Tag archives for Enric Sala
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The coral reefs of Ducie Atoll are some of the last tropical marine paradises, memories of what the ocean was like before extensive human impacts.
After 5 days at Pitcairn Island we sailed to Ducie Atoll, one of the least visited places in the ocean, uninhabited, and as far as we know, unfished.
See just-taken photos of the top fish found around the remote Pitcairn Island by NG Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala as he and his team work to discover just how healthy these faraway waters are.
Beyond the island’s halo of muck caused by four days of relentless rains, we found clearer deeper waters and an unexpected coral reef, teeming with fish.
As Enric Sala’s Pitcairn Expedition team arrived at its namesake island, NG Explorer-in-Residence Mike Fay took to the trails, lead by a barefoot tour guide up to Christian’s Cave, where the legendary mutineer is said to have watched for the British ships on his trail.
We made it to Pitcairn Island this morning, shortly after sunrise. We saw the island appear exactly like it has been described dozens of times – like a tall ship coming out of the horizon.
As we make our way to the Pitcairn Islands with NG Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala’s Pristine Seas expedition, several hours on a plane reveals gorgeous aerial views of the atolls of French Polynesia.
National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala and team have made the first stop on our voyage to the remote Pitcairn Islands, starting in the same bay where the “Bounty” anchored before the legendary mutiny.
One year ago, NG Explorers Kenny Broad and Enric Sala joined business leaders, artists, non-profit founders, and others and looked for ways to do more to help protect and rehabilitate the ocean. Now the fruits of some of these efforts are being seen in exciting ways.
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Centuries of overexploitation of fish and other marine resources — as well as invasion of fish from the Red Sea — have turned some formerly healthy ecosystems of the Mediterranean Sea into barren places, the National Geographic Society said in a news release.
“People often pit the economy against the environment, making us choose between one or the other, but that’s a futile dichotomy,“ says NOAA’s Jane Lubchenco. Discover how leaders from both areas at the World Oceans Summit are working to improve that relationship.
In 1790 the mutineers of the HMS Bounty took refuge on tiny Pitcairn Island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Only a few of their descendants still live there today, making the area one of the least inhabited places in the world. Join us this March and April as National Geographic explores the land and waters of Pitcairn, revealing one of the most untouched undersea environments left on Earth.
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If he’s not under water exploring the depths of Earth’s deepest oceans, Enric Sala is inspiring leaders to create marine protected areas all over the world. Read more about Enric’s passion for the high seas.
The first time I dived at the remote Kingman Reef, in 2005, I thought I found paradise. When I returned in 2007, I thought I had entered the dark land of Mordor.
A scientific study published today by the Public Library of Science shows that creating a no-take marine reserve brings fish back to degraded areas, and creates jobs and increases economic revenue for the local communities. I have seen it with my own eyes and, believe me, it is like a miracle, only that it is not–it’s just common business sense.
An Honor of “Titanic” Proportions
Posted by Andrew Howley of NG Staff on June 23, 2011 
Two outstanding explorers — filmmaker and alternative-energy proponent James Cameron and marine ecologist Enric Sala — are the National Geographic Society’s newest Explorers-in-Residence. Both were honored today at a special gathering of National Geographic’s top explorers at Society headquarters. Explorers-in-Residence are some of the world’s preeminent explorers and scientists and represent a broad range of…
Forget about the spurious benefits of eating shark fin soup, a traditional Chinese delicacy that is said to be responsible for the needless destruction of some 73 million sharks a year. In Palau, the first country in the world to proclaim a shark sanctuary, the sharks that frequent the Pacific island country’s reefs generate enormous financial benefits. Each reef shark may contribute benefits worth U.S.$2 million over its lifetime.
NG Explorer’s Letter to The New York Times
Posted by Andrew Howley of NG Staff on April 25, 2011 By Enric Sala, NG Ocean Fellow The following post was originally published as a letter to the editor in The New York Times, April 20, 2011. In “Let Us Eat Fish” (Op-Ed, April 15), Ray Hilborn writes that studies showing a worldwide decline in fish stocks are exaggerated and that most fish stocks are stable.…
Summit at Sea: Bringing the Ocean Home
Posted by Andrew Howley of NG Staff on April 15, 2011 Two things about ocean conservation were as crystal clear as the Bahamian waters last week at Summit at Sea, where nearly one thousand young business leaders, artists, non-profit founders, and others gathered to inspire, team up with, and get to know each other: 1. We are all connected to the ocean. 2. If we’re going…
National Geographic Fellow Enric Sala comments on a new study, released today, which shows that 75 percent of the world’s coral reefs are threatened by human overpopulation. The proximity of the corals to human settlements means their fish populations are being depleted. The impact of humanity reduces the biodiversity of reef fishes, which in turn has a negative impact on the many services the reefs provide to humans.
Big Ideas for the Ocean II
Posted by Andrew Howley of NG Staff on April 1, 2011 National Geographic Ocean Fellow Enric Sala and Emerging Explorer Kenny Broad are about to set sail with Summit at Sea, a three-day immersion in big ideas and high-energy activities designed to educate and inspire the next generation of arts and business leaders. As the event approaches, artists, engineers, business people, and activists are getting ready by posting their…
What is the most serious issue facing the oceans today, and how can you, your company, or your industry help address it? Learn more how you can do your bit to help bring our seas back to health.
Salas y Gómez Expedition: Departing Rapa Nui
Posted by Ford Cochran on March 11, 2011 As the Salas y Gómez team concludes its work near Easter Island, Chile, and disperses to points around the globe, marine scientist and expedition co-leader Enric Sala looks back on several weeks in one of the most isolated, intriguing, and ecologically unique corners of the vast Pacific. Petroglyphs depicting a tangata manu, or birdman, near…
Salas y Gómez Expedition: An Exceptional Mission
Posted by erinhirota on March 8, 2011 Comandante Andres Rodrigo, commanding officer of the Comandante Toro, shares his thoughts on the Chilean Navy’s first patrol of the new marine park surrounding Salas y Gómez and on hosting a civilian expedition team aboard his ship. Chilean Navy Comandante Andres Rodrigo scans monitors on the bridge of the OPV Comandante Toro. By Ford Cochran…
Salas y Gómez Expedition: Locating an Island Via Satellite
Posted by erinhirota on March 7, 2011 Marine ecologists use a new satellite image of Salas y Gómez and existing imagery of Easter Island to plan their dives and plot their data–and to correct long-standing cartographic errors in the placement of the former island. Alan Friedlander imports a high-resolution satellite image of Salas y Gómez into the GIS on his laptop and…
