Just before Session 7, Ecuador’s vice president, Lenín Moreno, boarded the Endeavor to address the Mission Blue gathering.
Lenín Moreno: “The animals of Galapagos have learned to live in peace. This small island should be an example to the world.”
Greg Stone has been called the “Indiana Jones of the Pacific.” He talks about how he helped set up the Phoenix Islands marine protected area in the nation of Kiribati, the largest MPA in the world (or at least until last Friday, when Chagos was announced). He says: “Setting up the Kiribati marine protected area took patience, trust, collaboration, and an understanding of market forces.”
Cartoonist Jim Toomey, of the comic Sherman’s Lagoon, talks about how the oceans entertain him. “My lead character is a great white shark named Sherman. He’s kind of a Homer Simpson with fins. If you start with a talking shark, your readers will pretty much believe anything after that.”
Céline Cousteau: “Bring emotion to your conversations about the ocean. Share your caring, awe, anger, sadness.”
Fisher Stevens, fresh from his Oscar win for producing “The Cove,” says: “We all know a lot in this room. Let’s tell these stories.”
John Delaney: “This is the age of the oceans. We have a new powerful range of tools to understand the oceans. And we must try to understand them.”
Damien Rice admits he didn’t quite finish writing the Mission Blue song he’s been working on. “I spent too much time snorkeling.”
And Her Deepness, Sylvia Earle, closes the conference. “Onward and downward!”