The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation announced the award of seven grants ranging from $5,000 to more than $23,000 from the Ernest F. Hollings Ocean Awareness Trust Fund. These projects are dedicated to increasing public awareness of issues related to our ocean, including marine debris, human interaction with marine mammals, pollution, and the connection between the ocean and human health. In a very competitive process, the seven grants totaling $105,000 were selected from a total of 55 applications requesting $1.2 million.

“The grantees this year represent remarkable diversity and innovation in their approaches to increasing ocean awareness,” said National Marine Sanctuary Foundation President and CEO, Jason Patlis. Grantees include aquaria, academia, industry associations, and conservation groups both national and local in scope; projects to be funded reach out to students, consumers, recreational groups, and journalists; and the means for doing so covers a broad range of media, including film, television and radio, print, web and telecommunications. “This year’s winners truly fulfill the spirit of Senator Hollings, and greatly leverage the work of the Foundation, and we congratulate all the winners.”

The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation established the Ernest F. Hollings Ocean Awareness Trust Fund in 2005 as a tribute to former U.S. Senator Ernest F. Hollings
(D-SC), and his longstanding commitment to promoting ocean stewardship. During his tenure of service to the nation, Senator Hollings championed many ocean related issues, including increasing human knowledge about the marine environment through research and education. The Ernest F. Hollings Ocean Awareness Trust Fund grant program strives to engage the public in ocean conservation by funding projects that promote ocean awareness nationwide.

The complete list of 2009 Ocean Awareness Trust Fund recipients includes:

Blue Ocean Institute – East Norwich, NY:
$15,000 for Fishphone 2.0, augmenting the sustainable seafood text messaging service to include new, novel technology, enhanced information to consumers, and a campaign to increase FishPhone usage, inspiring people on the go to make informed, ocean-friendly seafood choices.

Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting at the University of Rhode Island – Narragansett, RI:
$20,000 to support an environmental reporting fellowship, providing ocean science training and environmental reporting experience for early-career minority journalists in order to create a cadre of journalists who will increase awareness of important ocean issues through clear and accurate reporting.

Ocean Conservancy – Washington, DC:
$23,075 to create and distribute 10,000 reusable tote bags to volunteers in the 2010 International Coastal Cleanup event in communities where past ICC data shows plastic bag litter greatly impacts waterways, and will include messaging about steps individuals can take to prevent ocean litter.

Personal Watercraft Industry Association – Washington, DC:
$19,000 for the Blue Rider program, an education and engagement program aimed at personal watercraft tour and rental business operators and visitors to the Florida Keys, to promote conservation and responsible tourism while enjoying the local ocean environment.

Save Our Shores – Santa Cruz, CA:
$11,000 for the Ocean Protectors program, training 150 students from low-income schools and a community center for a lifetime of ocean and watershed stewardship, through a 5-phase course which includes classroom presentations, site cleanups, and an ocean-going, hands-on education program on Monterey Bay.

John G. Shedd Aquarium — Chicago, IL:
$12,000 for a targeted print, online, television and radio media campaign, outreach at boating, fishing, and other festivals, organized conservation activities, and more to give residents of Great Lakes states and Canadian provinces the tools and knowledge to make behavioral changes that will help the Great Lakes thrive.

Synergy Productions – Baton Rouge, LA:
$5,000 for the production of a 30-minute science and natural history themed television documentary, “Window in the Waves,” chronicling the Down Under Out Yonder educational program at Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.