migratory seabirds and pelagic fish species such as sharks, tuna and billfish.
• 62 of Australia’s threatened and protected species are found in the Coral Sea.
• The Coral Sea within Australian territory covers approximately 972,000 square kilometres.
• The Coral Sea is of great historical significance. In May 1942, it was the arena for the Battle of the Coral Sea, and many shipwrecks can be found on its scattered and diverse reefs.

Protect our Coral Sea is comprised of Project AWARE Foundation, Australian Conservation Foundation, Australian Marine Conservation Society, Pew Environment Group – Australia, , Queensland Conservation Council and the Cairns and Far North Environment Centre.

Project AWARE is thrilled that rock icon, multi-platinum, multi- award-winning recording artist, and keen diver, Joe Perry, has chosen Project AWARE as the beneficiary of an eBay auction.

Toshiba teamed up with GQ Magazine and four men of innovative talent to create a series of customized, limited-edition laptops that reflect their lifestyles and personalities. To support the four men’s chosen charities, these unique collector’s items will be auctioned off on eBay. Auction starts November 27th and ends December 04th, 2009.

The Joe Perry Project will be performing a select number of dates in the UK as special guest to Bad Company. Click Here  for more information!

Joe Perry Toshiba Limited Edition Laptop

 

Place a bid and win Joe Perry’s limited-edition laptop!
All proceeds to go to Project AWARE
4 laptops are available to the public

Happy bidding!

and THANK YOU JOE

The island of Koh Samui, Thailand hosted their annual MALA week festival 19 – 27 September for a greener and cleaner Samui.  Dive operators on the island are working together for conservation through GIDOA (Green Island Dive Operators Association).

Supported by Project AWARE Foundation, they held a “Blue Day” to focus on the beach and sea and environmental educational seminars at Kandaburi Resort & Spa.  Divers in Paradise and The Dive Academy  organized Snorkel and Discover Scuba Lessons for children.  

Divers in Paradise Manager Marion Siepe said; “We engaged children from Blue Water International School.  Using toy sharks and marine life we created a polluted underwater scene in a swimming pool to show the children how sharks get trapped in nets, it was a very effective educational experience.”  GIDOA held educational presentations on sharks and reefs to raise awareness for ocean conservation using the AWARE Kids program.  

Marion added:  “GIDOA teaches awareness education for kids and grown ups, conducts regular beach cleanups and monitors the reefs around the island. Our goal to preserve the beauty of the ocean around the island. Just last week we took action in Laem Sor to remove a 30sqm fishing net from the reef.  It took our group of divers 2 hours to  remove the net from the corals and give the marine life its freedom.”

For information on AWARE Kids, beach cleanups and coral monitoring with Project AWARE visit www.projectaware.org

Volunteers Eco Scuba South Korea

On International Cleanup Day the power of your action is in the data you collect.   Thanks to all the coordinators who submitted data for this important cause.  There has been a final flood of data submitted  online which is fantastic. Many coordinators held events late into October and still submitted data – thank you.

25 students from Busan University joined Eco Scuba,’s cleanup in South Korea on 31 October 2009.   Volunteers collected 1.3 tones of rubbish at Daejin-Port in Young Duk.  13 dive centres in South Korea joined International Cleanup Day.  “It was fun, fun, fun,” said Jung Mi Kim from PSI Scuba who recorded 70 kilos of rubbish into Project AWARE’s online data reporting system. So, what happens to all the data?

All data collected during cleanups held in September and October contributes to the Global Marine Debris Index, the only worldwide marine debris report of its kind. It’s a comprehensive and measurable snapshot of the worlds marine debris amassed over a 24 year history of cleanups.  The data helps implement policy changes worldwide. A continued drive for strong consistent data is the key to help illuminate the underwater issues related to marine debris.

International Cleanup Day is a huge event and Project AWARE would not be able to achieve its mission without the commitment of so many dedicated volunteers and coordinators.  Recognition certificates are presented to volunteers on cleanup day and nearly all coordinators plaques have been awarded.  Keep up the great work for conservation.

Eco Scuba South Korea reported 1.3 tones of rubbish

Underwater Dive Volunteers Sea Monkey Dive and Travel Malaysia

At Gulen Dive Resort in Norway, visiting divers can help maintain a healthy house reef by throwing litter in underwater bins.

“This unique recycling project not only helps support local wildlife, it also emphasises our responsibility to care for the underwater world” says Ørjan Sandnes, owner of Gulen Dive Resort.

Three litter bins give divers the opportunity to help maintain a healthy and debris free house reef. At regular intervals, often in conjunction with Project AWARE cleanup dives, the bins are emptied and the contents taken to a local recycling plant. This summer, 250 kilos of underwater debris was removed!

Click Here to see more images of this unique Underwater Recycling project

Winning eco image nets Fiji diving package – Project AWARE and Seaweb announce annual photo contest winners.

© Matthew Potensky / Marine Photobank

SeaWeb and the Project AWARE Foundation reveal the winners of their second annual Ocean in Focus conservation photography contest. This year’s contest attracted hundreds of submissions to SeaWeb’s Marine Photobank from amateur and professional photographers alike, who have donated images depicting not just the magnificence of the ocean but also the environmental impacts degrading it.

 “Conservation images are key to advancing protection of underwater environments and the call for eco photos is on the rise,” said Dawn M. Martin, president of SeaWeb. “The ocean has long been a subject of great inspiration for photographers. But now more than ever photographers from around the world have learned that they can harness the power of the lens to illuminate the impacts on marine ecosystems and help save and restore the health and beauty of our ocean.”

The Ocean in Focus Grand Prize was awarded to Matthew Potenski, a photographer and director of field operations at the Shark Research Institute. The institute is a nonprofit organization based in Princeton, New Jersey, that works to promote shark conservation. Potenski’s winning shot was that of a mangrove shoot standing in the path of a backhoe that is in the process of tearing into prime lemon shark habitat. “This captivating photo shines a light on both the hope for and the threats to our marine environments and their struggle to survive against all odds,” said Martin. Potenski receives a grand prize package that includes seven nights of ocean-view accommodations and six days diving for two at Matava -Fiji’s Premier Eco Adventure Resort.

Among the environmental impacts highlighted in this year’s contest submissions was the danger of discarded fishing nets catching untargeted marine life. These were well represented in this year’s selections, and first prize winners Viora Alessio and Csaba Tokolyi each depicted this issue in the following two contest categories, respectively: “Ecosystem Decline/Species of Concern” and “Humans and the Ocean: Impacts and Solutions.”  

Two world-renowned photographers served as contest judges: filmmaker Bob Talbot and Wolcott Henry, founder of the Marine Photobank. “The impact of human activity on coral reefs, and the ocean overall, continues to increase,” said Henry. “As divers, documenting these impacts and what is being done to counter them is a personal way of contributing to the conservation of what we want to protect. It is a great pleasure to see the number and quality of images submitted to this year’s Ocean in Focus conservation photography contest, including many from other countries.”

All winning images and other submissions can be viewed at and downloaded from the Marine Photobank .