SeaVoice — a nonprofit digital platform that amplifies the voices, activism, research and artwork of those who live, work and survive near bodies of water — has announced its first book: SeaVoice Annual: Issue 01.
The annual — endorsed by the United Nations Ocean Decade Network’s Cultural Heritage Framework Programme — is a curated collection of 20 stories representing 16 countries.
“Through my research in ocean conservation I became frustrated with the lack of stories being told from the perspectives of the people who work and live by the ocean every day,” said SeaVoice founder and editor-in-chief of the annual Dr. Georgia Holly, who is program manager for the Cultural Heritage Framework and a marine archaeologist and biologist at Scotland’s University of Edinburgh, in a press release from SeaVoice. “Scientific stories are important, but only within the greater context of coastal community culture and heritage. Where can we hear about ocean culture, customs, art, and story-telling, as part of research and advocacy? If we, as scientists, really want to incorporate diverse ways of knowing into our research, first we have to make space, and listen.”
The selection of narratives from 2023 and 2024 was launched on World Oceans Day at the UNESCO Ocean Literacy World Conference in Venice, Italy, and at the Change Oceans Conference in San Jose, Costa Rica.
“Through thought-provoking articles, captivating stories, and insightful narratives, SeaVoice sheds light on the intersection between the ocean and culture, inspiring collective responsibility for our blue spaces,” the press release said. “With a focus on the key global challenges of the UN Ocean Decade, SeaVoice emphasises the importance of understanding the complex interplay between culture, heritage, and the environment in tackling the pressing issues we face today.”
The SeaVoice annual begins with a foreword by Dr. Sylvia Earle, a world-renowned marine biologist and oceanographer with Mission Blue, and Dona Bertarelli, a Swiss entrepreneur and philanthropist with Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy.
“In a world where the health of our oceans, rivers and lakes is rapidly declining, SeaVoice amplifies the voices and stories of people inspiring action to protect and restore these precious environments. By sharing the stories and work of individuals who have a deep connection to bodies of water, SeaVoice seeks to instill a profound appreciation for their significance,” the SeaVoice Mission states.
The stories for SeaVoice Annual: Issue 01 were selected from SeaVoice’s trio of digital volumes: Community, Osmosis and Gen Sea.
They include stories of initiatives like community-led filmmaking in Madagascar, coral restoration led by women in Indonesia and shark fishers who have become conservationists in Baja California Sur, Mexico.
Divers in the Maldives clean coral frames with toothbrushes. Zachary Wong / SeaVoice
“SeaVoice tells stories that explore the collision of culture and climate with our ocean, rivers, and lakes, amplifying voices of the people who work, live, and survive by bodies of water,” Earle and Bertarelli wrote in the print edition of the annual. “We invite you to read with an open heart and mind, to learn from those whose voices have too often been silenced or ignored, and to join us in our mission to create a more just, equitable, and sustainable future for our ocean, and therefore for life on Earth, humankind very much included.”
A Vezo fisher in southern Madagascar sorts her catch of sea urchins. Amber Carter / SeaVoice
In part two of the SeaVoice annual, Emma Segarino, president of the Ocam-Ocam Women Managed Area Management Council, wrote of the journey to protect the marine environment near their community in the Philippines.
“I’m pleased to see the changes happening in a place they once didn’t want to protect, to a place where I see fewer illegal fishers. I know they’re beginning to see the beauty I’ve been striving to create here in Ocam-Ocam. I’m happy that someday we’ll all come together, united and cooperative, for the betterment of our community. I won’t give up on this, for as long as there’s life, there’s hope. With patience and hard work there will be a bountiful harvest in due time, and everyone will rejoice in the collective triumph,” Segarino wrote.
Dr. Easkey Britton, a writer, surfer, marine social scientist and blue health advisor to nonprofit Liquid Therapy, spoke of the connection to the ocean that can be found through surfing.
“Something remarkable happens when we come into direct physical contact with saltwater. Immersion in the sea is to feel transported to elsewhere, as if moving through a portal to another world — not only moving from the solidness of land to the fluidness of water but also moving from the ‘head’ into the body. It’s this, I believe, that offers such healing potential — restoring lost connections, bringing us back home to ourselves, to inhabit not only our bodies more fully but the world,” Britton wrote.
Not only does the SeaVoice annual’s content support the ocean and its advocates, it is printed on paper that was locally sourced and bound between responsibly sourced seaweed covers.
“We cannot present a human experience of the sea without painting a portrait of the richness and resilience of different cultures. Both sea and culture are tapestries woven by collective experiences, traditions, and beliefs, and it is through these tapestries that we can gain a deeper appreciation for the interconnectedness of humanity and the environment,” Holly wrote in the print edition of SeaVoice’s annual.
The limited edition first printing of 500 copies of SeaVoice Annual: Issue 01 is available here.
“My hope is that we will come to understand our interdependence with watery places and beings, and to sense and feel the aliveness of these connections. To feel that we too are water,” Easkey wrote in the print edition.
