Decoding Sustainable Seafood Decision-Making

Seafood is a delicious source of lean protein, rich in Omega-3 fatty acids and other important nutrients, but due to pollution fish may also contain dangerous levels of toxins such as mercury and pesticides that can have serious health repercussions. The popularity of seafood consumption around the world is also leading to environmental problems as we turn to the seemingly infinite ocean as a source to feed our ever-increasing world population. This illusion of plenty in the vast blue sea is comforting, but the reality is that the ocean is quickly approaching its limit. If we continue consuming seafood at our current rate, many species of fish will become unavailable within the next half-century.



As consumers, we want to make choices that are both healthy and environmentally responsible, but poorly labeled products and overwhelming amounts of contradictory information make it difficult to do so. According to my wallet-sized sustainable seafood card, Mahi-mahi is a “best choice” AND a “seafood to avoid.” Pacific cod is an excellent choice, but Atlantic cod is a no-no. The discrepancies are enough to send me screaming back to the vegetables, where I am sure that a local organic orange is better than a non-organic one from South America. After a particularly frustrating trip to the grocery store that included a military-level interrogation of the seafood man and an argument with my mother about flounder, I decided to do some research. I learned that there are some very helpful online resources and a few simple rules that can increase your confidence as a sustainable seafood consumer, allowing you to help the ocean while still enjoying seafood.

1. Increase your verbal score. Take thirty minutes to learn about fishing industry terminology and fishing methods. This will help you understand seafood labeling at the store - if you know that longlining, bottom-trawling, and gillnetting are non-sustainable fishing methods that harm other species, you can immediately eliminate products with these labels. Knowing the lingo will also help you to make sense of your sustainable seafood card. Monterey Bay Aquarium has a great website for improving your sustainable seafood vocabulary.

2. Carry a card. Print out a sustainable seafood card and always keep it in your wallet. These cards make at-the-counter decision-making relatively simple, as long as you have a basic knowledge of the terminology. Monterey Bay Aquarium provides region-specific cards and they even have a card just for sushi. However, I prefer the Natural Resources Defense Council’s card, because I think the format is straightforward and easier to understand.

3. Buy local. If you can buy directly from the fisherman, do it. If not, try to find seafood from as nearby as possible- it’s better for you, the local economy, and the environment. Local seafood is healthier and tastier because it is fresh, not frozen for long periods of time during shipping. It is environmentally friendlier than imported seafood because it is not shipped over long distances and local fish is likely to be caught in smaller batches. If you don’t have the luxury of buying from your backyard, US-caught or farmed fish is generally best, Europe and South America are okay alternatives, and Asian imports should be avoided. The US has stricter fishing and aquaculture regulations than other countries, while Asia is notorious for pollution issues and severe overfishing.

If you’re in our area, Andy’s Island Seafood has good sustainability practices and carries some locally-caught seafood that varies from day to day. Their main store is on Matlacha, but they have a mobile market on Captiva Tuesday-Thursday (look for their teal truck on Andy Rosse Lane). Ask what is local and fresh.

On Sanibel, The Timbers provides some sustainable options, like seasonal stone crabs and rope-cultured mussels. Ask if their latest shipment of Tilapia is domestically farmed.

4. Know your source. Identify a seafood retailer in your area that is committed to providing sustainable seafood options. Become a regular customer and get to know the “seafood guy.” If labeling or packaging information is unclear, ask questions- if the person behind the counter can’t answer your questions, you shouldn’t buy the product. As an added bonus, if you make friends with the seafood person, they might be willing to take special requests. Solutions for Seafood and Greenpeace have evaluations available that can help you find a retailer that stocks sustainable products.

5. Plan ahead. Before you shop, know what you are looking for. Have a couple of sustainable alternatives planned in case your first choice is unavailable. This will help you to avoid buying “whatever” just because you can’t find your sustainable option.

6. Know what’s good. Look for smaller fish species, which are generally healthier for you because they are lower on the food chain and accumulate less toxins. Small fish species often come from large populations, so they are more sustainable than larger, rarer species. When buying farmed fish, choose products from the US, and choose herbivorous species such as tilapia, catfish, oysters and clams, which can consume grain and do not require feed sourced from wild stocks. When purchasing wild-caught fish, pole/troll caught varieties are best. Wild Alaskan salmon is usually a very good option.



7. Look for a seal of approval. The United States is currently working on a standardized labeling system for identifying sustainable seafood, which will hopefully be implemented in the next few years. In the meantime, the Marine Stewardship Council gives its seal of approval to certified sustainable seafood products. Their website provides information about which certified products you can find at various retailers.


