Joachim Schmillen 
On International World Oceans Day (8 June 2021), National Geographic announced that it officially recognises the Southern Ocean as Earth’s fifth ocean. The new ocean, the Southern Ocean, is defined by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) that surrounds Antarctica and extends from the continent’s coastline to 60 degrees south latitude, excluding the Drake Passage and … Read more
… to drive ocean knowledge revolution In the context of global celebrations for World Oceans Day, UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission announced the first Actions officially endorsed as part of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, 2021-2030 (the ‘Ocean Decade’). Subject to a competitive selection process with hundreds of applications, the endorsed … Read more
In one of our last posts, we were proposing to think about the possibility of establishing mariculture here in Jamaica. A study of the University of California with the title “The ecological and economic potential for offshore mariculture in the Caribbean” stated that Jamaica has the “most productive farm sites” in the Caribbean. OpenBlue, a … Read more
In a new post I present an argumentation paper to establish a Caribbean Mariculture Research Centre at CMU. And it essentially aims at establishing a mariculture industry in Jamaica. I know that it is a massive project, which needs a lot of commitment and investment. I understand that this cannot fall from the sky overnight. But somehow, we … Read more
This week (14.12.2020) the UNESCO published on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the formation of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) the second edition of the “Global Ocean Science Report 2020–Charting Capacity for Ocean Sustainability.” The report is a helpful resource for policymakers, academics, and other stakeholders seeking to assess progress towards the Sustainable Development … Read more
The Compete Caribbean Partnership Facility (CCPF) calls for proposals to stimulate projects within Caribbean-based, blue economy companies/actors to enhance their economies of scale and scope in the delivery of products and services, and collectively increase competitiveness, revenues, employment, and export within the COVID scenario. The CCPF will support cluster projects with up to a maximum … Read more
“The world is waiting for a vaccine! There is no vaccine coming for climate change!” With this urgent appeal, the World Bank handed over a Law Enforcement Vessel to the Jamaican National Fisheries Authority (NAF) to take better and more decisive action against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU) on its territories including the Exclusive … Read more
The World Economic Forum and its Digital Platform for Crowdsourcing are asking for a second Ocean Solutions Sprint. Dateline is October 31, 2020. Take Action. UpLink is an effort to accelerate the delivery of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is an open platform designed to engage anyone who wants to offer a contribution … Read more
As for many other problems that we have to deal with, it is also true for the handling of the Sargassum Seaweed that we have to collect enough data to develop a promising strategy that acknowledges different aspects. We know from studies of Chuanmin Hu at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg and his … Read more
The idea of Blue finance There was great expectations, excitement and hope in 2018 that “Blue bonds” could save the World’s Oceans in funding a range of climate adaptations. This optimism was based on the Republic of Seychelles. They launched in October 2018 the first sovereign blue bond. The idea is exciting: blue financing, especially … Read more