But here we are, at the start of 2021 (2020 is over, phew), so let’s take a minute to forget about everything that’s gone wrong and think just for a little while, about some of the things that have gone right. Because there are a lot of really great people doing really great things that deserve a bit of recognition too. So sit back (festive beverage optional), relax, and enjoy some of the little wins our big blue friend has achieved this year.

Like many of the extraordinary women featured on this site, I fell in love with the ocean early on and fell hard. Declaring myself a future marine biologist by the time I was about 9 years old, I spent summers exploring the barnacle-ridden rocky tidal pools at Wingaersheek Beach in my home state of Massachusetts or catch-and-releasing crabs and invertebrates that were unfortunate enough to pass by my grandparents’ dock in Chesapeake Bay. I was happiest when I was saltiest, and that hasn’t changed.

Coral nurseries and coral restoration projects litter the internet as a ways to conserve and protect our reefs. But do they really work? What are their purpose? And what hope do they provide for our struggling reef systems? This week we spoke with two experienced coral nursery advocates, to hear their opinions on the importance of these projects for reef conservation.

This week we chat with the wonderful Kirsty Magson who spends her days swimming with whale sharks, helping rescue turtles, restoring coral and educating people about the ocean.