Of course the best way to help sustain wild fisheries stocks is to cut back on the overall amount of seafood that you and your family consume. I am not suggesting that you stop eating seafood altogether- my general rule is moderation, not deprivation. If you really want to make a positive impact on the environment, try replacing seafood with a vegetarian dish every once in a while instead of a different animal protein. Vegetable proteins like beans, tofu, and tempeh are delicious, but often overlooked. For healthy and very flavorful vegetarian recipe ideas, I’m a fan of http://www.fatfreevegan.com. As an added bonus, if you reduce your seafood consumption, you will enjoy fish even more on the occasions that you do eat it.



When you choose to eat seafood, you can act sustainably by making your portion sizes smaller. A serving of fish should be similar in size to a checkbook, but we have become accustomed to eating fillets equivalent to four or five servings in restaurants. Instead of replicating restaurant seafood portions at home, serve extra grains and vegetables with a small piece of fish.

If this all seems like too much information, don’t be overwhelmed- just start small. Follow a few of these rules each time you purchase seafood, and pretty soon you’ll be a savvy seafood sustainability expert.

Additional Resources:

The Blue Ocean Institute provides detailed information about individual seafood species.

NRDC provides guidelines for purchasing some of the most popular seafood in America.

If you are interested in learning more, I would recommend reading The End of the Line by Charles Clover.

SX3 Says No to Bottled Water

Beginning today, no bottled water will be allowed to cross the threshold of Sanibel Sea School. We have always discouraged our students from drinking bottled water, but we’ve been known to let it slide in the past. However, we recently reconsidered our lax approach to enforcing the “no bottled water” rule. As an organization, our mission is to promote good stewardship of the ocean, and bottled water is simply bad for the ocean- really bad. And so we must prioritize taking a stand against it.

Bottled water requires enormous amounts of energy to produce and transport - in fact, it takes 2000 times more energy to produce a single bottled water than it does to fill your reusable water bottle from the tap. With oil, gas, and coal as our leading domestic energy sources, an enormous amount of pollution is produced in the bottled water manufacturing process, and chemicals such as mercury, nickel, and benzene end up in the ocean. This poisons marine life and contaminates our seafood. If everyone stopped drinking bottled water, it would remove almost a billion pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere- that’s like taking 100,000 cars off the road. The manufacturing of bottled water also wastes water. It takes up to ten times more water to manufacture a bottle of water than actually ends up in the bottle. The water used in manufacturing must then be treated at a treatment facility, which requires energy and leads to even more pollution.

You may be thinking, “but what if I recycle my bottled water?” Recycling is great for materials like paper and some metals, but the process of heating plastic releases dangerous chemicals into the atmosphere and ocean. And while recycling is not a bad idea, the reality is that 80 to 90 percent of plastic bottles end up in the trash or as litter - that’s about 22 billion bottles per year. If you have ever walked along Sanibel’s shoreline, you’ve seen the battered plastic bottles that frequently wash up on the beach. If your great-great-great grandchildren are in the right place at the right time, they might see the same bottle, because it will still be bobbing around in the sea 500 years from now. It can take a plastic bottle up to 1000 years to decompose, and as the plastic breaks down into smaller pieces, it resembles common food sources for many sea creatures. Sea turtles mistake plastic for jellyfish, and shorebirds mistake it for small invertebrates. These animals often end up on the beach, sick or dead with stomachs full of plastic particles that they are unable to digest. “Synthetic Sea” is an eye-opening short documentary that brings attention to the shocking amount of plastic in the ocean and its effects on marine life.

Eliminating bottled water from your life is not only good for the environment, it’s good for you. Financially, bottled water is a rip-off, sold at up to 100 times the cost that companies spend to produce it. A gallon of Evian is more than double the price of an expensive gallon of gasoline, so next time you think the oil companies are robbing you, you may want to reconsider. The “Price of a Gallon” website lists other fun comparisons.

From a health standpoint, it is a myth that bottled water is healthier than tap water. Bottled water safety regulations are far less stringent than regulations regarding the tap water that comes out of your sink. In fact, many bottled water companies bottle their product directly from the tap. Studies have found microbes and chemicals in many common brands of bottled water (more info). Also, the plastic used in bottle manufacturing always leaches small amounts of synthetic chemicals into the water, and the health effects of this have not been closely studied. Your tap water is safe to drink directly from the faucet, but if you can't stand the taste, a filter can make tap water taste fresh and pure. Just make sure you clean or change your filtering system frequently so harmful bacteria doesn't grow in it and make you sick.

