NEW SOUTH WALES, Australia, Aug. 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Dr. Sylvia Earle, legendary oceanographer, Nat Geo explorer and host-narrator of the new ocean conservation giant screen documentary Ocean Odyssey, announced Fish Rock, Australia as the newest addition to a global network of Hope Spots, marine areas currently under or seeking protected status. Dr. Earle’s organization Mission Blue is committed to creating and supporting the conservation of Hope Spots globally, in line with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress goal to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.
14-year-old local SCUBA diver and ocean conservationist Shalise Leesfield hopes that the recognition of the Fish Rock Hope Spot will help establish a 1500m radius marine protected area to protect its critically endangered Grey Nurse sharks. She is Mission Blue’s youngest Hope Spot Champion.
Fish Rock, well known as one of the largest ocean caverns in the southern hemisphere, acts like a blue magnet attracting divers from around the world. It is equally famous for its high biodiversity.
A diver himself, Ocean Odyssey director Nick Robinson hopes the giant screen medium will immerse people in marine habitats they rarely have the chance to visit, and move people to support protection for special places like Fish Rock. Through a spectacular 3D underwater journey, viewers of Ocean Odyssey learn about the remarkable ways the ocean and ocean currents nurture not only a diverse cast of marine creatures, but also life on earth, and how all of us can play a role in ocean conservation. The film will be accompanied by a classroom guide that includes a lesson on Hope Spots. The Ocean Odyssey team is working with Mission Blue and other leading ocean conservation groups to reach a network of at least 26000 educators, as well as the vast ocean interest community and beyond.
Ocean Odyssey, with the help of Dr. Earle and her organization Mission Blue as outreach partners, will bring the beauty and mystery of Fish Rock and the oceans to youth and adult audiences at science center and aquarium IMAX, Giant Screen and other specialty theaters around the world. The film follows a migrating whale mother and calf along the East Australian Current from the Great Barrier Reef to Antarctica. The pair’s journey leads to a stop at Fish Rock Cave, where audiences experience an adventurous dive among Grey Nurse sharks and learn about their plight, followed by Dr. Earle’s call to action to conserve 30% of the world’s oceans.
Fish Rock has one of the world’s most impressive annual whale migrations from May to November, and occasionally serves as a whale nursery in which mothers bring their baby calves in for a rest. Prevailing currents provide nutrients that nurture high biodiversity in Fish Rock. Today, overfishing and pollution are the biggest threats to Fish Rock.
Links
Mission Blue press release on Fish Rock: https://mission-blue.org/2021/08/young-marine-conservationist-champions-the-fish-rock-hope-spot-in-new-south-wales-to-protect-critically-endangered-grey-nurse-sharks/
Mission Blue Hope Spots: https://mission-blue.org/hope-spots/
Ocean Odyssey film website: https://www.oceanodysseyfilm.com/
Contacts:
Bob Kresser, Executive Producer
317827@email4pr.com
310 563 2603
Brett Loveman, Communications Director
Mission Blue
317827@email4pr.com
K2 Studios
317827@email4pr.com
310 563 2608
SOURCE K2 Studios
