Lolofi Aleamotua leads a mangrove restoration project in Tonga, planting 10,000 propagules to boost coastal resilience, support environmental goals, and ensure long-term survival through careful planning and monitoring.

Protasius Mutijda’s conducted research on giant kelp’s biogeochemical impacts in Namibia, contributing to global kelp CDR models and inspiring Namibian youth to pursue ocean stewardship through scientific research and conservation.

SOA PNW is co-hosting the Deep Sea Conservation Festival featuring local organizations and a petition to expand outreach and strengthen conservation connections across Washington and the PNW region.

Sione Manupuna Ika is integrating eco-tourism into Makave SMA management in Vava'u, Tonga, promoting sustainable fisheries through tours, education, and community engagement, while highlighting traditional practices.

The Deep Sea Summit raises awareness about deep-sea mining dangers through community advocacy, music, and art. FutureSwell created social media posts for the Summit to amplify the campaign.

SOA Gambia’s project restores mangroves, cleans 80 km of coastline, and hosts a World Ocean Day seminar to raise awareness and protect marine ecosystems.

SOA Perú advanced ocean conservation by training youth, empowering coastal communities, promoting Marine Protected Areas, and leading advocacy campaigns, resulting in Peru’s formal support for a deep-sea mining moratorium.

The Awak Pah Community is expanding its clam farm to boost food security, income, and reef health by installing spat collectors, hosting awareness programs, and promoting sustainable, legal clam farming.

OoNee is a regenerative sea ranch combating urchin barrens in California by training underserved community members, especially fishers, in scuba diving, reef surveying, and urchin harvesting to support climate-resilient enterprises.

Ichthion is a UK company developing award-winning technologies to reduce ocean plastic pollution and designing circular economy programs.

The project will establish a sea cucumber farm to restore populations, protect reefs, and support local livelihoods through conservation, education, policy alignment, and sustainable business development.

SOA Yaoundé promotes ocean sustainability through education, research, and collaboration with stakeholders, and empowers coastal communities to protect marine ecosystems and support sustainable livelihoods.

SOA Panama is a youth-led chapter uniting conservationists, scientists, and advocates to empower and engage communities for sustainable oceans.

Rodrigo Oyanedel, Ph.D, is developing a standardized, open-access toolkit with Sernapesca to estimate and monitor illegal fishing in small-scale fisheries, aiming to improve enforcement in Chile.

Oshi develops whole-cut plant-based seafood, starting with salmon fillets, using modular layering technology to mimic real fish. Their products offer a sustainable, eco-friendly alternative to traditional seafood.

Academia del Océano and SOA Manabi foster ocean conservation leadership through education, hands-on programs, and a new physical site, while also restoring Punta San Clemente’s mangroves and estuary.

ecoSPEARS develops NASA-licensed green technologies to remove PFAS, PCBs, dioxins, and other persistent pollutants from the environment, aiming for a net-zero future with clean water, food, and air for all.

Gonçalo Carvalho, Executive Coordinator of Sciaena, led a workshop in the Azores, Portugal, focused on deep sea mining and its implications for sustainable marine environments.

uWare Robotics develops autonomous underwater drones and AI data solutions, making underwater data collection safer, more efficient, and affordable for blue industries, supporting sustainable port and offshore operations.

SOA Malta will host two marine-themed TriviaTide Nights in Malta and Gozo to raise awareness about marine conservation, featuring presentations, discussions, and quizzes.

SOA Madeira reduced plastic waste by introducing reusable, artist-designed cups in local bars and launched OceanAware Madeira to promote ocean sustainability through education, community events, beach clean-ups, and art exhibits.

Natura Sin Basura expanded to Bay of Cadiz Natural Park, engaging students in environmental education, cleanups, and citizen science to protect tidal marshes and seagrass, raise awareness of ecosystem services, and reduce pollution.

Nicky Roberts developed an action plan for climate-resilient seafood supply chains in New England, addressing industry knowledge gaps, and engaging stakeholders through collaborative sessions.

The project organized Spain’s 2023 Local Conference of Youth (LCOY), empowering youth climate action and contributing to international climate discussions.

Jeimila founded Koraï in 2022 to restore African coastal ecosystems. This grant supports growing 2,000 corals and hiring a biologist for a feasibility study to establish a restoration site and MPA off northern Madagascar.