Next time you’re out shopping, resist the temptation to purchase bottled water, and instead buy stainless steel reusable bottles for the whole family (At SX3, we’re fans of the Klean Kanteen) – it’s a great holiday gift idea! You’ll save the environment, save money, and be healthier. When you stop by the Sea School with your environmentally friendly hydration gear, we will welcome you with open arms and gladly refill your bottle.

Sanibel Sea School’s campaign to eliminate bottled water from our campus is made possible through a partnership with the Plank-DiCarlo Family Foundation and Klean Kanteen. If you do not have a reusable water bottle with you when you visit the Sea School, we offer loaner bottles, or you can purchase a Klean Kanteen and the profits will help us achieve our goal of saving the ocean, one child at a time.

How to Survive on a Small Island

If you were stranded in the wilderness, would you be able to build your own shelter? Could you figure out how to signal for help, or find your way back to civilization using a compass? Sanibel Sea School campers could – at least those who attended Survivor Week, a camp designed especially for eleven to fifteen year olds.

At the beginning of the week, we learned the fine art of lashings, a useful skill to have if you ever need to build a raft. After some practice, teams were given piles of bamboo and asked to do just that. The teams competed to see who could build the fastest and most buoyant raft using only twine, a limited amount of bamboo, and any floating garbage they could find on the beach. The competition brought lots of laughter as we learned firsthand that no matter how sturdy a raft seems on land, it is likely to start falling apart once it comes in contact with the ocean’s powerful waves.

After our raft paddling competition, we braved the mosquitoes at the Bailey Tract to practice our orienteering skills. We used compasses and our own paces to keep track of our movement, then we mapped our routes. Map interpretation and orienteering skills are important when you are lost if you want to reach a more desirable location.

If you are ever unfortunate (or fortunate) enough to be shipwrecked on a deserted island, one of the basic essentials is to find or construct protection from the elements. Survivor teams used materials they found on the beach to build shelters. Structures were judged on sturdiness, size, and how well they provided shade and protection from wind and rain. The winning team added a fully-functioning sundial as a finishing touch. We spent the rest of the afternoon swimming, playing frisbee, and relaxing in our breezy lean-tos, smiling and waving at envious passers-by.


All this was great, but the pinnacle of Survivor Week was probably the overnight trip to Cayo Costa State Park, where campers impressed SX3 staff with their willingness to help out. In addition to exploring the island, shell collecting, and snorkeling, campers pitched their own tents and helped with dinner and cleanup. We spent the evening performing skits, roasting marshmallows over a campfire, and walking on the beach. Some nightwalkers were lucky enough to find huge lightning whelks and handfuls of perfect arrowhead sand dollars. We ended the trip with a chocolate chip pancake breakfast and a bumpy boat ride back to Sanibel. Camping at Cayo Costa was a fabulous opportunity for campers to practice their newly-acquired survival skills and bond with new friends and counselors.



The success of our camp programs would not be possible without support from the Sanibel community. Both the LAT Foundation and Sanibel-Captiva Kiwanis Club help support our summer program through scholarship support. The McKay family at Sweet Water Boat Rentals on Captiva donated boat rides to and from Cayo Costa. Bailey’s provided enough ice to keep us cool, and the Sanibel Community House hosted our weekly Milk and Cookies Slideshow. We are very thankful for the help we receive from local families and businesses. Visit us online at www.sanibelseaschool.org.

Check Out This Great Video

Overfishing from greenforum on Vimeo.

Dolphins, Dolphins Everywhere

This week it was dolphins, dolphins and more dolphins at Sanibel Sea School. We played echo-location - the Sanibel Sea School version of Marco-Polo. We played capture the fish, we went on dolphin walks, we talked a lot about how dolphins live and hunt their prey. While avoiding the common thunderstorms, we made dolphin flags, we created skits about life under the sea, and we made finger puppets to represent our favorite sea creatures.

In keeping with the tradition of Sanibel Sea School, we not only had fun, but we also learned a lot about Bottlenose Dolphins. For example, we leaned that adult dolphins weigh between 330 and 1400 pounds, and that an average adult weighs in around 700 pounds. And, that same adult will typically consume 5% of its body weight in prey- mostly fishes per day – that’s 35 pounds of fish per day.

