Celebrate the Ocean

Sea to Shining Sea Newsletter - March 2021

Few places can compete with the diversity of the National Marine Sanctuary System, which protects America's most iconic natural and cultural marine resources. Throughout the system, we work with diverse partners and stakeholders to promote responsible and sustainable uses that ensure the health of our most valued ocean places. These ocean parks are open to the public, and we invite you to enjoy them and join us as we explore the depths of the ocean.


Trail blazers and Rising Stars in Marine Science

Whether it be the expansion of knowledge on deep-sea coral species or the modern usage of online mapping tools, Black and African American scientists have been part of the equation in propelling marine science to new levels. Here we recount some of their achievements throughout history.


A Century of Women in Ocean Conservation

In honor of Women’s History Month, we’ve highlighted examples that show how elevating women in leadership roles in conservation, including roles in NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, creates a ripple effect throughout the field.


Whale under the ocean
Photo credit: Ed Lyman, HIHWNMS/NOAA Permit 14682.

Listening to the (Not So) Silent Underwater World

Sound is one of many ways that marine animals experience their environments, and one of many ways that we can study the underwater world. SanctSound is a four-year project, managed by NOAA and the U.S. Navy, to better understand underwater sound within national marine sanctuaries. Click here to learn about passive acoustic monitoring research in National Marine Sanctuaries.


Webinar: USS Conestoga

100 years ago, the USS Conestoga vanished with 56 sailors on board. In 2014, during an expedition in Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, an unknown wreck was discovered, and later confirmed to be the wreck of the USS Conestoga. In this webinar, we revisit the story of the people who gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country. Click here to register.


Old photo of sailors on a ship
Photo credit: Keystone View Co., courtesy of the Library of Congress

African American Ties to Chesapeake Bay Region

Vince Leggett is the founder and president of the Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation, whose work brings to light the maritime history of African Americans in the Chesapeake Bay. The foundation maintains a collection of records, artifacts, genealogies, and more than 40,000 photographs representing 200 years of African American life and work in the seafood and maritime industries. Click here to read his responses to questions that help shed light on this history.


Catching a whale
Photo: Michael Griffin/USCG, under NOAA Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program Permit # 932-1905-1

NOAA Team Gets Innovative

The waters around the Hawaiian Islands, including Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, serve as the principal breeding and calving grounds for humpback whales, resulting in the entanglement of newborn whale calves. As the season comes to an end in Hawaii, we share how a bamboo knife was altered to save entangled whale calves.