Project Manaia

What exactly are invasive species? An invasive species basically describes a species (for the time being it really doesn't matter if we are talking about a plant or an animal) that appears in a geographic location where it usually did not appear. But: To qualify as "invasive" the species also has to have a negative effect on the local environment. --> IF a species is freshly appearing in a new location but does not cause any negative effects in that location it is considered an "introduced species" For a lot more detail on what exactly an invasive and/or introduced species is make sure to check back on the video below!

This Spring "Project Manaia" set out together with DMAD to explore not just one but 3 seas on board our Sailing vessel Independence. We documented the entire voyage, hoping to find dolphins and whales along the way with quite some succes. Over the cause of 5 weeks we crossed the Adriatic, Ionian and Aegean Sea in the search of Marine Ceaceans of the Mediterranean Sea!

Our new Trailer is now online! Have a look on YouTube, and make sure to subscribe and hit that bell so you get the notifications every time we upload something! Or be first to see everything and sign up on Patreon!

This time in our upgrade we get CAUGHT IN A STORM... But on the plus side, we gained a lot more trust and faith in our Independence feeling even more secure that she is a strong and solid boat more than capable of taking out a team of researchers for all the Objectives you might come up with! So make sure to let us know if YOU are working on a project that could potentially need a boat to be run on a reasonable budget!

With 2 weeks down in Turkey it is almost the time to make the hop across the border for finalising our paperwork. This week we are calling out to all the researchers, NGOs, Universities, Enthusiasts who have an idea of what the very best use for our Independence could be.... stay tuned or get in touch! If YOU have a Project in mind, that could be conducted from aboard our boat (we can accomodate 4 people extra in comfort aboard) please get in touch with us via E-Mail, a comment on the video or via our facebook page! In order to support our cause to make Research at Sea more Available for everyone, please have a look at our Patreon page as well https://www.patreon.com/projectmanaia

With Many Marine Biologists out there driven by the passion  for the Ocean, dedication and Inspiration we want to try a new approach of Research at Sea. While Research Ships are hard to get a hold of and expensive to run we offer a platform on a budget! The Idea is simple: The big problem for most projects is the funding. With the simple Idea of making the Oceans a healthier place and research affordable (and possibly even sustain ones living while doing it), we run our constant Pa treon Page via which everyone can support us.  Those donations should keep the boat going (at some stage) and the crew fed. This way we can offer spots for researchers on a shoestring budget or even free - depending on your funding situation - we are obviously happy to help you set up a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for a project as well - just send us a proposal and get in touch to have a chat about it. For everyone else who wants to get involve...

https://youtu.be/C4LmUCpXEjc

While things are moving along with "Project Manaia" in many ways it is about time for you to get an update again... So here we go, this weeks update for all our precious subscribers, readers and of course supporters and Patrons! Hope you enjoy it! Also don't forget, our Supporters mean a lot to us, so we also happily welcome them on board if they want to learn more about the work we do, the Project, the life on Board a boat or whatever else you might be curious about! Fair winds and following Seas!

This time around we created not just one but TWO different videos to tell you the story of the latest developments. What we would need from YOU to do is to tell us which version you like better so we can work in the right direction in the episodes to come!

Sea Nomad at Anchor in Boulder Bay With the End of the Season right in front of us there is one last showdown coming out here on Boulder Island in the Mergui Archipelago. The Owner of "Boulder Bay Eco Resort" along aith 30 friends and employees is coming out here for 4 days and a big meeting amongst all the higher ranks of his endeavour. For us (Project Manaia) this could be the time when things are decided for the next Seasons to come. With bureaucracy in Myanmar being rather painful and difficult to deal with (and more expensive than most other places in the world) it is somewhat questionable if Sea Nomad will be able to sail Myanmar waters again any time soon. Also because our 2 year Permit for Mergui will be expired by the beginning of the next Season. We are already looking into Projects in the Philippines to Pursue ones Sea Nomad had her earned Rest back in Phuket and another little makeover befor heading past Sinagpore and on to the Philippines. Reef Restauration would...

With Cruise ships ramming entire reefs these days (recently happened with a UK Cruiseship destroying one of the most pristine Coral Reefs in Indonesia) the question came up what the biggest threats to Coral Reefs are. And of course there is unfortunately more than just one: Ocean acidification, global warming, cruise ships, anchors, Dynamite fishing, bottom trawling, Nutrient input from land, loose sediment being washed in from shore and the list goes on and on. With so many threats lined up it is a matter of time before reefs get on a declining path and as a matter of fact they have been on it for about 50 years. Ever since the industriel revolution kicked in, Reefs got knocked out. Due to malpractices at sea but also changing climates. One of the biggest issues in the early stages were bottom trawlers, simply wiping out entire reefs in one single pass. Nowadays we are facing more "sophisticated" problems that are also manmade but more of an indirect impact. With rising temp...

... the world didn't need saving? Coming back to Austria one of the always returning topics seems to be what is often called the "Refugee crisis". Now what if this was not a crisis? How can anybody blame people for running away from a war? Not running from bad economy but actually running for their life - because of a war in their home. Obviously I can't speak for everyone else, but I would certainly make a move if there was war around here. And now keep thinking about the next years to come? Big draughts, floods, massive weather phenomenas occuring around the world in many places with different effects. All of them having one thing in common: They do become more frequent and more intense. So what would that mean for us? Well, being in the center of Europe this doesn't affect us too much yet, sea level needs to rise more than 500 meters before we get wet feet, storms don't have the space to build up too bad and all together, we got tons of drinking water - in ...

