Note from the Executive Secretary
Dr David Freestone
Executive Secretary
Merry Christmas and happy holidays! As the year draws to a close, we are given the opportunity to reflect on all we have accomplished. This calendar year saw the successful conclusion of the first year of the FFEM-funded SARGADOM project, as well as the beginning of our GEF-funded project, a child project of the Common Oceans Programme.

In October we had the chance, for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, to come together and host a series of in-person meetings, with our Signatories to the Hamilton Declaration and our Sargasso Sea Commissioners, as well as with the partners of our SARGADOM and GEF projects. I am delighted with the progress we have made on our work programme this year, and next year we look forward to working more closely with all our amazing partners to further the stewardship of the Sargasso Sea.
GEF Inception Workshop held in Costa Rica
The Sargasso Sea Commission's official Inception Workshop for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded project titled ‘Strengthening the stewardship of an economically and biologically significant high seas area – the Sargasso Sea’, supported by implementing agency UNDP, and executing agency IOC-UNESCO, a child project of the FAO Common Oceans Programme - was held on October 18th, 2022 in Costa Rica. This meeting marks the official start of the GEF project, which will fund the first ever Ecosystem Diagnostic Analysis for a high seas system, and culminate in a stakeholder endorsed Strategic Action Programme for the stewardship of the Sargasso Sea, as well as capture of lessons learned for knowledge sharing with other ABNJ regions.

Dr David Vousden led the meeting, as the incoming Chief Technical Officer for the project. He presented the project summary, first year workplan, and stakeholder information. The first year of the project aims to see the EDA formulated and approved by stakeholders, along with other parallel project activities taking place.

Also during this same week in Costa Rica, several other important meetings were held, including the second SARGADOM Steering Committee Meeting, which validated the first year report of the project, a component 2 data meeting for the SARGADOM project, a component 4 communications meeting for the SARGADOM project, and the Sixth Joint Meeting of the Sargasso Sea Commission and Signatories to the Hamilton Declaration.

Image credit: Professor Ronan Long, Director of the WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute
Successful end to first year of SARGADOM
On October 17th, as part of a series of in-person meetings taking place in Costa Rica, the second SARGADOM steering committee meeting was held.

Some notable highlights from the project this year include:

  • A side event at the 2022 UN Ocean Conference, where MarViva and the Sargasso Sea Commission delivered calls to action to further the project deliverables - to contribute to the protection of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the Thermal Dome and the Sargasso Sea.
  • A roundtable event at the 2022 COLACMAR conference in Panama, which focused on generating science for high seas conservation.
  • The convening of regular meetings between implementing partners to discuss data acquisition for the two sites, and to develop a Drivers-Pressures-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) approach for the two sites.

The meeting in Costa Rica allowed for the first annual report to be validated, and for the project partners to discuss priorities for the next year.

Image: SARGADOM team
Fae Sapsford speaks at CBD COP 15 event
Fae Sapsford, Marine Research Fellow for the Sargasso Sea Commission, spoke at "AN OCEAN OF LIFE: Knowledge and Solutions for Marine and Coastal Biodiversity under the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework" on December 16th as part of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

This event was hosted by IOC-UNESCO, which also serves as GEF Executing Agency for the Sargasso Sea Commission's GEF-funded project, Strengthening the stewardship of an economically and biologically significant high seas area – the Sargasso Sea. The event is part of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science and acted as the flagship ocean event at the CBD COP, taking place in the Blue Zone.

Fae highlighted how the work of the Sargasso Sea Commission relates to the post-2020 Framework, especially in relation to high seas conservation.
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North Atlantic humpback whale
In addition to its microfauna, the Sargasso Sea is also home to ocean giants - such as the humpback whale. This iconic species conducts one of the longest migrations of any animal, transitioning from polar feeding grounds in the summer to tropical calving grounds in the winter. The Sargasso Sea represents an important migratory corridor for the species, which pass by Bermuda in March and April on their way to summer feeding grounds in northern latitudes. They are able to feed opportunistically on upwellings as they migrate past the island with new calves.

Humpback whales are notable for their songs, which only the males produce. Humpback whale song was first recorded by Frank Watlington in the Sargasso Sea in 1950. The recording, called "Solo Whale" eventually became a vinyl record insert in National Geographic Magazine in 1979.

Bermuda declared its EEZ a whale sanctuary in 2012 and after more than a decade of monitoring whale flukes Andrew Stevenson (SSC partner in Bermuda) has contributed to the overwhelming amount of data that shows that humpback whales are a conservation success story. After their populations were severely diminished by commercial whaling, there is now evidence that almost all humpback populations are rebounding. The main threats to humpbacks are now ship collisions and entanglement in fishing gear.

Image: Fae Sapsford
Sargasso On-the-Go

A new paper, published in October 2022, presents the first direct evidence of adult European Eels migrating to their breeding place in the Sargasso Sea.

Scientists attached satellite tags to 26 eels from rivers in the Azores archipelago and tracked them for periods between 40 and 366 days.

With IGC-5 bis is scheduled to take place from February 20th-March 3rd, this paper provides some initial reflections for supporting rapid, effective, and equitable implementation of the BBNJ Agreement in three priority areas.

A new paper on humpback whale vocalisations has been published. This research was facilitated by long time Sargasso Sea Commission supporter, Andrew Stevenson.

Hydrophones were placed off Bermuda to record migrating whales. A strong diel singing pattern was recorded, with most singing taking place at night.
Thank you for supporting our mission to protect the Sargasso Sea. We truly appreciate all of the donations and support that we have received over the years -- without which the Sargasso Sea Commission would not exist.