Looking back at 2022, I am humbled by the incredible work the SOA team brought to life. It was a record-breaking fundraising year, which allowed us to accelerate dozens of new ocean solutions that you can read about in this report. We now have more than 7,000 young ocean leaders around the world, and 82 hubs across 77 countries. The team came together for the first time since the pandemic at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Portugal, where we proudly cohosted the Youth and Innovation Forum. Many of us met in person for the very first time on the beautiful beach in Cascais, where we had the honor to watch more than 120 youth devise real-world solutions to some of the greatest threats facing our ocean – and even enjoyed a surprise appearance from actor and activist Jason Momoa! From our realized impact to strengthening internal bonds, it was truly SOA's greatest year yet.
Now looking forward to 2023, it is clear we still have so much work to do. We are bracing for the defining climate fight of our generation – deep-seabed mining. SOA has been campaigning vigorously against this destructive practice for more than two years, and recently delivered a collaborative petition with more than a quarter of a million signatures calling for a moratorium. The International Seabed Authority is set to vote on whether to allow the mining of the deep sea in July, and if approved, it could be open for business that very month. In the history of the destruction of our planet, our generation has never been present to prevent detrimental actions from taking place. This is why we are spending so much of our time restoring, regenerating, and rehabilitating. But now, we can prevent this horrific practice from ever starting. We cannot afford to stay silent and do nothing. We cannot afford to stay on the sidelines and watch those in power determine our fate and our future. This is why we must urgently continue to build our network of young ocean leaders – and ocean allies of all ages. It is critical we have a voice in world-altering decisions, as it is our future most at stake.
While we know we have our work cut out for us, I hope you are as inspired and buoyed by this report as I am. The climate crisis cannot be solved by one person. But together, we are creating meaningful change to protect our planet, our future, and each other.
Daniela V. Fernandez
Founder and CEO,
Sustainable Ocean Alliance
Our global network of people and solutions are making a measurable impact. These numbers are cumulative through December 31, 2022.
Sustainable Ocean Alliance takes a unique approach to solving key ocean challenges. By allocating funding across nonprofit grants, market-driven startup investments, and local initiatives, we support a diverse community of ocean solutions. This unique strategy has led to SOA supporting 266 ocean solutions across 77 countries over the past 5 years.
Through collaboration with ocean impact entrepreneurs, investors, philanthropists, and scientific advisors, we have developed a methodology for organizing and collecting impact data across five key ocean areas. Each solution represented in this report falls into one or more of these impact categories. We hope that this report will encourage funders to allocate more resources towards solving these ocean challenges.
—
Craig Dudenhoeffer
Chief Impact & Investments Officer
2022 IMPACT:
1,143 metric tons of CO2 avoided or removed
Greenhouse gasses (GHGs) absorb infrared solar radiation and trap heat in the atmosphere, resulting in global warming, climate change, increased ocean temperatures and sea level rise. CO2, one of the most common GHGs, is absorbed by the ocean, which in turn, causes ocean acidification. In 2022, 36.8 gigatons of carbon (CO2) were emitted globally.
By supporting solutions that remove or avoid GHG emissions, or that sequester and store CO2, SOA can help reduce these harmful environmental effects and improve the health of our ocean.
2022 IMPACT:
1,794 metric tons of waste removed, avoided, or recycled
(including 446 metric tons of plastic)
Every year, 11 million metric tons of plastic enter our marine environments, killing marine life, destroying sensitive ocean ecosystems, and polluting food sources that support livelihoods around the world.
SOA champions solutions that remove these harmful pollutants from the ocean or avoid their use altogether. Their work in turn helps to build the circular economy, which promotes the extension of product lifecycles through recycling and upcycling, and aims to decrease solid waste and pollution.
2022 IMPACT:
Marine and coastal ecosystems protect crucial biodiversity, and provide services vital to our existence. These areas include coral reefs, seagrass meadows, mangrove forests, salt marshes, and the deep seabed. Together, they serve as critical areas for wildlife reproduction, nurseries for marine organisms, and landscapes for carbon capture.
Solutions in this category measure impact by reporting the area of marine habitat they restore or protect. In 2022, this included establishing 3,573 square meters of coral reef, and planting 19,425 mangroves. This category also includes 11 projects related to local education and advocacy around the detrimental impacts of deep-seabed mining.
2022 IMPACT:
56.9 metric tons of Blue Foods Produced
55 metric tons of bycatch avoided
More than three billion people rely on seafood as a primary source of protein, and 260 million depend on fisheries for their livelihoods. Overfishing, and illegal and industrial practices are killing wildlife and destroying wild places. At the same time, aquaculture seeks to meet demand and reduce the burden on the ocean, but can result in high levels of pollution if not performed sustainably.
