Two Big Ocean member sites, which are also two of the worldʻs largest remote Large-Scale MPAs, are pursuing additional protections to complement and strengthen their existing protections as U.S. Marine National Monuments. The Papahānaumokuākea and Pacific Remote Islands are working to achieve a National Marine Sanctuary designation.

Join us in this How to Save an Ocean episode with Pelika Andrade, the founder and Executive Director of Nā Maka Onaona, a Hawaiʻi-based non-profit, and an extension agent for the University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program. She has a long history working with Hawaiʻi communities as a community member, hoaʻāina (friend of the land), and researcher.

We are excited to announce the latest expansion of our network with the addition of two member sites: Cocos (Keeling) Islands Marine Park and Christmas Island Marine Park. These marine sanctuaries signify a shared commitment to conserving marine biodiversity and protecting our oceans for generations to come.

Dan Kinzer founded Pacific Blue Studios, a network of high-impact, community-driven, place-based, and youth-powered studios. The network's shared aim is to leverage biomimicry, indigenous perspective, and cutting-edge technologies as vehicles to grow, connect, and amplify a (k)new intergenerational learning ecosystem––to help realize a resilient, regenerative and inclusive future in Hawai'i around the Pacific and across our Blue Planet.

Big Ocean knows that best-practice stewarding of our oceans, at any scale, requires the participation of rights holders, stakeholders, and relevant communities. Two papers are featured here, documenting the importance of marine management and conservation in the hands of local communities, Indigenous peoples, and ocean defenders; the articles advocate for holistic approaches and provide recommendations to support these systems.

Bonnie Kahapea is an educator, mentor, voyager, and community advocate.

While at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, Bonnieʻs passion for voyaging was ignited. She witnessed the Hōkūleʻa preparing for a voyage to Tahiti – and the pull of the ocean was undeniable. While pursuing her master's degree in transformative learning and change, Bonnie remained connected to her roots and "stayed close to the canoe."

On 2 February 2023, Big Ocean hosted its 10th in-person network meeting in Vancouver, the day before the 5th International Marine Protected Area Congress (IMPAC5) started. After opening cultural protocol and introductions, invited managers presented on their respective sites.

Kelsey Leonard is the first Native American woman to earn a science degree from the University of Oxford, which she earned in 2012. She earned an MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management from St. Cross College, one of the thirty-eight c olleges of the University of Oxford. Her master's thesis, “Water Quality For Native Nations: Achieving A Trust Responsibility”, discusses water quality regulation and how water resources on tribal land are not protected.

Marcus Eriksen is the co-founder of Leap Lab, as well as the Research Director and co-founder of the 5 Gyres Institute. He studies the global distribution and ecological impacts of plastic marine pollution, which has included expeditions sailing through all 5 subtropical gyres, Bay of Bengal, Southern Ocean and inland lakes and rivers, recently publishing the first global estimate of all plastic of all sizes floating in the world’s oceans, totaling 270,000 metric tons from 5.25 trillion particles.

Filmed during the Ocean Managers XChange and launched at IMPAC5, the new short film, Our Big Ocean amplifies the voices of managers and practitioners working on the frontlines of marine conservation to simultaneously protect vital ocean ecosystems and the communities whose physical and spiritual sustenance it intrinsically tied to them.