Note from the Executive Secretary

Dr David Freestone Executive Secretary

Every year, two or more of our Commission positions come up for reappointment by the Government of Bermuda. This year saw the end of the third and final term of office for Professor Howard Roe, who has been a stalwart supporter of the Sargasso Sea initiative for more than a decade and has given generously of his time and expertise at every opportunity in the nine years he has been a Commissioner. He has been an invaluable asset to our work, and we will miss him and his trenchant views at Commission meetings but we are hoping he will be willing to allow us to continue to draw on his considerable expertise. Many thanks for all you have done for us Howard!   In his place we extend a warm welcome to Professor Murray Roberts from the University of Edinburgh, already an established partner of the Commission and we welcome back Mrs. Rochelle Newbold to serve a second term. More details below.   During the summer the Sargasso Sea Commission Secretariat has been able to move forward on its two major projects. The FFEM-funded SARGADOM project is now well underway, and the Inception Workshop for the GEF project is scheduled to take place in October in Costa Rica. Our SARGADOM implementing partners have been meeting regularly to coordinate their work including efforts to compile, and make interoperable, various datasets for the Sargasso Sea. They will also be meeting in Costa Rica to analyse the gaps in the scientific data on the Sargasso Sea - an essential first step in the development of an Ecosystem Diagnostic Analysis to be funded by the GEF.   Major conferences to advance ocean governance have also taken place this summer - the UN Ocean Conference (June 27-July 1) in Lisbon, and the fifth UN Inter-Governmental Conference on a treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, which took place from the August 15th-26th in New York.

New Commissioner Appointed: Professor Murray Roberts

The Sargasso Sea Commission is delighted to welcome the new Commissioner appointed by the Government of Bermuda: Professor Murray Roberts, a Professor of Applied Marine Biology and Ecology in the School of Geosciences at the University of Edinburgh.   Dr Murray Roberts brings with him a wealth of scientific expertise, in particular on cold water corals. He runs two international research programmes - ATLAS and iAtlantic, which collect data on the Sargasso Sea. He has been a long-time supporter of the Commission’s work, both in principle and in practice, arranging for the University of Edinburgh to become a collaborating partner of the Commission, and for iAtlantic and other projects he manages to co-finance the Commission’s French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM) funded ‘SARGADOM’ project.   The SSC Secretariat is also very pleased that Mrs. Rochelle Newbold, Special Advisor on Climate Change and Environmental Matters, Office of the Prime Minister, Nassau, The Bahamas, has been appointed to a second term as Commissioner. Image: Professor Murray Roberts

UN Ocean Conference

The UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) took place in Lisbon, Portugal from June 27 - July 1. The theme of the conference was 'Scaling up Ocean Action Based on Science and Innovation for the Implementation of Goal 14: Stocktaking, Partnerships and Solutions.' Co-hosted by the governments of Portugal and Kenya, the conference took place within the UN Decade of Ocean Science (2021-2030) - which seeks to promote understanding of the ocean and investment in science for sustainable management of ocean resources. The Deputy Premier of Bermuda, the Hon Walter H. Roban, JP, MP, Deputy Premier of Bermuda, called for more governments to become signatories to the Hamilton Declaration in a statement delivered at the conference. Five Sargasso Sea Commissioners, Fae Sapsford from the Commission Secretariat, as well as governmental focal points and other partners and friends were present at the UNOC. The Sargasso Sea Commission Secretariat, in partnership with Mar Viva and the University of Brest, held a major side event at the conference under the SARGADOM project. Project partners were invited on a boat trip along the Tagus river, and calls to action were delivered. Image: Rochelle Newbold, Stephen de Mora, the Hon Walter H. Roban, JP, MP, Tammy Warren, and Ana Colaço

Roundtable event at COLACMAR

The SARGADOM project hosted a roundtable event as part of the 'Congreso Latinoamericano de Ciencias del Mar' (COLACMAR) conference held from September 19-23 in Panama. Haydée Rodríguez acted as the facilitator for the event. Dr. David Freestone and Dr. Jorge Jiménez presented on the context and conservation challenges for the Sargasso Sea and the Thermal Dome high seas areas respectively. Other speakers, presenting on different aspects of the SARGADOM project, included Dr. Guillermo Ortuño, Mia Oenoto, Dr. Eric J. Alfaro, and Dr. Mariamalia Rodríguez Chavez. Fae Sapsford, Marine Research Fellow for the Sargasso Sea Commission, presented on the life cycle and conservation of the European eel. Image: Mia Oenoto (Imperial College London) and Fae Sapsford (SSC Commission)

Meetings to take place in Costa Rica

The Sargasso Sea Commission will be hosting/co-hosting a number of hybrid meetings in Costa Rica from the 17-19th of October, 2022. These meetings represent the first time that in-person discussions to further the Sargasso Sea Commission workplan have been able to take place since the Covid-19 pandemic. The meeting scheduled to take place include: The Second SARGADOM steering committee meeting - 17 October The SARGADOM component 2 data expert group meeting - 17-18 October The GEF project Inception Workshop - 18 October The Sixth Joint Meeting of the Signatories to the Hamilton Declaration and the Sargasso Sea Commission - 19 October Image: JP Rouja

Creature Feature Your window into the golden floating rainforest and who's in it!

Man o' War fish

The man o'war fish is a driftfish that has adapted to live within the venomous tentacles of the Portuguese Man o' War, a high seas siphonophore. They are a parasitic species that feeds on the non-stinging tentacles and gonads of the Man o' War. While they have some resistance to the Man o' War's venom, they mainly avoid being stung by the use of highly agile swimming techniques enabled by their pectoral fins and long backbone. Image: Fae Sapsford

Sargasso On-the-Go

IUCN resources on the BBNJ treaty After discussions held from August 15-26 in New York, negotiators did not agree on the final text for a high seas treaty. Negotiations are expected to continue in an extended fifth session soon - perhaps later this year, or early next year. IUCN has compiled a comprehensive list of resources about the BBNJ high seas treaty negotiations on their website.

Paper published in Frontiers The Sargasso Sea Commission has recently published a new paper entitled 'The Sargasso Sea High Seas EBSA After Ten Years: Is It Still Relevant and How Has It Helped Conservation Efforts?' This paper updates the original science case produced by the Secretariat 2011, which justified the importance of conserving the area, and critically examines how the Sargasso Sea's 'Ecologically or Biologically Significant Area' (EBSA) description has impacted the development of stewardship approaches.

SARGADOM website launches The official website for the FFEM-funded SARGADOM project has now launched. This website will allow for project communications activities to take place. It will also be updated regularly with knowledge management and communications products that are developed as a result of the project. Visit the new website here.

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.

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