Made by us
Mar (that in portuguese means sea) is a long extension of salt water • MOTTO is an idea expressed by a phrase that serves as a guide or motivation for a person, group, country or nation.
The health of our oceans is seriously threatened and although this is very obvious, there are still many people who do not seem to believe it. The health of our oceans is seriously threatened and although this is very obvious, there are still many people who do not seem to believe it. For those who are aware of the fragile balance of marine ecosystems, the organisms that inhabit them and all that humanity has done to ruin them, the question always arises – What can I do? Our answer is simple – A LOT !!! The Oceans belong to all of us and we all have the right and the duty to protect them! This mission should be even more alive in Portugal, a country that is more sea than land and that worldwide is synonymous of Sea.
The Mar Motto concept intends to use Art as a means to communicate this message in a simple, incisive and creative way in order to generate action, because we believe in the power of art as a tool for scientific dissemination and, above all, for environmental awareness. This idea is not new, but with Mar Motto, Sciaena directly challenges Portuguese artists to let their creativity flow and get down to work to help us make everyone think, breathe and protect the sea. And when we say Art, we think of all its possible forms, from the most common and mainstream, to the most unusual and underground ones. The idea is always to exhibit the masterpieces or materials produced and also to raise funds to use in actions to raise awareness and protect the ocean, to be organized by Sciaena. Do you have any ideas that you think might work? – Talk to us!
Cinema is probably one of the simplest and most comprehensive forms of communication that exist. After a successful 2013 edition, in Faro, of the festival “Beneath the Waves Film Festival”, in 2015 Sciaena began to develop its own festival format in order to make it less limited, more adapted to the national realities and becoming one of the many regular initiatives of the association. In this way, based on the experience acquired previously, Sciaena intends to show in Portugal a selection of documentaries dedicated to the ocean, with the aim of encouraging, inspiring, raising awareness and promoting its free access not only to specialists but also to the general public.
The festival aims to facilitate scientific communication about the marine world, promoting an open discussion, creating an opportunity for researchers, students, filmmakers and others interested in film and media to enjoy and discuss together the issues of the sea, giving wings to their imagination. The ocean has a voice and it’s the one from all of us!
“Não sabia, agora já sei” is a Sciaena social media series dedicated to curiosities about the marine world and ocean conservation. Through surprising facts, unexpected questions and science-based information, we aim to make complex topics simpler, more accessible and easier to understand.
From biodiversity and fisheries to pollution, climate change, species and marine habitats, there is always something new to discover.
Because knowledge also creates connection. And the better we understand the ocean, its inhabitants and the challenges it faces, the better prepared we are to value, defend and protect it.
After all, it’s never too late to discover something that makes us think: “Não sabia, agora já sei.”
“Coluna de Água”(meaning Water Column) is a one-year project under the Catalysts of Change program, funded by the Netherlands Helsinki Committee, and aims to improve organizations’ communication reach. The project includes training activities in storytelling and article writing for Sciaena team, helping to forge partnerships with newspapers and other local and/or national media outlets to broaden the reach of topics related to marine conservation, climate justice, human rights, and ocean governance.
In addition to the monthly publication of written opinion pieces, in partnership with Sul Informação (local newspaper), the “water columns” are also recorded in audio format, in partnership with RUA FM (local radio).
The “Mulheres da Ria” (meaning Women of the Ria) project was born out of a desire to contribute to the resilience of the Culatra Island community and promote the conservation of seagrass beds in Ria Formosa, through a collaborative approach centered on the community of women shellfish gatherers.
This one-year project, launched in 2024 and funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, aimed to foster the active and informed participation of the island’s women shellfish gatherers in awareness-raising and discussion sessions designed to promote the exchange of ideas and strengthen community spirit and long-term marine conservation. The various awareness-raising sessions involved researchers from CCMAR, Blue Seeds, and the organization Ocean Alive, which facilitated two field visits to their respective work areas (Sado and Culatra).
ER A/O FUNDO is a digital campaign developed by Sciaena that invites the public to explore one of the planet’s most fascinating and least understood ecosystems. Through a series of nine posts, the campaign explains, in a simple and accessible way, what the deep sea is, introduces some of the extraordinary species that inhabit it, highlights the threats they face, and explores the actions we can all take to help protect this unique environment. The initiative aims to bring science closer to society while raising awareness of the importance of conserving these vital ecosystems for the health of our ocean.
‘Manifesto Azul’ is an initiative by Sciaena that brings together a set of proposals aimed at policy-makers to strengthen marine conservation in Portugal. Launched ahead of the 2024 national general election, the Manifesto sets out 14 priority measures, based on the best available scientific evidence, to promote more sustainable management of the ocean and protect marine ecosystems. The initiative aims to place the ocean at the centre of the political debate, encouraging the adoption of ambitious public policies that reconcile biodiversity conservation with the well-being of communities and the sustainable use of marine resources.
“O teu voto é ‘fish’?” is a campaign by Sciaena that promotes more informed voting by challenging political parties to state their positions on key issues relating to marine conservation and ocean governance. Launched in 2019, the initiative was developed for the 2019 and 2024 European elections and the 2019 and 2022 Portuguese general elections. In each edition, Sciaena analyses the parties’ responses and publishes the results through reports, digital content and communication materials, promoting transparency and debate on ocean policies and bringing citizens and policy-makers closer together.
Species ABC is an initiative in which some marine species that inhabit the Portuguese coast are introduced. Starting with the Shortfin Mako Shark and ending with the Cuvier’s Beaked Whale, the alphabet allows you to travel along the entire coast and through various areas of the ocean. All photographs are by Portuguese photographers and this also allows the dissemination of the work of these professionals. Through sharing some fun facts about the biology of the species and the most unusual characteristics, these species – some of them threatened and/or protected – are brought closer to the citizens letting them know where they can find them and what they can do to contribute to their preservation.
Multiple Choice is a project about responsible consumption of seafood and was designed particularly for social media. Responsible or sustainable consumption is an issue that is increasingly concerning citizens, who sometimes feel overwhelmed by the variety of information available on what qualifies a consumption habit as sustainable or unsustainable. To answer these questions, some aspects that can be part of the concept of responsible consumption were identified, such as reducing, diversifying, fishing gear, origin, aquaculture, certification and packaging. Within each theme, some topics easy to apply at the time of purchase in the market or supermarket were systematized, in order to simplify the matter and facilitate more responsible and informed choices.