One entire year is already over - MABR is finally starting through after extensive work on the boat. Now that our platform is back in expedition ready state we are eagerly awaiting our launch in one day! Have a look at our one year Wrap Up video here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/moken-explorer-4110551

We have been working hard again this last week and are still hitting new bumps every day almost. Now this coming week we have to head to Phuket again, hand in paperwork, have it signed off at the Consulate, head back to Myanmar, keep working on the boat and get a whole lot of hard work done - And we will deffinitely try our best to make it all happen!

As planned things are moving along and the team of Project Manaia is slowly dripping into Thailand - Ao Khoei specifically getting ready to start the season... On the way to Thailand - only about 20 hours on the way For me that meant arriving this last Monday 19th in Phuket, getting a pickup from Luca and heading on to Ao Khoei the next day. And now the preperation work in the actual location is getting real. Sorting out permits for SeaNomad, getting Peppino, the small workboat in place up and running again and of course having a closer look at Namaste, the boat that will be joining us on expeditions from next season on. Our "House Beach" at the Station in Ao Khoei While two out of the team of three are already in place we are still waiting for our Geographer Will comming in from the US in the middle of next week together with Marley our first volunteer to join us working on the Moken topic with us for about two months time.  So on 26th we (Luca and Manuel) will be headed up ...

Project Manaia recently teamed up with MABR to work together on getting this pristine island group along the border on Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand protected… here are the latest updates from the project! We are happy to announce changes in our MABR Research Expeditions. This year will feature a diversified but integrated approach to the preservation and exploration of the Mergui Archipelago. With the help of our new team, William Ruzek (Geographer), Manuel Marinelli (Marine Biologist), and Marley Walker (Journalist), our Expeditions will increase the study, appreciation and conservation of the Archipelago across the borders of Myanmar and Thailand.  The MABR Expeditions will focus on these four 'M' themes:  M apping , M onitoring , M arine megafauna , M oken people  While each expedition will have a primary theme and therefore itinerary, every cruise  will incorporate all “4M's” throughout the cruise. M apping : Thanks to our sponsors an...

Our Fish free week was the second of a hopefully long line of projects in which we try to engage with the public and motivate people to take action on a small scale and make an impact on environmental issues. And even though not eating fish for one week sounds like a small and easy thing to do, if enough people join this cause it does make a big difference! The Fish Free Week is not over yet, but already we have a few successes to post here: 4 Restaurants in Austria took fish off the menu for the week The same Restaurants agreed to take Tuna off the menu permanently A major Hotel in Carinthia removed their Fish buffet (Marine fish) from the weekly menu and replaced it with local fresh water fish from sustainable Aquaculture It is small steps in the right direction. And just because the Fish Free Week is over doesn’t mean we have to stop trying to make a difference. If you have the connections try and make a difference. Take Tuna off a menu, protect endangered species and try to lower y...

The "Fishing for Plastic" Project started up as a simple idea: What if people really like their waters clean but only need a little push to get moving and pick it up? So we created a  Facebook event  and set a date: One week would be dedicated to cleaning up. What started as a simple idea caused a couple of big waves and we got a bunch of people to join us in the cleanup process. Some of the big successes were: A school in Mumbai agreed to send one class to clean up every day! A diving school in Croatia sponsored a full day diving for all customers who would dedicate the dives to cleaning up under water A group of Volunteers in Egypt gathered people to clean up beaches there A sailing club in the great lakes sent out a little fleet to fish for plastic And many more... And as usual it is every single person that counts in the effort. I got many replies and Mails from people all over the world promising they will go out and clean up their beaches , rivers, lakes and other bodie...

Being environmentalist often times I come across people and after long conversations we end up at this... "What if" moment. Just as an example it could be What if I don't drive my car every time it's further than 100 meters/yards What if I look at the labels and don't buy endangered species fish What if I pick up that wrapper I see in the street? And there are many more of those questions. Now for me the big step is that if all the thousands of people who ask exactly those questions would actually stop asking them and just stepped up and did what they are thinking about we were one step further already! So here is the idea: What if we all made an attempt and at least one time a day we actually did what everyone is talking about? Go ahead, pick up that piece of garbage before it ends up in the ocean. Pick your bike for that errand, that is only a few meters away, have a closer look at the label and maybe check back if that is really what you want to buy. It is smal...

Wir segeln gerade an Diego Garcia vorbei, einem Fleckchen Erde, das schon einiges an nicht so schöner Geschichte hinter sich hat und nun eine Militärbasis der USA ist. Auf der Plusseite steht allerdings: Rund um Diego Garcia ist das Größte geschützte Meeresschutzgebiet der Welt entstanden. Die Wichtigkeit solcher Gebiete wird immer klarer, je weiter die Fischerei fortschreitet: Es sind diese Areale, in denen gar nicht gefischt werden darf, in denen sich Bestände verschiedenster Arten wieder auf ein gesundes Niveau erholen können und wenn dieses erreicht ist werden die Tiere unweigerlich abwandern und in den umliegenden Gegenden kann nachhaltig produktiver Fischfang betrieben werden ohne das eigentliche Schutzgebiet zu gefährden. So weit zumindest die Theorie. In der Praxis sieht die Geschichte leider etwas anders aus: So sind wir bereits am ersten Tag in dieser “Marine protected Area” zwei Piratenschiffen der anderen Art begegnet: Kleine Fischerboote aus Sri Lanka, die genau dort wo ni...