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
Guatemala, Belize
South America
Ecosystems and Species: Preservation & Restoration
Fabio Cresto Aleina
Thanks to the efforts of Healthy Reefs Initiative (a key partner in this proposal) the Cayman Crown coral reef was declared a "no-fishing zone" in May 2020 for the next 10 years by the Guatemalan government. SOA Mentor Fabio Aleina leads an effort to provide a scientific report and a policy brief (addressed to CONAP and presented at COP26) to support the inclusion of the Cayman Crown one of the healthiest reefs in the Mesoamerican region, into the no fishing zone and to upgrade the status to Marine Protected Area.
Learn MoreGrant
Colombia
South America
Ocean Data, Literacy & Research
maria angelica barcasnegras rodriguez
Training 10 students over the course of 5 months on ocean conservation in Colombia, as well as local cleanups around Baranquilla.
Learn MoreGrant
Portugal
Europe & United Kingdom
Ecosystems and Species: Preservation & Restoration
Rita Mealha Brissos Arcanjo Camacho
Gonçalo MAR, an artist affiliated with the seabed mining advocacy group Sciaena, creates a deep sea mining mural in Lisbon for the 2022 UN Ocean Conference, whilst Sciaena will coordinate social media activations around his artwork.
Learn MoreGrant
United States of America
North America
Ocean Data, Literacy & Research
Gemma Sahwell
This project aims to educate the average New York City resident about the ocean and marine ecosystems that the city interacts with and depends on. To enact these ocean literacy initiatives, the new SOA NYC Hub will use these funds to make an interactive website, create pop-up exhibitions, do classroom demonstrations and in-person cleanups of the critical waterways surrounding NYC.
Learn MoreGrant
Brazil
South America
Ecosystems and Species: Preservation & Restoration
Beatriz Mattiuzzo
This grant supports the work of Marulho, a for-profit social enterprise organization founded by Ocean Leader and Brazil Hub member, Beatriz Mattiuzzo, that recovers abandoned fishing nets and repurposes them into goods for sale. The outcome is to reduce ghost fishing and marine debris. Funding requested is for capacity building (new computer, improving wifi access on the remote island where located). marketing (video production equipment for social media campaign) and direct costs associated with removing debris (scuba gear).
Learn MoreStartup
United States of America
North America
Blue Foods: Fisheries, Aquaculture, & Seafood Alternatives
Brian von Herzen, Bob Kryczko, Ken Austin, Theresa Theuretzbacher
SeaForestation.Co provides deepwater solar irrigation services and equipment for replete seaweed cultivation across the oceans while augmenting seaweed value chains to meet food security needs, ecosystem life support and carbon export applications.
Learn MoreGrant
Portugal, France
Europe & United Kingdom
Ocean Data, Literacy & Research
Juliette Aminian Biquet
As part of her PhD thesis, Juliette will conduct research and interviews into how and why Marine Protected Areas in Europe are successful--or not--through the lenses of policymakers and local stakeholders.
Learn MoreGrant
Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria
Africa
Ecosystems and Species: Preservation & Restoration
Gideon Sarpong
SOA Ghana aims to develop a policy dialogue, youth dialogue, position paper and digital campaign for youth and politicians in Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria to galvanize stakeholder support and ensure that the youth’s position on deep-seabed moratorium is unambiguously represented by the Africa group at ISA.
Learn MoreGrant
Kenya
Africa
Blue Foods: Fisheries, Aquaculture, & Seafood Alternatives
DYNA JAMLICK
SOA Kenya and Aquablue aim to promote aquaponics in Kenya as a method of sustainable organic crop production, aquaculture and water consumption. They are proposing a community training program, which could benefit the community economically through the sale of vegetables produced. This project is directed towards Mtepeni Community in Kilifi County, Kenya through SOA Hub- Kenya and a blue economy youth group initiative (Aquablue). Aquaponics is a big hope for sustainable organic crop production, aquaculture and water consumption.
Learn More
