As one might have guessed, jobs and the economy are top of mind among Americans, according to the latest survey by Pew Research Center, and the environment and global climate change are lesser priorities at this point in time. Our Ocean Project survey findings are quite similar. In the Pew survey, climate concerns came in last among the 20 issues polled on, with only 30% of Americans saying that global warming is “a top priority,” compared with 35% in 2008. Over the past year protecting the environment fell the most precipitously of the 20 issues – just 41% rate this as a top priority today, down from 56% a year ago. Energy concerns ranked sixth in the poll — just behind education and social security — with 60% of voters endorsing it as a top priority. Get the full findings from Pew and get the New York Times' Andy Revkin's take on it.

Of course, for anyone concerned about the health of our world's ocean, we have our work cut out for us to make the ocean a priority as it's not on most people's radar screen. Linking ocean health with climate health - and making it relevant to people's lives - will be a major priority moving forward.

By the way, the World Ocean Day theme for 2009 is "one climate, one ocean, one future." Check it out - and get involved - at the WOD website.
 

Google Earth now encompasses the 71% of the planet’s surface that is ocean. With the new ocean layer, you can take the plunge all over our planet, view content from BBC and National Geographic, and explore 3D shipwrecks like the Titanic. Also, with the new Google Earth 5.0 (beta) you can see how your community has changed over time, find out about coastal erosion, and much more.

Although only about 10% of the sea floor has been mapped at a useful scale, this new tool will help with science, policy reform, education, and advocacy. With the public able to have this interactive experience with the ocean as well as, for instance, see evidence of global climate change, people's perceptions may well change. As our current public opinion research is showing, and as our survey work a decade ago also demonstrated, the ocean needs all the help it can get as far as public awareness, education, and action.

Google Ocean has the potential for millions of people to get inspired, learn more about the ocean, and, we hope, help motivate them to take action to conserve the ocean and its great diversity of life. Of course, there is no substitute for getting out from behind the computer and literally immersing oneself in the world’s wonderful ocean as often as you can. However you like to visit our ocean planet, please remember to Seas the Day!

For more on related issues, Andy Revkin has a follow-up Dot Earth post with some thoughtful input from social scientists regarding.
 

George W. Bush created three new marine national monuments in the Pacific Ocean in early January, spanning 195,280 square miles. The decision to make the designations under the Antiquities Act, coming just two weeks before Bush leaves office, means that he will have protected more square miles of ocean than any person in history. In 2006 Bush created the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, an area of 138,000 square miles. Part of the new designation includes the deepest part of our planet: the nearly seven-mile-deep Mariana Trench (see image above courtesy of NOAA).

This plan had been criticized by Vice President Cheney and others as reported last month in the Washington Post.

Check out some of the underwater images from this amazing place.
Read more from the Christian Science Monitor and the Washington Post.

In addition, on January 13, NOAA established eight marine protected areas in south Atlantic waters to protect spawning grounds and nursery areas for deep-water fish such as snappers and groupers. Read more at NOAA's site.
 

Orion Magazine always has thoughtful articles on the connection between the environment and social and political issues. This month's issue features a story on the problem with shrimp. "All You Can Eat" gives you a taste of shrimping, shrimp farming, and why shrimp - in nearly all cases - is not a sustainable choice for the health of the ocean nor for human society. If nothing else, read the last page of the article, especially the last few paragraphs, for a glimpse of how bad it is and how much is at stake in human and ecosystem terms.

Much of the world's shrimp fishing industry is extremely wasteful, with an average of more than five pounds of bycatch killed and discarded "less valuable" sea creatures – for every pound of shrimp brought to port. And shrimp farming typically relies on unsustainable industrial practices with significant ecosystem and human costs.

As the article states, unless you live within about 100 miles of the coast, the shrimp in scampi, cocktails, or the all-you-can-eat platters are coming from overseas industrial shrimp farms. There are also huge carbon costs associated with transporting seafood around the world. If you need a "shrimp fix," try to make it a special treat, choose responsibly, and savor every sweet shrimp morsel!

Whether you eat seafood or not, find more info on how you can consume consciously and help our ocean in the process.
 

The Ocean Project provides informative products and tools for our Partners, all based on the latest market and public opinion research and geared towards helping your organization effectively communicate for conservation. The Seas the Day initiative was created several years ago as a customizable tool to assist Partners in engaging visitors with inspiring and tangible conservation action information and opportunities to help.

Seas the Day provides 12 months of conservation-themed content (e.g. sustainable eating, water conservation), updated continually, for use in your organization's exhibits, programs, and activities, including actionable ways for your visitors to "take ocean conservation personally." The website and its accompanying monthly newsletter were created with our Partners in mind, to enhance your efforts by maximizing customizability for specific audiences. We are happy for Partners to use any and all of the content on our site and we can help tailor it for your specific audiences, for instance by creating a customized online "skin" for the website or an attractive customized widget to link to the monthly-changing content from your website. We also offer inspirational conservation action bookmarks at cost that are great for giving out at World Ocean Day, and the bookmark can also come in convenient customized hang-tag format to attach a conservation action reminder to items you may sell.

If you have used any of the Seas the Day tools or products we would love to hear your stories and comments, and include them on our website. Just hit "reply" to this email and let us know!
 

New Orleans, Louisiana
March 19-22, 2009
Join The Ocean Project in New Orleans for the most comprehensive National Conference on Science Education, March 19-22

The Ocean Project is presenting its Watershed-to-Ocean Initiative in the Environmental Science track from 9:30 - 10:30am on March 19th in room Balcony L of the New Orleans Marriott.

Just one of more than 1,900 workshops, presentations, seminars, institutes, symposia and sessions to choose from where educators can count on options to build content knowledge, learn strategies for reaching students, gather techniques on assessment, inquiry, integration and more.
 

Portland, Oregon
October 7 - 10 2009
Join your peers June 29-July 3, 2009 at Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, California. Bring your comfortable shoes and some layers! It may be sunny and warm or cool and foggy. This beautiful wooded site is only a block from the beach. Attendees be walking outside everyday between exciting sessions, outstanding speakers and special evening events as well as during field-based workshops on Thursday.

Check out the conference website.