Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) are meeting today, May 12, 2021, to discuss their recommendation to allow a limited harvest of Goliath Groupers off Florida. State and federal laws have protected Goliath Groupers since 1990 and its best to keep it that way. These vulnerable, iconic fish that can reach 800 lbs and 8 feet long should be protected in perpetuity like we do for turtles, manatees, dolphins and whales. Opening Goliath Groupers to harvest for trophy hunters is the wrong message to send to our children and to future generations.

TODAY is Jean-Michel's birthday! Today also marks his 75+ Years of SCUBA Diving. He was 7 when his mother put on his fins and his father strapped on his newly invented SCUBA gear on his back. Please help us celebrate by signing his virtual birthday card or by making a donation in his honor. Your generous donation supports Ocean Futures Society to continue to be a force protecting the ocean our life-support system. Join us inspiring and educating people throughout the world to act responsibly for its protection and the ocean's vital importance to the survival of all life on our planet. https://oceanfuturessociety.salsalabs.org/wishjeanmichelcou

Happy Birthday Jean-Michel, a true Ocean Hero! We celebrate you today! Sign his virtual birthday card here: https://oceanfuturessociety.salsalabs.org/wishjeanmichelcou

Goliath Groupers have been protected in Florida waters since 1990. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will be meeting on May 12, 2021 to discuss their recommendation to lift this protection and allow for harvest of this species. These vulnerable and iconic fish, that can reach 8 feet (2.5 m) in length and weigh 800 pounds (360 kg), need to be protected for the health of the ocean and for future generations. It is no longer appropriate to allow people ...to take these fish for their personal pleasure or for food. We need to protect them in perpetuity like we do for turtles, manatees, dolphins and whales. If you would like to provide a public comment against opening the Goliath Grouper harvest you can use this link before May 7th to provide a comment for consideration during the May 12th Commission Meeting: https://tinyurl.com/h8a3pfk7

Jean-Michel's birthday is on Thursday, May 6th! This day also marks his 75+ Years of SCUBA Diving. He was 7 when his mother put on his fins and his father strapped on his newly invented SCUBA gear on his back. Please help us celebrate by signing his virtual birthday card or by making a donation in his honor! https://oceanfuturessociety.salsalabs.org/wishjeanmichelcou

Thank you Charles Vinick for starting this fundraiser celebrating Jean-Michel's 75th anniversary of his first SCUBA dive! $75 for 75!

SWAINS ISLAND - One of the Last Jewels of the Planet is now available for a limited time on pay per view through the Ocean Futures Society Virtual Film Festival. The ticket price includes a companion ticket to the LIVE Q&A virtual event on Feb 17th where Jean-Michel and his special guests discuss the film and take questions. https://tinyurl.com/yxenlld8 When Swains Island became part of the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa, Jean-Michel Cousteau and filmmaker Jim Kn...owlton joined a team of scientists on an expedition to complete the first systematic survey of the Island - ever! They camp on shore to study this remote island and Jean-Michel dives its pristine coral reefs that he says are as healthy as you can find. The scientists search for clues to the island's past use, especially by early Polynesians that settled the island and used it as a stopover to reach distant Islands, and also when it was used as a family-owned copra plantation. They uncover many mysteries long-held on this tiny island in this fascinating Jean-Michel Cousteau adventure. The film won top prize in the People and the Sea category at the Blue Ocean Festival in St. Petersburg, Florida and played in numerous other film festivals. Dive in!

My Father, The Captain: Jacques-Yves Cousteau, a documentary about the legacy of Captain Cousteau is now available for a limited time on pay per view through the Ocean Futures Society Virtual Film Festival. The ticket price includes a companion ticket to the LIVE Q&A virtual event where Jean-Michel and his special guest discuss the film and take questions. https://tinyurl.com/y4tbm75m In My Father the Captain: Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Fabien and Celine Cou...steau, the crew of Calypso, and others share intimate stories about Jacques Cousteau, the world-renowned filmmaker and conservationist whose TV programs showed us the beauty and fragility of our water planet. The film shows never-before seen underwater film shot by Jacques Cousteau in the 1940’s and 1950’s that document the dawn of underwater exploration and what the ocean was like so many decades ago. When you purchase a ticket to the film you get a companion pass to the Live Q&A on February 3rd where Jean-Michel and his special guests will discuss the film and take questions. Dive in!

Keiko: Gate to Freedom a documentary about Keiko the killer whale from the movie, Free Willy, is now available for a limited time on pay per view through the Ocean Futures Society Virtual Film Festival. https://tinyurl.com/y6yku6bq In Keiko: Gate to Freedom, Keiko adjusts to life in Iceland and is taught to exit his baypen so he can venture out to find his family.... In Keiko: Born to be Wild, the first documentary in the two-part series, Keiko is rehabilitated in Oregon and then flown to Iceland where he is placed in a bay pen to acclimate to his native waters. Keiko the killer whale became world-renowned following the movie, Free Willy, where he starred as a killer whale that was freed from captivity. But, in real life, Keiko was still captive in a small pool in Mexico City. When people learned that Keiko was still captive, a movement formed to rescue Keiko from captivity and return him to his Icelandic waters where he was captured at the age of two. Keiko’s story helped inspire new thinking about the ethics of keeping killer whales and other cetaceans in captivity to perform and entertain for profit. See Keiko as he adjusts to Icelandic waters once again in Keiko: Gate to Freedom. When you buy a ticket to the film you get a free companion pass to the LIVE Q&A on Jan 27th where Jean-Michel and Jeff Foster will discuss the film, the Keiko Project and they will answer your questions.

I am so pleased to be able to share this short video about helping the southern resident killer whales made by two of our supporters - Leona Yeh and Hillary English. It inspires me that Leona and Hillary, and our younger generation, understand that we need to protect killer whales and the ocean - our life support system. Kids are the decision makers of tomorrow and they will make much, much better decisions than we have made because we now have so much more information. Thank you Chih-Chi for your video and thank you all for watching! Leona has a survey on her page and she would like your input.

Happy New Year! My best wishes to all of you for good health and inspiration to make the world a better place in 2021. I began the year presenting at Whale Fest in Maui and soon after the pandemic began I shifted my ocean talks and presentations to LIVE online. And we created a Virtual Film Festival to present classic OFS films that you can watch online. I look forward to continuing to share my message that the ocean is our life support system that we depend upon for the quality of our lives. Protect the ocean and you protect yourself!

It's not too late to make a difference! Take advantage of the last day to get a tax deduction in 2020. Make a gift to Ocean Futures Society today! http://www.oceanfutures.org/donate