We also learned that scientists believe dolphins might just be smarter than humans, and that just because they always appear to be wearing a smile, they are not always happy. We talked about the Marine Mammal Act and how it protects dolphins.

One of the highlights of the week was a cruise aboard the Stars and Stripes from Sanibel Marina led by Captain Joe to watch dolphins cavort in the wake. And cavort they did – you have never really experienced total euphoria and unabated joy unless you have been immersed in the cacophony of seventeen young ocean explorers as they squeal with delight about dolphin antics.

And, of course, what would a week of summer camp in the ocean be without plenty of snorkeling. We explored the sand bar called Little Sanibel, just east of the high span bridge. There, we found flounder, horseshoe crabs, spider crabs, giant lightning whelks and hundred of cute little hermit crabs. We caught juvenile Lookdown and Pompano in the Gulf of Mexico. Oh, and we surfed every day in the small waves on the east end.

It was a busy and full week for the little camp on the east end of the island. We were busy learning, growing and having good old-fashion fun in the ocean. We were busy becoming the new generation of ocean stewards – Generation Blue.

It takes a village to raise a child, and a community to produce Sanibel Sea School’s Summer Camp. We are grateful to the Sanibel-Captiva Kiwanis Club who helps support students through scholarships.. Dan Hahn Custom Builder supports our summer program. Bailey’s General Store quenches our thirst on these hot days with lots of ice. Billy’s Bikes keeps us in cardboard from which we build life size models to really understand how big a dolphin is. To all these folks and the countless others, we are grateful.

Check us out at sanibel sea school and see lots more pictures of dolphin week.

Floating Fabulous King's Crown Week at Sanibel Sea School

By Leah Biery

Kings Crown Week at Sanibel Sea School was filled with exploration and adventure, as we set out on a mission to learn about the mollusks that inhabit our island and its surrounding waters.

We began the week with a mud walk at Bunche Beach, where we braved the slippery, stinky mangrove mud to find fiddler crabs and small King’s Crown Conchs in their natural habitat. King’s Crown Conchs inhabiting intertidal flats feed mainly on detritus, so they remain smaller than their cannibalistic brothers living near the oyster reef. After learning about these creatures, we attempted to copy their lifestyle by slithering through the mud, but don’t worry, we jumped into San Carlos Bay to rinse off before heading home to our parents.

Continuing our quest to become bivalve brainiacs, we went snorkeling at Lighthouse Beach, where we came face to face with schools of fish and a cownose ray. We also found a live cockle shell, scallops, lightning whelks, banded tulips, and plenty of mollusk egg casings. Although many of the egg casings look similar to one another, we discovered that reproduction varies drastically between mollusk species. If you have ever cracked open a lightning whelk egg casing (those long, tan swirly things you find on the beach), you’ve probably noticed that there are perfect miniature gastropods formed inside, ready to begin life. King’s Crowns do things a little differently. About 25 days after eggs are laid, larvae veliger emerge and begin a brief swimming stage, where they float in the surface currents before developing shells and returning to life on the bottom of the ocean.

We wanted to understand what life is like for free-floating King’s Crown larvae, so we strapped on life jackets and made our way out past the third sandbar to the zone where our feet can’t reach the bottom. After we overcame the uneasiness of being sort of far from shore, we laid on our backs and allowed the current to move us along the beach, slightly jealous that King’s Crown larvae get to do this every day.

In the spirit of exploration, we broke out the metal detectors to search for treasure on the beach. We found metal boxes full of mollusk trivia and won points for correct answers and for picking up trash. We also worked together to create a giant King’s Crown Conch tile mosaic, which is now proudly displayed at the Sea School.

Even after all of this fun, we somehow managed to fit in our regular activities like surfing, seining, jewelry-making, shell-collecting, and a sandcastle-building fiesta at Bowman’s Beach. We gained a new appreciation for the variety of mollusks in the ocean and on land, and a better understanding of the challenges these creatures face and the perks they enjoy.

We could never have such a great time without the huge amount of support that we receive from the community. Bailey’s provides ice to help us quench our thirst after spending all day in the heat, Sanibel-Captiva Kiwanis Club provides scholarship funding for island kids, and the Community House of Sanibel hosts our milk and cookies slideshow every Friday afternoon. Sanibel Sea School is a nonprofit foundation dedicated to marine conservation through experiential education. Visit us on the web at sanibelseaschool.org.

Young Ocean Authors

At Sanibel Sea School, we engage with the ocean in a myriad of ways; through education, exploration, research, discovery, adventure, athleticism, and a lot of plain old-fashioned fun.

