News / Green
US Champion Surfer Karina Petroni Calls on the Surfing Community to Become ‘Wavemakers’
Petroni participates in public service announcement to help Oceana gather support
“Surfers play a vital role in saving marine life because we know what’s happening in the water. Most of the public, sadly, does not,” said Karina. “Since I was born, I lived along the coast and have seen the toll taken on marine life from overfishing and pollution – that’s why I am passionate about doing what I can to help protect the oceans, and Oceana deserves as much support as they can get.”
To reverse the declining health of the world’s oceans, Oceana’s team of marine scientists, economists, lawyers and advocates focus on specific and concrete policy changes. Oceana’s campaigns seek to protect essential ocean habitat such as corals from destruction by bottom trawling and global warming; reduce the accidental killing of marine wildlife as bycatch from industrial scale commercial fishing; reduce seafood contamination from mercury pollution; and eliminate government subsidies that promote overfishing. As the largest international group focusing solely on protecting the world’s oceans, Karina is helping Oceana engage the surfing community in its conservation efforts.
"Surfers spend a lot of time in the water and they see the physical changes that are taking place as a result of human activities," said Andrew Sharpless, Oceana’s Chief Executive Officer. “We’re grateful that Karina has joined us to communicate these changes and get others involved as ocean advocates.”
Karina’s PSA was produced in collaboration with her brother Erik Petroni (Blue Rigel Creations). The short online video demonstrates her connection with the ocean as a pro surfer, using footage from her travels to Australia, the Bahamas and Indonesia. The main purpose of the PSA is to help Oceana recruit additional online supporters called “Wavemakers,” who bolster Oceana’s effectiveness in changing policies to support healthy and abundant marine ecosystems.
To view Karina Petroni’s PSA, go to Oceana’s new web page for surfers: www.Oceana.org/surf. High resolution photos of Karina are available upon request and can be found at www.KarinaPetroni.com.
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Oceana campaigns to protect and restore the world’s oceans. Our teams of marine scientists, economists, lawyers and advocates win specific and concrete policy changes to reduce pollution and to prevent the irreversible collapse of fish populations, marine mammals and other sea life. Global in scope and dedicated to conservation, Oceana has campaigners based in North America (Washington, DC; New York, NY; Juneau, AK; Monterey, CA; and Portland, OR), Europe (Madrid, Spain; Brussels, Belgium) and South America (Santiago, Chile). More than 300,000 members and e-activists in over 150 countries have already joined Oceana. For more information, please visit www.Oceana.org.
Oceana campaigns to protect and restore the world’s oceans. Our teams of marine scientists, economists, lawyers and advocates win specific and concrete policy changes to reduce pollution and to prevent the irreversible collapse of fish populations, marine mammals and other sea life. Global in scope and dedicated to conservation, Oceana has campaigners based in North America (Washington, DC; New York, NY; Juneau, AK; Monterey, CA; and Portland, OR), Europe (Madrid, Spain; Brussels, Belgium) and South America (Santiago, Chile). More than 300,000 members and e-activists in over 150 countries have already joined Oceana. For more information, please visit www.Oceana.org.