Emerging alternatives to any form of aquatically-derived animal protein are plant-based and new methods of cellular agriculture. SOA supports solutions that produce sustainable Blue Foods and those that help move our food systems towards a sustainable future.
2022 IMPACT:
3,149 People Trained or Educated
156 Reports & Publications
296 Workshops
Ocean data, literacy, and research projects help us build the knowledge base we need to activate all other ocean solutions. While there may not be a singular category to measure their impact, in 2022 we have elected to report on education, training, and knowledge sharing.
The majority of projects in this category represent grants to SOA's global community, via Hubs. Through hosting over 150 events and activations around the world, their work has engaged over 200,000 people. These projects inform policy, drive innovation, and equip new audiences with the knowledge they need to become change agents in their own right.
Startup
Netherlands
Europe & United Kingdom
Greenhouse Gas: Blue Carbon & CO2e Removal or Avoidance
William Janssen, Alexei Levene
Desolenator is pioneering low-cost, ocean-safe desalination with a technology powered 100% by solar energy, and without the use of harmful chemicals. Desolenator supports the resilience of communities and thought-leading businesses experiencing high water stress.
Learn MoreGrant
Kenya
Africa
Greenhouse Gas: Blue Carbon & CO2e Removal or Avoidance
Josphat Nguu
This year, to reduce their environmental impact, Mikoko Pamoja set out to will train community members to create clay pots for mangrove nurseries rather than plastic bags. Their goal is to plant 2,000 mangroves in 2022 and to continue to provide an offset of 2,000 tonnes of CO2 annually.
Learn MoreGrant
Colombia
South America
Blue Foods: Fisheries, Aquaculture, & Seafood Alternatives
Russell Reed
Despite growing demand and desirable ecological conditions, the Colombian seaweed economy remains underdeveloped. As the industry grows, insufficient infrastructure and legislation may lead to the construction of an extractive and exploitative seaweed economy. Project leaders will conduct focus groups with Indigenous Wayuu people and regional fishing communities harmed by overfishing and climate change to build the foundation of a community-led seaweed ecosystem in Colombia.
Learn MoreGrant
Brazil
South America
Ocean Data, Literacy & Research
Amanda Suita Moraes
This project is an online ocean literacy course for teachers. 80 Brazilian public elementary school teachers received 2 months of training in ocean literacy, scientific experiments, and new pedagogical tools that they then implement in their respective classrooms. Each teacher is able to educate and impact about 30 students.
Learn MoreStartup
Canada
North America
Ecosystems and Species: Preservation & Restoration
Emily Charry Tissier, Antoine Gagné-Turcotte, Bertrand Charry
Founded in 2018, Whale Seeker’s proprietary technology uses AI to speed up the analysis of remotely sensed images to detect whales. Their data help strengthen environmental impact assessments, support industry in complying with marine regulations, improve companies’ bottom lines, and ultimately help protect whales.
Learn MoreGrant
El Salvador
South America
Ocean Data, Literacy & Research
Raúl Barbón
SOA El Salvador is a youth-run organization that enables millennials to become leaders in preserving the health and sustainability of our oceans. With education, research, resources, and collaboration opportunities, we aim to inspire young entrepreneurs to create measurable impact by incentivizing social and environmental investments and fostering cross-sector partnerships. Through this grant, they have formalized their hub's structure, grown their membership, and created a leadership team tasked with creating a set of services that can support 20-100 members.
Learn MoreStartup
United States of America
North America
Pollution: Waste Reduction & Circular Use
Rob Ianelli, Vanessa Coleman
Oceanworks® is a Plastic Action Platform that exists to keep our ocean clean by making it easy for brands to take action against plastic pollution. Through a global network of collectors and recycled plastic suppliers, Oceanworks partners with brands to measure their plastic footprint, fund plastic waste removal, find sustainable alternatives and track supply chains from shore to shelf. For more about Oceanworks, visit https://oceanworks.co/.
Learn MoreGrant
Indonesia
Asia
Greenhouse Gas: Blue Carbon & CO2e Removal or Avoidance
Indri Addini
Led by the organization CarbonEthics, project Bintang focuses on blue carbon restoration and sequestration of over 6,000kg of C02 in Bintan Island through mangrove seed diversification and research as well as seagrass research. They will plant 600 mangroves and 300 seagrass plants, as well as conduct a series of workshops, such as a batik-making workshop and soap making workshops for Bintan locals.
Learn MoreGrant
Ghana
Africa
Blue Foods: Fisheries, Aquaculture, & Seafood Alternatives
Eric Appiah Krampah
In affiliation with the African Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience at the University of Cape Coast, this project worked to isolate and culture local marine microalgae strains to serve as a food source for oyster larval rearing. The performance of these microalgae-fed larvae was assessed in the laboratory and then transplanted to the field. This is being done in order to find a solution for the recent exploitation of the West African Mangrove Oyster.
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