Planetary Coral Reef Foundation
December 2007 Newsletter

 

 

Happy Holidays!
 SV Infinity Crew, July 2007

 

From all of us at PCRF, we wish you the Happiest Holidays and New Year! At this time, we are excited to share our progress and send our appreciation to each and every one of you for your generous support.



 SV Infinity Helps PCRF Make a Greater Difference for Coral Reefs!

 

As we complete our first year chartering the Infinity, we are pleased to report that its increased size and speed has made it possible for us expand our coral reef monitoring, filming, education and outreach activities as well as our collaboration with other conservation organizations.  We hosted more guests and visiting researchers on board our ship and carried out critical coral reef studies in Banda Island (Indonesia), Gau Island (Fiji), Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea – in remote areas where the reefs are at significant risk.  To view a "day in the life" onboard Infinity, please enjoy our short film, The Expedition.                                 

 

Join the Voyage to Preserve Coral Reefs Online! 

 

We are excited to report that PCRF.org is reaching an ever greater population worldwide with more than one million hits on our site in 2007!  In our efforts to educate as many people as possible about the coral reef crisis and encourage planetary stewardship, we have posted significant new data, images and films on PCRF.org over the past year.  It is our hope this information will inspire more and more people to take action to make a difference in the future of coral reefs.                                            

 

We invite you to join our crew on Infinity, travel with them through their expedition logs and dive underwater to explore their coral reef discoveries at pcrf.science.org.  Please Join the Voyage online, learn more about coral reefs and just what’s at stake, share this news with your friends and family and help us make a difference!  (Photo to the right: a red footed booby joins us at sea)


Collaboration with Immersive Media – 360’ Filming in the Ocean!

 

We have just launched an experimental project with Immersive Media to use their 11 lens camera to film coral reefs and island cultures. We tested the new equipment in Fiji and are thrilled about the potential this new technology offers for virtual immersion in the underwater environment, educational films about ocean issues and the advancement of monitoring coral reefs as well as other marine ecosystems.

 

 

                     
Laser (left) viewing the image as seen on the right: the reef is wrapped 360°

 

PCRF’s Growing Collaboration with Other Conservation Organizations

 

During the past year we have initiated collaborative programs in support of coral reef conservation in Southeast Asia with Des Alwi, The King of Banda, and Francis Lee, President of Raffles Marina.  In 2008, we will return to Banda and Singapore to further these initiatives. (Photo to left: Eibes, King Des Alwi, and Gaie onboard Infinity)

We are also grateful for a recent grant from Conservation International (CI) which made it possible for data we collected in Melanesia to be analyzed, compared and contrasted in the cross-site comparison of ecosystem health headed by Les Kaufman, Senior PI of Marine Management Area Science at CI.  In addition, coordinators for Reef Base and the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network in Fiji have requested our data for their coral reef databases.  We are now proudly contributing our data to more and more global conservation efforts such as these and look forward to more partnerships during the coming year.
 

Long-Term Collaboration with USP, Fiji to Monitor and Protect Reefs

 

PCRF has formed a long-term collaboration with professors at The University of the South Pacific’s Islands and Oceans Faculty.  In June, student Rachel Nunn from the University’s School of Marine Science worked with our research team on Infinity to establish a baseline data set for the future monitoring of a Marine Park at Gau Island.  To the left is a map of Gau – the marine parks are in red. The PCRF study also compared coral health and vitality inside and outside of the Marine Park to determine how effective the park has been in reef conservation. To view the research online, click here!


In support of this work, GeoEye Foundation generously donated a satellite image of Gau Island that Stanford University Graduate and Infinity First Mate, Kitty Currier, is using to pioneer a new approach to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and satellite mapping programs for coral reefs. 

 

( Image of Gau Island to the left; Photo of Kitty Currier to the right)

                                                                                                                                                                                          
 Studio of the Sea Makes Bigger Waves – Documenting More Ocean Challenges

 

Studio of the Sea, PCRF’s production platform on board Infinity, is dedicated to bringing attention to critical ocean challenges, endangered coral reefs and the beauty of sea life.  We invite you to visit our upgraded Studio of the Sea homepage, courtesy of Fred Platon, recent apprentice on Infinity, featuring 24 short films and 250 photos. 
 

Please take a few minutes to view our latest video features called Deep Trouble, which highlights the tragic loss of sharks for the delicacy of shark fin soup and Going, Going, Gone, which focuses on the global over-fishing crisis.  Over the summer, Studio of the Sea took a leap ahead to high definition film equipment thanks to generous donations from the Heitz Family Foundation and Gates Underwater Products, making it possible for us to produce new films with this state-of-the-art technology.

 


 Risso dolphins, Raja Empat, Indonesia

 

Training the Next Generation of Ocean Stewards on SV Infinity
A cornerstone of PCRF’s work involves training a new generation of ocean stewards.  Since our inception, over 125 young people from around the world – representing five continents and places as remote as the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea – have participated in a one-of-a-kind apprentice program at sea.  Apprentices spend up to nine months on our sailing vessel learning how to live and work with an international team in challenging expedition conditions, conduct underwater field research, identify and assess healthy, endangered, or damaged reefs, analyze data and prepare reports and help develop and implement solutions to the coral reef crisis.  They also learn seamanship skills and have the opportunity to engage in meaningful cultural and educational exchanges with indigenous peoples.  We are pleased that many of our graduates proceed to dedicate their lives to making a difference in the world, often in the fields of coral reef and ocean conservation.
 

 

Photo to the right: Zack (Malaysian/UK) & friend from Gau Island, Fiji

Photo to the left:  Julia (PNG), Orla (UK/Ireland), & Heather (Ireland)

 

Support PCRF– Help Us Keep the Voyage Going and Protect Coral Reefs!

You can help us keep our crew out their doing their critical work on the reefs by making a tax-deductible gift to PCRF today.  Your contribution will make it possible for us to collaborate on new conservation initiatives, expand our research, education and outreach programs both onboard Infinity and online and bring more and more people together to make a difference in the future of coral reefs.
 

Click here to Donate Now!

 Thank you for your generous donation!
For more information, visit pcrf.org

PCRF is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization
P.O. Box 201
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272