Marine Conservation Institute (formerly Marine Conservation Biology Institute) is a tax-exempt

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

ocean conservation Marine conservation, also known as ocean conservation, is the protection and preservation of ecosystems in oceans and seas through planned management in order to prevent the over-exploitation of these marine resources. Marine conservation is ...

organization working to identify and protect vulnerable ocean ecosystems worldwide. The organization is headquartered in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...

, Washington with offices in Washington D.C. and Glen Ellen, California. Marine Conservation Institute is a U.S. based nonprofit organization. Marine Conservation Institute is a four-star

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rated organization.

Previous names

Marine Conservation Biology Institute, 1996-2011

History

Marine Conservation Institute was founded under the name Marine Conservation Biology Institute (MCBI) in 1996 by Dr. Elliott Norse, a biologist who had previously worked at the

Council on Environmental Quality The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) is a division of the Executive Office of the President that coordinates federal environmental efforts in the United States and works closely with agencies and other White House offices on the developm ...

and the Ocean Conservancy. MCBI's focus was initially to make connections between scientists and policymakers. In 2000 letter written to President Clinton, a request was made to establish a national system of marine protected areas (MPAs), which led to Executive Order 13158 on Marine Protected Areas. In 2004, MCBI co-founded the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition and released the Scientists’ Statement on Protecting the World's Deep Sea Coral and Sponge Ecosystems, signed by 1,136 scientists from 69 countries. (The statement was later reopened to signing, and the number of signers increased to 1,452 in 2006.) In 2005, Elliott Norse was the lead editor and co-author of ''Marine Conservation Biology: The Science of Maintaining the Sea's Biodiversity'', the first textbook focused on the science of marine conservation, published by Island Press. A consistent theme of the organization was the threat of deep-sea

bottom trawling Bottom trawling is trawling (towing a trawl, which is a fishing net) along the seafloor. It is also referred to as "dragging". The scientific community divides bottom trawling into benthic trawling and demersal trawling. Benthic trawling is towing ...

fisheries to

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and se ...

habitats and other sensitive sea floors. In 2007 MCBI led a joint statement at the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

meeting calling for the abolition of

subsidies A subsidy or government incentive is a form of financial aid or support extended to an economic sector (business, or individual) generally with the aim of promoting economic and social policy. Although commonly extended from the government, the ter ...

that permit deep-sea trawling, which built on the previous scientists' statement. In January 2009, MCBI was praised for its work in the designation of three large marine national monument in the U.S. territories of the Pacific Ocean by President George W. Bush. In "Green Bush: The departing president tries to burnish his environmental halo,"

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...

wrote, "much of the scientific donkey-work and lobbying behind Mr Bush's reserves was done by ... the Marine Conservation Biology Institute, in Washington. Congratulations." In 2011, MCBI shortened its name to Marine Conservation Institute. A paper in ''Marine Policy'' expanded on the organization's long-term emphasis on threats posed by bottom trawling, generated substantial media attention. In the ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...

'', the paper generated the headline "Scientists call for end to deep-sea fishing," citing the evidence of extensive damage to bottom habitats. In 2012 Dr. Norse resigned as President, becoming Chief Scientist, and Dr. Lance E. Morgan took the role of President. On World Oceans Day in June 2012, Marine Conservation Institute announced the launch of the MPAtlas, a global searchable database of

marine protected area Marine protected areas (MPA) are protected areas of seas, oceans, estuaries or in the US, the Great Lakes. These marine areas can come in many forms ranging from wildlife refuges to research facilities. MPAs restrict human activity for a con ...

sites funded by the Waitt Foundation, headed by Ted Waitt. In May 2013, Marine Conservation Institute and

Sylvia Earle Sylvia Alice Earle (née Reade; born August 30, 1935) is an American marine biologist, oceanographer, explorer, author, and lecturer. She has been a National Geographic explorer-in-residence since 1998. Earle was the first female chief scien ...

's organization Mission Blue released "SeaStates.US 2013: How Well Does Your State Protect Your Coastal Waters?" a report on US states and territories and the percentage of the state marine waters that are established as a "no-take"

marine reserve A marine reserve is a type of marine protected area (MPA). An MPA is a section of the ocean where a government has placed limits on human activity. A marine reserve is a marine protected area in which removing or destroying natural or cultural ...

, in which no fishing, energy extraction, or other uses are permitted. The report showed that 15 of the 23 US coastal states and territories had zero square kilometers as "no-take" reserves, and that only one state - Hawaii exceeded 20% as no-take reserves. California and the US Virgin Islands were the only other states or territories that exceeded 5%. In October 2013, Marine Conservation Institute initiated the Global Ocean Refuge System (renamed to [Blue Parks), a strategic, science-based way to safeguard marine ecosystems on a global scale. Blue Park recognition is awarded to outstanding marine protected areas that effectively limit damaging human activities and can demonstrate design, management, monitoring and enforcement that leads to biodiversity conservation. In 2017, the first three Blue Parks were awarded at the International Marine Protected Areas Congress in Chile; Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the USA, Santuario de Flora y Fauna Malpelo in Colombia, Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in the Philippines. At the end of 2019, 16 sites had been recognized as Blue Parks covering nearly 1.6 million sq km of ocean, including such notable places as the Northern Channel Islands in California and Cocos Island National Park in Costa Rica.

Funding sources

Marine Conservation Institute draws funding from private foundations, individual donors, corporations, and government agencies. In 2011, according to its IRS Form 990, the organization had $1,792,140 in revenue.

Programs

Marine Conservation Institute's work falls under three broad themes, Identifying Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems, Advocating for Healthy Oceans, and Protecting Wild Places. In this way, Marine Conservation Institute bridges the gap between marine science and policy – with an aim toward achieving the oceans’ biological diversity and sustainable productivity. Following are the current focus areas of Marine Conservation Institute. ] * Blue Parks initiative * Marine Protected Area (MPA) designations * Coral Conservation * Sustainable Fishing * High Seas Conservation * Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) * Ocean Acidification * Ocean Governance * EnforcementMarine Conservation Institute. Program Areas: Enforcement. http://www.marine-conservation.org/what-we-do/program-areas/enforcement/

Board of directors

* Chair, David Johns * Vice Chair, Nathalie Udo * Treasurer, Jeff Smith * President, Lance E. Morgan, Ph.D. * Founder, Elliott A. Norse, Ph.D. *

, Ph.D. * Sam Dakin * Sebastian Nicholls * Steve Olson, PhD * Gail Osherenko

References

External links

Marine Conservation Institute homepage

Marine Protected Area Atlas, MPAtlas

SeaStates.US 2013: How Well Does Your State Protect Your Coastal Waters?

Blue Parks homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marine Conservation Institute (Non-Profit Group) Fisheries conservation organizations Organizations established in 1996 Environmental organizations based in Washington (state) Marine conservation organizations