Thursday, March 28, 2024

Mission Blue Names Great Lakes as the First Freshwater Hope Spot

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Mission Blue recently announced it had named the Great Lakes as the first freshwater Hope Spot, with Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium as the Hope Spot’s champion.

According to “Her Deepness” Dr. Sylvia Earle, founder of Mission Blue:

“The Great Lakes represent both the figurative and the literal heart of the North American water system. A source of water for over 40 million people and more than 3,500 plant and animal species, many of which are unique to the Great Lakes, the inclusion of this critically important natural area as a Hope Spot will highlight the connection and significance of protecting inland habitats, as we really understand that the whole aquatic world; inland waters and the ocean beyond are one interconnected system.”

Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River make up about 90% of the freshwater in the USA, according to Mission Blue.

Shedd Aquarium President and CEO Bridget Coughlin said:

“The Great Lakes serve as a vital economic driver, natural resource and place of respite for millions of people across two countries. By size alone, we know that conserving such a great and important source of sustainability and sustenance cannot be done alone. Hope Spot designations not only bring awareness and focus to areas in need of environmental protection and recovery, but also critical collaboration that can help influence policy change, motivate economic shifts and generate a global wave of community support for aquatic conservation.”

Dr. Sylvia Earle Introduces the Great Lakes Hope Spot

 

John Liang
John Lianghttps://www.deeperblue.com/
John Liang is the News Editor at DeeperBlue.com. He first got the diving bug while in High School in Cairo, Egypt, where he earned his PADI Open Water Diver certification in the Red Sea off the Sinai Peninsula. Since then, John has dived in a volcanic lake in Guatemala, among white-tipped sharks off the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, and other places including a pool in Las Vegas helping to break the world record for the largest underwater press conference.

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