What Happened Last Week? : Diving for Cancer Cures and More

1. The Undersea Hunter Hosts Scientists Searching for Deep Sea Cancer Cures

The Undersea Hunter, long time partner and supporter of Sea Save Foundation, just released a description of an exciting expedition they took in the southern Caribbean. The expedition was alongside Pharmamar, a bio-pharmaceutical company, and the main goal of the trip was to search for cancer cures in the deep sea. The team took a series of samples at depths of 45 to 250 feet. All of the samples were done by hand with no equipment to ensure environmental preservation. During the two weeks, the team collected over 400 samples, most of which were sponges. The divers dove using Trimex which is a gas mix of helium, oxygen, and nitrogen that reduces the narcotic effect of deep diving. Read more...

This is just another way the team at The Undersea Hunter is helping scientists, filmmakers, and the everyday diver discover the complexity of life below sea level, and not only in their home base of Costa Rica but all over the world! The founders of The Undersea Hunter, Avi and Orly Klapfer and Yosy Naaman, and the rest of the team share Sea Save Foundation's commitment to ocean conservation and preservation. Both organizations have a shared passion to protect and preserve the waters of Cocos Island, a World Heritage Site and premiere diving destination. Not only is it a beautiful location, but because it has minimal human settlement, it serves as a vital baseline for scientific study. In February 2017, Sea Save Foundation and The Undersea Hunter have organized a trip to experience the waters of Cocos Island. Interested in this opportunity? More information can be found here! 

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2. Cheers to New Beverage Innovation!

For years, pictures promoting marine conservation have shown different species with plastic six pack rings around their fins, heads, beaks, ect. Saltwater Brewing in Delray Beach, Florida has developed an edible six-pack ring that will help save marine life from being entangled and reduce plastic debris. The packaging was developed from spent grain from the brewing process! Saltwater Brewing is paving the way for innovative and environmentally conscious packaging and we hope others will consider following! Read more...

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3. UN Treaty - Fights Illegal Fishing  

Last week, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced that six countries will ratify the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA). With the addition of Dominica, Guinea-Bissau, Sudan, Thailand, Tonga, and Vanuatu, 30 countries have now ratified the international treaty. PSMA will require captains to make advanced notice of their arrival in port, increased documentation and through inspections. It has been estimated that one in every 5 wild-caught marine fish has been illegally caught. Not only does illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing contribute to the overfishing issue but, it also causes economic plain for many coastal communities.   Read more...

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4. Accountability for California's Massive 2015 Oil Spill

This is a tragic headline. Remember the 2015 Santa Barbara, California oil spill? Well, a Santa Barbara County grand jury has just indicted Plains All American Pipeline with 46 criminal counts. The company's operations oversights caused around  143,000 gallons of crude oil to flow into the coast. The company was found to have 175 operating violations which involved pipeline corrosion, operator error, pump failure, and equipment malfunction. The arraignment for the case is scheduled for June 2nd.  Read more...

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5. Discovery Channel Announces Jaw-Some Shark Week

Only one more month until Shark Week! That's right, we are gearing up to start watching some amazing footage and programs June 26th through July 3rd. Discovery Channel has announced the line up and descriptions of the programs. This year, Discovery will continue the commitment to showing their audiences true footage in nature. Many of the shows include footage and findings from scientific studies. We can't wait!  Read more...

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Sea Save Foundation is committed to raising awareness of marine conservation. The Week in Review is a team effort produced by the Sea Save staff to provide a weekly summary of the latest in marine research, policy, and news.