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The Blue Marine Foundation on Protecting the Oceans
If there is one thing that binds the superyacht community together, it is a shared passion for the ocean. And it was this mutual interest that convinced the Blue Marine Foundation that to achieve their goals they would need to gain the support of those very people.
Founded just four years ago, Blue Marine’s mission statement is to have 10 per cent of the world’s oceans under protection by 2020. We sat down with Cindy Forde, Managing Director at Blue Marine, at the Monaco Yacht Show to learn more.
“We burst into life on the back of a film that some may have heard of called “The End of the Line”, and it looks at the causes of the crisis in the ocean. It tells rather grim facts – the ocean covers nearly 70% of the earth’s surface, it was once abundant with life, but now 90% of our big fish are gone, 85% of global fish stocks are in collapse, and only 5% of the world’s coral reefs remain pristine. If the trends continue, by 2050 there will be no more fish,” she said.
“It’s a very difficult situation but it’s relatively simple to turn around and it’s all about creating new protected areas which is what Blue do. If you create these areas it allows the ocean to regenerate and allow fish stocks to come back, and studies have shown that within 5-7 years you can return to a healthy level. It’s solvable and it’s solvable relatively quickly.”
“We see the superyacht industry, the whole nature of people who love the ocean, who love the freedom of the ocean, who love sailing – they are an independent, courageous, spirited community who have a vested interest in protecting something they love.”
You can view the full video interview with Cindy Forde above this article.