POSITIVE PROGRESS
Nancy was an early board member of Ocean Exchange. Later at an event at Ocean Week in DC, Nancy was on a panel regarding coral health, an area of her expertise. One panelist after the other painted a frightening, yet correct, picture of the state of corals around the world. In contrast, Nancy spoke with authority about corals that were thriving, giving the scientific community the opportunity to study those with resilient qualities. It was a breath of fresh air to hear her comments and feel hope that humankind may have paths to solve the big challenges.
From the OceanOptimism.org web site, “#oceanoptimism does not ignore the issues facing our environment, but instead seeks to highlight and support those that are reporting progress in solving today’s challenges.”
Isn’t this what we all want, reasonable hope and examples how humans can impact natural systems with innovative solutions to effect positive change? Many of us, including Ocean Exchange, are working to support the innovators who offer feasible solutions using applied marine science and engineering.
PROVEN IMPACTS
A quick survey of Knowlton’s LinkedIn feed reveals the following:
A report from the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium showed a modest increase in the numbers in that population. Experts cite this could signal turning a corner. At Ocean Exchange we see technical solutions to help shipping companies avoid whale strikes, a priority in commercial shipping and cruise.
Speaking of shipping, Knowlton reported on the increase in shore power at various US ports with the cruise trade organization reporting 33 ports worldwide had shore power, with 24 more funded projects and 18 more planned. She also cited a $125 million shore power project in the Port of Miami through an American Association of Port Authorities program. At Ocean Exchange, decarbonization of shipping has been a focus for us for more than a decade.
In more good news, scientists just found a coral species they thought had gone extinct, marking the first record of it in 24 years. Ocean Exchange has funded and featured multiple coral and other natural systems restoration and management technologies over our history.
And there were more positive reports about reusable food service cups, electric ferries, wetlands restoration, cleaning tons of trash from Miami’s mangroves, and on and on.
As we consider a new year and the opportunities presented across the ocean industries, I will borrow another quote from OceanOptimism.org:
“By celebrating conservation successes, we will ignite hope and inspire the next generation of thinkers and change-makers.” Thank you, Nancy Knowlton, from Ocean Exchange and the greater ocean community.
This spotlight appeared in ON&T Magazine’s 2026 January Special Edition, The Future of Ocean Technology Vol. 6, to read more access the magazine here.
