Happy World Ocean Day! – CleanTechnica

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With festivities scheduled in many communities to heighten awareness about the important role that the seas play in our lives, I had several choices for ways I could participate in World Ocean Day. One event stood out, though: I attended the 2026 International Ocean Film Festival at the Harbor Branch of the Florida Oceanographic Institute.

The selection of films was wonderful: eye-opening, informative, inspiring. Here is a sampling and summary of the short films in celebration of World Ocean Day.

A Call for Marine Protected Areas on World Oceans Day

The Race to 30×30 with Sylvia Earle – Andy Mann (UK) 4 min.

Protect. Restore. Celebrate. Scientist Sylvia Earle makes an urgent call to push world leaders to achieve the 30×30 goal, which is to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030. The most efficacious way to do so, she says, is by designating marine protected areas (MPAs). To understand this need, “Think like a fish,” Earle suggests. “The future of the ocean — our planet — is in our hands.”

Stone Biters: Saving the Arctic Sea Forests – Ismaele Tortella (Norway) 20 min.

As their predators vanish, sea urchins are reproducing in vast numbers and eating the oceans’ kelp forests. These kelp forests take up 20% more carbon than do the world’s rainforests. It is also a “fantastic habitat for many different species,” says researcher Ismaele Tortella.

Sadly, seven million acres of kelp forests have been lost around the globe.

The film tracks novice Italian scuba diver Ismaele as he attempts to film wolffish. He encounters many individuals on his journey who are rooted in resilience, restoration, and hope — they are determined to save the kelp forests and the ocean ecosystem. One set of volunteers has killed 16,000 sea urchins “because their population is so out of balance.” The volunteers feel “as if you have some power in the world in which we live.”

But what can be done on a larger scale? We must leave more fish in the ocean, which keep the populations of sea urchins under control. That will take more protected marine areas for the “hidden eco-crisis… (which) has so many people working to save it.”

Tortella asks for more of a “push for climate control,” as, when people are aware, “so many of them want to do the right thing.”

Monterey Bay White Sharks – Kip Evans and Dr. Barbara Block (USA) 15 min.

Off the Central California coast is one of the richest biological places on the planet. It’s where renowned Monterey Bay area scientist Dr. Barbara Block and her team are using the latest technology to uncover secrets of great white sharks, which have lower overall genetic diversity than their cousins. That means there are fewer adults than is considered healthy for future white shark populations.

Drone photography and thermal imaging helps the team to study these powerful sea creatures. Directed by National Geographic photographer Kip Evans, the goal of this film is to not only raise awareness but to advance research, conservation, and the protection of great white sharks and their marine ecosystems.

Juan Fernández UNOC Announcement – Andy Wann (UK, USA) 7 min.

At the third plenary session, Chile announced its commitment to ocean protection by expanding the Juan Fernández MPA. It’s a rare area, as 98% of marine species reside in this biosphere reserve.

“Our forefathers realized that, if they exploited a resource, it would be lost,” one local fisher acknowledges. As time went on, they learned to understand the “fragility of the land and incorporate it into our identities. Our life is not separate from the oceans — they are the same.”

This effort will add 350,000 km² of protection to the Juan Fernández MPA. With this, Chile’s marine ecosystem protection will reach over 50% total, placing the country among the world’s leading ocean guardians.

Final Thoughts about World Ocean Day

This article is only a beginning: there were more films shown at the Harbor Branch in Fort Pierce, FL as part of World Ocean Day. Check back in later this week, when my next installment will look at films that chronicle efforts to mitigate plastic pollution and replant coral as well as vignettes of individuals who are making it their life’s work to bring hope for a clean climate for all.

Resources

“Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Presents: The 2026 International Ocean Film Festival: Florida Tour.” Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.