This past week, we have thought about the many ways in which the ocean inspires and intrigues us - how we are fed by the ocean surrounding us. And, we have used the ocean as a focal point to explore our creative writing skills.

Here are a just a few examples of our ocean-inspired writings.

Soul Float by Rachel Wexler

"I closed my eyes and curled into a ball. The tiny waves lapped at my chin. It made me feel more relaxed, temporarily vanishing my fear of sharks. I began to enjoy the slow rocking feeling of the waves. I scooped up a handful of sand, rubbing it on my arms to exfoliate my skin. For a few magical moments I forgot I was in the ocean. I forgot I was anywhere. All I could feel was water. Then, I suddenly remembered my fear of sharks. The magic was gone."

Floating on the Waves by Ashley Edwards

"When I was floating on the water, I felt how the waves crashed on me. I felt so light on top of the waves. I could float for hours on the water, relaxing."

Floating by Abby Neill

"'Clink , Clink,' You can hear the shells rolling in the waves.
Each wave makes a sloshing sound.
Like in those old movies, the sounds of submarines.
You are floating, eyes closed.
Floating in a wet space on Earth,
What matters is that little splash, not what you saw on TV this morning.
You don’t think, you float.
Peace could be so easy if everyone… just… floated.
And, then you are asleep in an ocean of peace."

Campfire Night by Annah De Vaublanc

"This night was probably my better night on my trip to Sanibel. It was so cool. Au début, on nous a donné des balonnets lumineux. And we have lots of fun with them. We do some pictures when we do some circles, on les a lances et some personne qui était to the other side of the tidepool and catch them. We also do some jumping pictures. After we do a few in the sand, we grille some marshmallows and we put them in cookies with chocolate. After, we come back to the sea school."

Surf Haiku by James Ahlemeier

"pure massive power
raging from miles away
surfers live for this"

Waves by Chloe Kissal

"Splashing silently on the shore
Calming, soothing, and much more
Rumbling, tumbling, round and round
Some turning without making a sound
Some people surf monsters, some surf hills
Some people surf them like fish with gills
And every time a waves comes by
You have a feeling to surf and you don’t know why"

Waves by Brigitte Wodrich

"Crashing, rolling, strong, persistent, beautiful, calm, bumpy wave
Everything that a surfer craves.
To own and control these wild waves you must be patient and learn to wait.
One way that all surfers can relate is it doesn’t matter how big or small the wave."

The Beach by Emma Neill

"Waves crashing on the sand, as if mad.
The sand soft under my feet, the shells and rocks seem soft to the touch.
Wind blows through the casrima trees.
The water when calm laps at the shore, little gulls and terns sit or fly over the water, sometimes preening or catching fish.
Everything calm and quiet, just like Sea School at times.
Then, just like that, a motor boat comes, angry and mad, as if to wreck the silence.
Then when it is gone, all is quiet again."

Sanibel Boat Trip by Colin Maw

"My favorite part of yesterday was the snorkeling and the boating. We went snorkeling and I saw a whole bunch of seaweed beds under the water. I kept crashing into Ben. The thing I liked about the boat was the waves. It was like a roller coaster in the water. "

Der Ozean by Linus Keidel

"Die Wellen sind so groβ
Das ist nichts fuer ein Floβ
Aber wenn sie sind so klein
Ja ich mein,
Dass kann schoen sein.

Der Ozean ist so tief toll,
Dass ich mich am liebsten in ihm roll
Doch koennen wir nicht halten alle in Schacht,
Darum gebe Acht."

A Day at Sea School by Laura Heim

"My day yesterday was funny. We went into the mangroves and we found little fish and saw a sea star. But the best was the surfing. Later we carved stamps out of potatoes, it was fun too."

Beach by Anonymous

"K-shh, k-shh, k-shh
the soothing rhythm of small waves
crash, crash, crash
the angry pattern of large waves

The smell of salt and fish
a light breeze
sun-bleached shells
waves approach from as far as the eye can see
the sand holds shells, bleached white
the wind is cool, the water
is warm."

Untitled by Michele Alger

"What I think this week will be like to me is learning about waves and surfing.
Waves
Powerful Calm"

Sea School by Anonymous

"Snorkeling was lots of fun. We went swimming near some coral and found mollusks in huge conch shells. I found a five year old common fig and a three year old King's Crown. We saw many fish and I cut my toe. Making potato prints was lots of fun. I made a print that was supposed to be a 'G' but ended up as a sailboat and a buoy. I like it even though when I print it turns out looking like a mess. Before that we went surfing. I got up on my board for the first time but jumped off in the fear of hitting two people in the middle of the water. After that we did drum ensembles. Yesterday was lots of fun."

