Header Image: Giant Pacific octopus stretching out on Cordell Bank with schooling rockfish in the background. Image: Rob Lee. [SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA] – Off the coast of Northern California lie two federally recognized National Marine Sanctuaries (NMS), the Greater Farallones NMS and the Cordell Bank NMS. These distinct but interconnected sanctuaries are known for their [...]Read More...| Mission Blue
Cover Image: Mark Ziembicki The Quirimbas Archipelago was designated a Mission Blue Hope Spot in 2013, and Dr. Sylvia Earle considers this area to be a “shining beacon of hope on the African Coastline”. Hope continues to grow in this jewel of Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province, with a large proportion of the area recently declared the Northern Quirimbas Archipelago Environmental Protection Area (EPA). With this designation, Mozambique has significantly increased the area of marine prote...| Mission Blue
Cover image: Taylor Griffith Kelp forests thrive in some surprising places around the world. From the icy waters of Iceland to the tropical seas of the Galápagos Islands, these underwater forests create vibrant habitats that support diverse marine life and sustain coastal communities. Across the globe, 32 Mission Blue Hope Spots are known for their vital kelp ecosystems, and here we take a closer look at five of these kelp Hope Spots and the unique stories they tell. Northeast Iceland Hope S...| Mission Blue
Cover image: Diving in the Bazaruto Seascape © Andrea Marshall [Inhambane, Mozambique] –Mission Blue is pleased to welcome Rui Branco as the new Co-Champion of the Inhambane Seascape Hope Spot in southern Mozambique. Rui Branco, founding member and Director of Associação NATURA and co-founder of the Malamba Coastal Collaborative and a Mozambique native, brings over [...]Read More...| Mission Blue
The Transquaking River feeds into Fishing Bay near Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County, MD. Photo courtesy of Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program (2018). [CHESAPEAKE BAY, USA] – The Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States and the third largest in the world, has been officially designated a Mission Blue Hope Spot. Hope Spots are areas recognized for their exceptional ecological, cultural, and historical value, and this new designation celebrates the Chesa...| Mission Blue
Tavarua Island from the Reef’s Edge. Image: Chris Park [TAVARUA, FIJI] The waters surrounding Tavarua Island are now officially protected, following the Fijian Government’s endorsement of the Tavarua Island Marine Reserve. The declaration is an inspiring step forward in the Pacific nation’s leadership in marine conservation. The new protected area was officially designated under the Fijian Government’s Fisheries (Tavarua Island Marine Reserve) Regulations 2025, and extends 5.62 square...| Mission Blue
Cover Image: Aerial view of Isla de Lobos, Uruguay. Credit: Jikatu. Author: Christy Keating The sanctuary, years in the making, will protect dozens of species and combat the effects of overfishing. On a tiny island five miles south of Uruguay’s southernmost point, a lighthouse soars nearly 200feet into the air. Its light has been keeping sailors safe since 1858, warning passing ships against the rocky shallows that surround the island. And now, for the first time, those waters themselves ar...| Mission Blue
Cover Image: Giant kelp forest in California © Taylor Griffith Kelp forests, to those who know and love them, are some of the most majestic places on Earth. But for many others, these magnificent ecosystems remain unknown, out of sight and out of mind beneath the waves. Found along 30% of the world’s coastlines in temperate [...]Read More...| Mission Blue
Cover image © Sustainable Seas Trust Algoa Bay, South Africa – Algoa Bay on South Africa’s Eastern Cape is one of the country’s largest bays, opening into the Indian Ocean. It is home to several of the world’s largest breeding colonies of critically endangered African penguins (Spheniscus demersus), the largest pods of bottlenose dolphins in the [...]Read More...| Mission Blue
The Florida Keys and Ten Thousand Islands Hope Spot, which includes Biscayne Bay, recognizes the area’s tremendous ecological and economic importance.| Mission Blue