About the Project
Pristine Seas is an exploration, research, and media project to find, survey, and help protect the last wild places in the ocean. These pristine places are unknown by all but long-distance fishing fleets, which have started to encroach on them. It is essential that we let the world know that these places exist, that they are threatened, and that they deserve to be protected.
Pristine Seas News
National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala and several colleagues recently published a paper in PLoS ONE , showing that marine reserves have ecological benefits in addition to advantages for local economies. Some fishing communities oppose creation of reserves because of the fear of short-term revenue loss, but the paper and its bioeconomic modeling show that they often produce net benefits in as little as five years in the form of both increased fish spillover and opportunities for local tourism.
Read the Ocean Views interview with Enric Sala on the benefits of marine reserves
Previous Expeditions
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Desventuradas Islands
Dr. Enric Sala and his team explored the remote Desventuradas Islands hundreds of miles off the coast of Chile.
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Gabon Expedition
Enric Sala, Mike Fay, and their team surveyed the little known underwater life in Gabon, hoping to shed light on an underwater paradise.
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Pitcairn Expedition
National Geographic explorers Enric Sala and Mike Fay explored and surveyed the state of Pitcairn’s marine and terrestrial areas and will propose recommendations to the Pitcairn community for the conservation of their resources.
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Salas y Gómez Expedition
National Geographic, Oceana, and the Chilean Navy traveled to the remote Salas y Gómez Island, east of Easter Island, Chile, where they surveyed these largely unexplored waters.
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Cocos Island
In September 2009, Enric Sala, Sylvia Earle, and a team of scientists gathered in Costa Rica to document the pristine waters of Cocos Island and study the Gemelas Seamounts.
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Southern Line Islands
This expedition was the first comprehensive study of its kind—to establish a baseline model for healthy coral reefs and devise a blueprint for the conservation of already degraded reefs.
Expedition Leader
Pristine Seas Videos
More Ocean Photo Galleries
Proud Supporters
Video: NG Live! Pitcairn Islands
National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala dives deep into the waters of one of the most pristine places on Earth—the Pitcairn Islands—only to discover its delicate ecosystem is not as unspoiled as it may seem.
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Your Ocean
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For Kids
Learn about the ocean with activities, photos, and games.
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Ocean Education
Bring engaging and important ocean learning to your classroom.
Support the Ocean
Help protect the last healthy, undisturbed places in the ocean so we can learn how to help healthy reefs thrive, help unhealthy reefs recover, and better preserve the ocean.
Explore the Ocean
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Ocean Life
Order ocean books, DVDs, maps, and more from the National Geographic online store.
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Ocean Special Issue
Explore the world's oceans, from their prehistoric beginnings to modern-day efforts to preserve their natural wonder.
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Ocean: An Illustrated Atlas
Immerse yourself in the wonders of the deep through colorful maps, photos, and satellite images.