Nighttime on the Beach by Anonymous

"Last night the thunder blazed across a vast horizon. Sending blades from cloud to cloud or in to the sea. The whole sky lit up for a second or two, and was very beautiful.

We watched the fire blaze in the distance as we played with our glowsticks in dim moonlight, and roasted marshmallows over a blazing fire and ate the smores with savory delight."

Untitled by Conrad Wodrich

"Oceans are nice.
Waves are nice.
Water is blue.
Sand is nice."


About Our Authors........

Rachel Wexler lives on Sanibel Island and attends the Sanibel School. She is eleven and is going in to sixth grade. Her favorite way to enjoy the water is swimming.



Michele Alger is twelve years old and lives in Fort Myers, Florida. In her free time, she likes to swim and read.





Ashley Edwards lives in Fort Myers, Florida. She is home schooled and enjoys spending time with her two dogs and her cat. She plays volleyball and loves floating in the ocean.






Abby Neill lives on Sanibel Island and attends seventh grade at The Canterbury School. She enjoys writing, swimming, shelling on the beach, and playing with her pet rats, Lydia and Grace.



Annah De Vaublanc is from Paris, France. She is twelve years old and enjoys finding shells. She visits Sanibel Island every summer with her family.



James Ahlemeier is in seventh grade at The Canterbury School. He likes curried chicken, has a younger brother, and loves to surf.








Chloe Kissal is eleven years old. She lives in Maryland, where she attends Southern Middle School. She plays softball, rides horses, and loves spending time in the water.




Brigitte Wodrich is from Ontario, Canada. She is visiting Sanibel Island for the summer and loves to surf, make art, and play tennis.




Emma Neill is a ten year old resident of Sanibel Island. Her favorite animal is the sea turtle. She loves to read and play at the beach. When she grows up, she would like to be a marine biologist.



Colin Maw is eleven years old and lives on Sanibel Island. His favorite animal is the sea turtle. He likes to play with Legos and design ships.


Linus Keidel is from Bavaria, Germany. He is thirteen years old. He likes to play the piano and play field hockey. His favorite sea creature is the whale.



Laura Heim is from Bavaria, Germany. She is fifteen years old and enjoys skiing. Her favorite beach activity is swimming.



Conrad Wodrich is a twelve year old from Ontario, Canada. He likes to draw and surf.

Sanibel Sea School at the Blue Ocean Film Festival

What is Sanibel Sea School doing at a film festival? Well, the same thing we’re always doing – marine conservation. And boy, are there a lot of conservationists here with us! This is the heart of ocean photography and filmmaking. We have seen some awe inspiring and beautiful photography by National Geographic photographer Brian Skerry . We’ve also seen some terrific films that we’re trying to get to come to Sanibel Sea School – the Cove, Dugong and Din, Saving Luna, Riddle in a Bottle – lots of great stuff!

While we’ve been here, we’ve pitched some ideas to National Geographic and Discovery Channel! (Don’t buy the popcorn yet. We’re still learning how to do this!) And a real highlight – we’ve had the privilege of talking about Sanibel Sea School to Carl Safina, author of the award winning Song for the Blue Ocean and Eye of the Albatross as well as founder of the Blue Ocean Institute. In fact, we’ve told a lot of filmmakers, producers, scientists and conservationists about Sanibel Sea School. And we’ve heard a resounding chorus of encouragement!

You know what’s interesting about all this? Most of these folks started out the same way we did – loving the ocean by running around and exploring it! Which is really exciting for Sanibel Sea School. If we have any part in growing a little girl or boy into tomorrow’s Carl Safina, we’ll have done a fine thing for this ocean planet. And in the meantime, if we find partners in telling the world about Sanibel Sea School and our mission of experiential education, that’s also a fine thing.

So we have lots of homework to do following up with all kinds of requests. One crew might even come to Sanibel in July to film a segment for a children’s show. You never know what might happen on down the road. As for now, it’s been an education for us to find out more about these filmmakers and leading voices in ocean conservation. And we have enormous respect for the task before them of raising money to produce films that will in turn raise awareness. As a speaker said last night – “You are either an activist or an inactivist.” All right, then! Let’s change the world! How about it?