Fins Attached Youth Expedition: Mission Costa Rica
March 20, 2021
Supporting Our Future: Coastal Costa Rica, April 17-25, 2021
“We feel a deep and personal responsibility to be good stewards of our planet, our home.” Morgan Bauer, Senior Member of Youth Ocean Research Expedition Team, age 17.
Today’s youth are inheriting an ocean that faces a multitude of crises including over-fishing, plastic pollution, acidification, climate change, and other forms of habitat destruction. Working with local scientists and researchers onboard the M/Y Sharkwater, a small team of young people aged 12-17 will explore, learn, and become active participants in conservation efforts off the coast of Costa Rica. In addition to tagging and measuring sharks, servicing acoustic receivers, and tagging turtles, the group will create a short film to document their efforts, in the hopes of inspiring other youth leaders in communities across the globe and urging people to make changes in their daily lives to help improve the condition of our oceans. The international team of youth bring with them a variety of passions for the ocean, including shark population decline, plastic pollution, ocean acidification, coral reef health, and species endangerment.