Note from the Executive Secretary
Dr David Freestone
Executive Secretary
The theme of this year's World Oceans Day is Planet Ocean: Tides are Changing. For over a decade, the Sargasso Sea Commission has coordinated voluntary collaboration of the Sargasso Sea. Our work programme continues to expand - in recent months we have been endorsed by the UN Decade of Ocean Science, we are leading a Sargasso Sea chapter in the third World Ocean Assessment, we have celebrated our 10th anniversary, we have proposed an important marine mammal area for the migratory route of humpback whales, and we continue to strengthen our collaboration with other organisations, and our leadership role for marine technology under a number of MOUs.

The Sargasso Sea continues to enchant us with the unique biodiversity it supports, and serve us with the ecosystem benefits it provides. With the momentum of the finalisation of the UN BBNJ agreement, and funding from grants from the Global Environment Facility, and French Facility for the Global Environment, we continue to strengthen the stewardship of this iconic area.

With that, we wish you a very happy World Oceans Day today, wherever you are, and hope you have the chance to enjoy, feel inspired by and connected to the ocean.
Sargasso Sea Commission Proposes Humpback Whale Migratory Corridor IMMA
Following an intensive week at the 11th regional Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA) workshop in the Yucatán, 46 new cIMMA proposals were discussed, prepared and submitted to the IMMA Secretariat of the IUCN Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force. IMMA designation is a fact-based, science-led, peer-reviewed process assessing proposed areas against a range of ecological criteria.

One of the new areas was a large humpback whale migratory corridor, extending over large areas of the North Atlantic. This IMMA was proposed by the Sargasso Sea Commission, with help from Duke MGEL, the University of Edinburgh, and Whales Bermuda. Over the next few months, all the IMMA proposals will be independently reviewed and considered for full IMMA status.

Image credit: David Freestone
Sargasso Sea project co-hosts side event at LME meeting
From June 3-5, UNESCO held the 23rd Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) meeting in Paris, France. The LME meeting provides a global forum for Global Environment Facility (GEF)-funded and other marine and coastal practitioners, partner organizations and institutions, including Regional Seas organizations and Fisheries Management Organizations. 

The Sargasso Sea GEF-IOC-UNDP project co-hosted a side event with the Common Oceans Programme focused on the role of LMEs in the conservation and sustainable use of ABNJs in view of the latest developments on the BBNJ Agreement.

Image credit: UNESCO
Sargasso Sea Commission to attend SOI Global Dialogue
The Sargasso Sea Commission will attend the 4th meeting of the Sustainable Ocean Initiative (SOI) Global Dialogue with Regional Seas Organizations and Regional Fishery Bodies to be held on 11-14 June 2024 in Seoul, Republic of Korea. It will discuss regional cross-sectoral collaboration and outline the roles of regional organizations in implementing the KMGBF and the BBNJ Agreement.

This meeting will focus especially on the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework among invited organisations, as well as progress and coordination on the BBNJ agreement, and the Plastics Treaty under discussion. The Sargasso Sea Commission will collaborate with the wider Caribbean and North Atlantic regional groups.

Image credit - 3rd SOI meeting, CBD
Creature Feature
Your window into the golden floating rainforest and who's in it!
Purple sea snail
These pelagic snails spend their entire lives floating on the surface of the ocean. The snails secrete a raft of bubbles encased in mucus to keep them buoyant. The snails float upside down, with their operculum (the opening of their shell) at the surface, and the top of their shell facing down.

Their shells are countershaded to be lighter at the surface and darker in the water column, to avoid predation from above and below. The snails feed on other neustonic (surface-dwelling) organisms, including by-the-wind-sailors and Portuguese man o wars.

Image: Fae Sapsford
Sargasso On-the-Go

Greenhouse gases are pollutants that are wrecking the marine environment, and states have a legal responsibility to control them, an international court has stated in a landmark moment for climate justice.
Wealthy nations must cut their emissions faster than their developing peers, the court also decided.

Join CarolAnne Black for a web-based story following the life of Sarga, an American eel who travels over 4,000 km from where she hatched in the Atlantic Ocean to Ottawa, her home!

Deputy Premier and Minister of Home Affairs Walter Roban gave the keynote address at the Sargasso Sea Sanctuary Workshop held onboard Greenpeace’s ship Arctic Sunrise, berthed on Front Street, Hamilton.

The Common Oceans Tuna Project’s research indicates climate change will shift tuna stocks, reducing revenues from fishing licenses for Pacific Island nations. By 2050, western regions like Papua New Guinea will see declines in tuna catches, while eastern regions like Kiribati will see increases.


Common Oceans Deep-sea Fisheries project launched a new study and an e-learning course to promote sustainable deep-sea fisheries management. The event highlighted progress, challenges, and the need for global cooperation to protect deep-sea ecosystems, drawing over 250 participants.

Framed around the seven Outcomes of UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), the Report covers physical, chemical and biological parameters describing the state of the ocean, summarizes threats posed to the ocean, illustrates access to observation infrastructure, data and information and provides new insights on ocean literacy, indigenous and traditional knowledge. 
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.