News

For several months now, we have been on a path toward thematic and practical realignment. In addition to the data-based scientific work that we have carried out on La Gomera since our founding — and which remains essential — we also wish to explore new ways of serving the ocean and its inhabitants, including non-academic approaches. As part of this process, we have collectively drafted a vision statement that reflects our aspirations for the future of our activities. This vision forms the foundation for how we will approach our work going forward and how we will communicate it to the... Continue Reading

On May 21, Fabian Ritter visited Nordwohlde Primary School near Bremen, where he was given an exceptionally warm welcome. In return, he captivated the students of all three classes with stories, images, and sounds of dolphins and whales, and had the pleasure of answering the countless questions from the more than 40 children in attendance. A highlight of the visit was the 8-meter-long fabric humpback whale and the new “whale roll”, which vividly illustrated the immense size of these ocean giants — much to the children’s amazement.

On May 14, the new book WIR WALE (“WE WHALES”) by our vice chairman Fabian Ritter will be released. The book tells the story of the world of whales — from their perspective. As mammals who spend their entire lives in the ocean, whales and dolphins are more similar to us than many realize. With this book, Ritter dares to take a perspective shift that brings us closer to these fascinating marine mammals than ever before — supported by the latest scientific findings. Told from the whales’ own point of view, we discover how whales and dolphins perceive their environment,... Continue Reading

On May 6 and 7, the first National Ocean Conference of Germany took place in Berlin under the theme “Living Oceans.” The conference had been planned by the Federal Ministry for the Environment under the previous government. Several hundred representatives from politics, science, marine conservation, and the “blue economy” gathered to discuss current issues and developments.M.E.E.R. was among the NGOs accredited for the conference. We were able to contribute two key impulses on the topic of shifting awareness in marine conservation: one in the form of a poster in the conference exhibition area, and the other as a presentation during... Continue Reading

At this year’s international marine conservation conference “Progress in Marine Conservation” (PMC) – held by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) and the Marine Museum in Stralsund – M.E.E.R. was able to provide progressive impulses on two occasions. On the first evening, our chairman Fabian Ritter took part in a public panel discussion, where he was joined by Ann-Katrin Schröder (moderator), Gesine Meißner (Mission Healthy Oceans; UN Ocean Decade), Sebastian Unger (Marine Protection Commissioner of the Federal Government) and Karen Wiltsher (Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, AWI). The participants had an intensive discussion regarding... Continue Reading