The project introduces sustainable aquaculture of Kosraean mud crabs and srohsrohl fish to address over-harvesting, promote conservation, and support local livelihoods.

Katharine Shambaugh is studying Maine fishing communities’ responses to changing fishing practices and aquaculture, using interviews and surveys to understand regional differences in attitudes toward aquaculture amid climate change impacts.

Researchers will conduct workshops, plant a test farm, and engage local communities to develop an equitable, community-led Colombian seaweed industry, addressing infrastructure, legislation, and sustainability challenges.

Stream Ocean enables ocean workers to easily monitor and assess their impact on marine biodiversity.

Oceanovox equips racing sailboats with sensors to collect vital ocean and climate data, engaging sailors and the public to support research organizations in understanding and communicating climate change.

MJ Lamoste led projects empowering women in coastal Philippines by upcycling beach waste into products and spearheaded a campaign uniting communities against deep-sea mining and raising awareness of its environmental impacts.

Mi Manglar engages the local community in mangrove education, cleanup, and restoration by planting 1,000 seedlings on 0.2 hectares and forming a "guardians" group to monitor and protect the site.

SAIL, led by SOA Dominica raises awareness about deep-sea mining’s environmental impacts through education, community activities, and advocacy.

Bodhi, founder of Oneworldbreath.org, will engage 1,000 youth in marine conservation through a short film and music video highlighting Indigenous stewardship of kelp forests.

SOA Hong Kong is leading a project to restore marine ecosystems by building ten shellfish reefs from restaurant and fishermen’s discarded shells, engaging 50 students in reef construction and biodiversity monitoring as citizen scientists.

Blue Cradle Foundation produced a short video on sea mining, highlighting indigenous and Pacific Islander perspectives, premiered at COP 2022.

SOA PNW hosted a clothing swap at Oregon State University to promote recycling, reduce fast fashion’s environmental impact, and educate the community about how clothing production harms oceans.

Aquaai offers autonomous, bio-inspired robotic fish for affordable, high-quality underwater data collection, with year-long deployment and web dashboard access for diverse subsurface monitoring in marine and freshwater environments.

SOA Averio will host a 3-day event at Aveiro University with lectures, workshops, a debate, and a documentary to educate and engage participants on ocean sustainability while encouraging networking in a relaxed setting.

SOA Yaoundé, with ThinkGreen and Cameroon’s Ministry of Environment, led school and community recycling awareness, coastal cleanups, and youth training in waste management, empowering students to advocate for plastic waste regulation.

Kristy Drutman (@browngirlgreen) will produce podcasts, TikToks, and social media content to humanize deep seabed mining and educate global youth about the issue.

SOA Porto launched "Ecos do Mar," featuring social media campaigns and Science Café sessions to boost ocean literacy, counter misinformation, and promote trust in science, led by Aquatic Sciences students Rita Quelha and Bárbara Melo.

Violet Cove will plant 4,000 feet of sugar kelp, monitor its environmental impact with Stony Brook researchers, and promote seaweed as a soil amendment to local farmers and libraries.

The Somos OceanoS initiative creates documentaries and educational activities to highlight the value of marine protected areas and empower local communities to participate in the management revision of Isla Espíritu Santo.

SOA Black Sea and Mare Nostrum advanced marine conservation by training citizen scientists, monitoring marine litter and cetaceans, and engaging youth through campaigns, workshops, and competitions.

This project compares AI-driven and manual methods to measure seagrass health, aiming to enable community conservation by bundling unaccredited seagrass carbon benefits with mangrove credits.

The "Crisis to Cuisine" initiative installs an urchin-algae co-culturing prototype to boost food security and resilience in Malaysia’s coastal communities, while training locals in sustainable aquaculture practices.

Urchinomics restores kelp forests by paying divers to remove overgrazing sea urchins, ranching them in land-based systems, and transforming them into premium seafood for global high-end markets.

Rosangela Valdez project is on water conservation and ocean health. She wrote a book on the water cycle for kids, fostering discussions on preserving natural resources in the Dominican Republic.

Ocean Uprise hosts virtual internships for youth to develop community ocean projects. Twenty interns led initiatives like cleanups, restoration, and education, impacting 28 countries and thousands of youth and local environments.

The Northeast Climate Resilient Fisheries Network brings together siloed researchers to share findings, collaborate across sectors, exchange ideas, and strengthen connections among fisheries researchers, academics, and professionals.