Attenboroughʻs Ocean Hope Threatened in Pacific

While the California MPAs remain protected in state waters, the federal marine protection in the Pacific is now at risk under the Trump Administration. A painful irony in the filmʻs conclusion is Hawaiian cultural practitioner and champion for the Papahānaumokuākea MNM Pelika Andrade overlooking the remote islands, the same waters proposed for commercial fishing by Executive Order.

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Oceanic Blacktips and Swimming for Shark Habitat

Reef sharks determined “Functionally Extinct” on 20% of World’s Reefs. In Hawai’i these sharks are protected, but their habitat is being threatened in the Marine National Monuments under the Trump Administration.
In August, I will be swimming for sharks and maintaining protection in the Pacific Marine National Monuments, including the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and National Marine Sanctuary. I will also be searching for our local oceanic blacktip shark Bruno.

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Shark Depredation Act Introduced in Senate

This week, Senators Rick Scott (R-FL) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) introduced the Supporting the Health of Aquatic Systems through Research, Knowledge, and Enhanced Dialogue (SHARKED) Act. Sharks have declined by 71% worlwide since 1970, primarily due to overfishing. Shark Stewards is submitting comments and urging lawmakers to rely on scientists and fisheries managers, supporting stock assessment work and better, transparent data, and caution any shark management or culling decsions

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Save Our Seas, Save Ourselves

On July 12, Shark Stewards hosted a screening of David Attenboroughʻs Ocean and other short films at our annual ocean education event in Kailua-Kona Hawaii. This impactful film premiered at the UN Ocean Conference June 8, 2025. In Ocean, Sir David so eloquently highlights the numerous threats to the ocean and marine life, particularly bottom trawling. A major source of hope at the UN conference and in the film, is the establishment of no-take marine protected areas (MPAs), including the Channel Islands MPAs in California, and the Papahānaumokuākea in Hawaiian waters.

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Defending US Marine Protected Areas

The islands and reefs of the USA Pacific Marine National Monuments are some of the most remote and healthiest protected coral-reef marine ecosystems in USA waters, even the world. These large, rich, biodiverse marine ecosystems have been protected for nearly two decades under 4 presidents of both parties. These marine protected areras are now at risk to being opened to commercial fishing interests under executive orders by the Trump Administration.

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Stop the Ocean Steal

Today, Shark Stewards launched a new youth oriented social media campaign to stop IUU fishing, Overfishing sharks and generating a youth movement to defend marine protected areas in the USA.

The campaign is directed at young and first time voters in the US to focus on changing the congress in 2026 to support maintaining legal protection of US marine protecetd areas, and support funding for Climate science, USFWS and NOAA so that agencies can effectively fulfill their mission.

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