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.
Grant
Peru
South America
Ecosystems and Species: Preservation & Restoration
Daniel Villafuerte
On January 15, 2022, a Repsol tanker spilled 6,000 barrels of crude oil off the coast of Peru after being struck by “abnormal waves” caused by the volcanic eruption in Tonga. 1.7 million sq meters have been greatly harmed, including a highly biodiverse region with two protected areas and over 1,000 small-scale fishers that depend on the region for their livelihood. SOA Peru is building disaster relief centers in each district impacted by the spill (Ventanilla, Santa Rosa and Ancón) to gather supplies like gloves and masks, transport and tend to injured wildlife, and support volunteers and organizations on the ground.
Learn MoreGrant
Mexico
North America
Marine Data or Research
Ibrahí Rodríguez Larreta
This project, led by SOA Mexico, will select and train 6 - 7 local youth to take part in the monitoring process of the selected waterbody of Todos Santos in the Baja California Peninsula. Data will be collected in regards to the water's safety for human consumption. This will inform sustainable usage of the water source, which will be communicated through 5 workshops/trainings.
Learn MoreGrant
Lebanon
Asia
Pollution: Waste Reduction & Circular Use
Laura Khatib
The aim of this project is to clean up 5 tons of marine debris from Byblos' sea floor, including fishing nets and lines, plastic bags, cans, face masks, tires and all kinds of man-made pollution. Guardians of the Blue works in symbiosis with Byblos' diving club Xiphias Diving to provide divers who come to the club the necessary equipment to pick up marine debris during their dives, and educate them on the impacts of pollution on marine life.
Learn MoreGrant
Sri Lanka
Asia
Ecosystems and Species: Preservation & Restoration
Roshima Vithanage
This project will expand a coral nursery for a small scale reef rehabilitation (planting 25 new corals) in Southern Sri Lanka as well has train 5 ocean ambassadors to monitor the coral sites. They will also collect marine debris (500kg) and develop a program for ocean literacy to promote sustainable development and begin implementation in schools in the region as well as conduct teacher trainings.
Learn MoreStartup
United States of America
North America
Blue Foods: Fisheries, Aquaculture, & Seafood Alternatives
Courtney Boyd Myers
AKUA is a seed-stage, conscious company on a mission to bring blue foods to the mainstream market. We're the first company to pioneer meat and seafood-alt products from ocean-farmed kelp, which is making waves as both a health food trend and a regenerative agriculture trend. Ocean-farmed kelp is often described as the culinary equivalent of the electric car because it has massive environmental benefits & is super healthy to eat.
Learn MoreGrant
Trinidad and Tobago
Caribbean
Ocean Data, Literacy & Research
Diva Amon
SpeSeas raises awareness about key ocean issues in Trinidad and Tobago, led by a founding team of ocean science experts, including Diva Amon, who has worked in close partnership with SOA's Campaign Against Deep Sea Mining. With SOA support, they will amplify their social media presence, helping them to grow their network and make ocean literacy more accessible in the country.
Learn MoreGrant
Australia
Oceania
Ocean Data, Literacy & Research
Heidi Dumesich
SOA Australia is a new SOA Hub, co-founded by the former leaders of SOA University of Sydney. The mission of SOA Australia is to be the overarching hub to support all of the hubs across Australia as well as be their space for individuals and companies to learn about the importance of the ocean. Heidi and Bella brought SOA to Australia because they are aware of the ocean issues in Australia and aim to show the importance of the oceans to young professionals, and to connect them with industry leaders.
Learn MoreGrant
Singapore, Netherlands, Indonesia
Asia
Marine Data or Research
Marcel Kempers
Reef Support is working to create a map of critical coral reefs to inform their restoration. Similar to the "Allen Coral Atlas," they source high resolution satellite imagery, but only for specific sites. Using the images, they can create a baseline measurement of reef size to inform which reefs to focus conservation on and how. This grant supports the development of this map in Indonesia, Kenya, and one of the Dutch Caribbean islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao). They will concurrently develop AI related to coral identification and hope to integrate the two to enable citizen scientists and divers to use and inform the maps.
Learn MoreGrant
Brunei
Asia
Pollution: Waste Reduction & Circular Use
Shaima Misli
River Clean-Up Operation (RECOVER) is a collaborative community service project conducted by SOA Brunei, YSEALI and Save Kampong Ayer to gather solid wastes found along the Brunei River in Kampong Ayer (Water Village). This project aims to provide immediate short-term relief to solid waste discarded in the environment by engaging volunteers and the local Kampong Ayer community through the collective effort of a mass river clean-up.
Learn More
