From the microscopic clues hidden in the seafloor to powerful wildlife comebacks and global conservation efforts, this program explores how science and stewardship are shaping the future of our oceans. Researchers unlock the ocean’s role in storing carbon through environmental DNA, while the return of sea otters sparks the revival of an entire ecosystem in Monterey Bay. Across coastlines from Mexico to Baja California, dedicated guardians work to protect vital habitats and species, and on the remote island of St Helena, long term partnerships demonstrate what lasting marine protection can achieve. Together, these films offer a hopeful and compelling look at the people and innovations working to restore and defend our blue planet.

This research is taking marine science to a whole new level! Uncovering the secrets below the seafloor, our scientists are collecting segments of the ocean floor, known as cores, and testing them for traces of environmental DNA, which shows genetic fingerprints left behind by organisms past and present. Through their analysis, we can see which marine species may have helped lock carbon away in the seafloor, a key to understanding the ocean’s role as the world's largest carbon sink.

Unravelling the Mysteries of Seabed DNA

Sea otters are back, and their return is a breath of fresh air for the waters of Monterey Bay. Marine ecologists Brent Hughes and Kat Beheshti reveal how re-planting seagrass, along with help from a healthy population of crab-eating otters, have transformed and stabilized an entire marine ecosystem. In the heart of Monterey Bay California sits a nature-lover's paradise called Elkhorn Slough. This 7-mile estuary is one of the state's last great coastal wetlands and home to over 100 sea otters, but it wasn't always this way. In the 1800's and 1900’s, sea otters were on the brink of extinction from excessive hunting for their fur, and Elkhorn Slough was falling apart from coastal development. Crab populations exploded out of control and the Slough’s banks began to wash away. Thanks to a lucky discovery and some help from a dedicated reintroduction effort, sea otter numbers rebounded. Their crab consumption is finally restabilizing the Slough, from the banks all the way down to the seagrass.

Wild Hope: Significant Otter

Guardians of the Wild is a visually stunning short documentary that follows WILDCOAST, an international conservation team working on the frontlines to protect our oceans, coastlines, and wildlife. From the beaches of Oaxaca, where millions of sea turtles return to nest, to the vast mangrove forests that fight climate change, to the remote deserts and coral reefs of Baja California, the film reveals extraordinary places and the communities fighting to keep them alive. Guided by local “guardians” and woven together by the voice of WILDCOAST’s director Serge Dedina, Guardians of the Wild is both a celebration of nature’s resilience and a rallying call to defend our planet’s last wild places.

Guardians of the Wild

A film that showcases the long-term conservation journey of St. Helena, where Blue Marine has been working closely with local partners to secure and sustain meaningful marine protection.

Protecting Success in St Helena

Online Screening - Program #3 Science Hope and Restoration

Online Admission Program #7

International Ocean Film Foundation1007 General Kennedy Ave. Suite 205, San Francisco, CA, 94129&nbsp;&nbsp;PH: 415-561-6251&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;EM: info@intloceanfilmfest.orgThe IOFF is a registered 501(c)3 organization. Our EIN: 36-4568001

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