S/V Veiviseren

A Sailboat with a purpose

To bring the Ocean close to people

We can all help the Ocean to save life on Earth, if we dare to do our part

The Ocean is so important, that life on Earth wouldn’t exist without it. Just like that. However, human activities have critically endangered this ecosystem and thus, the survival of the planet. We don’t know the Ocean enough and we don’t understand it completely. Maybe, if science was accessible for everyone, things would be much different.

I decided to repair an old sailboat and refit it to conduct marine research in the are where I live, in Yucatan, Mexico. Follow me in my quest and be part of my purpose!

Happening Now

Hello world!

Ene 19, 2022

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Programs

Research

As a marine biologist, I aim to conduct research projects on different aspects of the ocean: oceanography, marine fauna, human impact, plastics, fishing interactions, and more. Once a year, there will be a research assistant position on board open for students to experience research at sea on first-hand. The vessel will also be available for use by external institutions.

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Conservation

The S/V Veiviseren has two permanent conservation programs: plastic and ghost fishing gear recovery. Also, I work closely with the coastal communities of the state of Yucatan to get them involved in conducting conservation projects in their area, providing them with knowledge, techniques, training and diffusion of their projects.

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Training

Most young scientists willing to work for the marine environment protection in Mexico do not get to experience life at sea. I want to open opportunities them to join some projects or to conduct their own onboard the S/V Veiviseren. They will get hands-on experience, guidance, and the proper training to work at sea safely while acquiring more other skills, essential to their work.

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Awareness

Through several activities focused on engaging people towards the ocean, I look to motivate the coastal communities of the state of Yucatan to join conservation efforts and make them their own. By bringing to them courses, workshops, lectures, conferences, festivals, expositions, and more, the residents of those communities engage in different research and conservation projects.

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Mentoring

There are a lot of recent graduates and young scientists in need of mentoring for their projects or thesis research, so there is a mentoring program where they will get the guidance and help they need to achieve their goals in marine science and conservation. While this is not one of the objectives of my project, this is something I still can do to help.

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Top Priorities

We all depend on the ocean for survival, and despite it represents 70% of the Earth’s surface, less than 5% of it has been explored and less than 2% has been protected. Thus, it is our responsibility to care for it. Human activities severely impact the marine environment: overfishing, noise, shipping transit, pollution, waste disposal, oil and gas extraction, mining, oil spills, single-use plastics, ghost nets, abandoned fishing gear, floating debris… the list is extensive, but a vessel can focus on helping with these ones:

Plastics

Plastic is one of the worst ocean pollutants nowadays. Besides huge amounts of it being spilt every year into the seas and rivers, it constitutes a danger for marine fauna, from the large whales to the tiny plankton. It takes a long time to degrade and it breaks in micro-particles that are then ingested by the smallest organisms, entering the food chain up to us.

Ghost nets

Abandoned and lost fishing gear pose a considerable risk for marine fauna. Some of this fishing gear gets lost during storms at sea, other drops from the vessels when they are not well secured, others are broken pieces of a whole. Every year, several dolphins, whales, sea turtles, sharks and seabirds die entangled in floating abandoned nets.

Climate

The Ocean is our primary climate regulator. By absorbing the heat from the atmosphere, it cools down the air. It also absorbs CO2, which is used to produce oxygen and clean the air. However, we are polluting so much that the Ocean is absorbing too much heat and can’t cool down the air fast enough. This provokes dominant winds to slow, which also slows down the ocean currents, interfering with nutrients, temperature and oxygen exchange within the ocean layers.

Megafauna

Marine megafauna is considered to be suitable as ocean health indicators. Due to their size and their long life span, they are suitable for long term studies, and their position, usually on the top levels of the food chain, allows them to reflect what happens with other species they interact. By studying them, useful inferences might be made about the state of health of oceans and coasts from which human communities depend, and make the right management decisions.

Pollution

Pollution of the oceans has been a significant challenge. We keep throwing all kind to waste into the sea, thinking it will disappear. Actually, we are only creating an additional problem, which is growing every day with catastrophic consequences, not only for marine life but also for ourselves. All those pollutants are being integrated into the food chain… and into all of us.

Our Partners & Sponsors

The S/V Veiviseren has received a lot of help. Sponsors, contributors, supporters and advisors, they all have helped to give new life to the vessel and make her purpose a reality. To all of them, including those who asked not to be included in the list, a big THANK YOU!