Save Our Seas Foundation

Applications for the Save Our Seas Foundation Keystone Grants are now open! These grants are aimed at those with multi-year projects on the research, conservation or education of threatened shark and ray species. 📆 Applications close on May 13, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. CET. 🔗 Application link in our bio. Illustrations by Kelsey Manners Dickson

Our cohort of 2026 Small Grant recipients are world-builders, taking action to mould a fairer, healthier future for us all, a future in which people and the ocean thrive. Meet this year’s young researchers, experienced conservationists, and change-makers!

In what appears to be a fierce encounter between two hermit crabs, it is clear who holds the upper hand. As they grow, these crabs require larger shells - often acquired through a battle of the claws. Aggressors will pull, wave their antennae, jostle and clash shells in a determined attempt to claim a more spacious home from their defender.

Otherworldly manta rays swoop and glide through our oceans, filtering microscopic plants and animals - phytoplankton - from the water column. When feeding, they swim open-mouthed, their cephalic fins funnelling water inward, where plankton is sifted through tiny, rake-like gill plates. Often, they move in search of the best regions for food, and aggregate where the plankton concentrations are suitable and high. 📷: Rainer von Brandis | © Save Our Seas Foundation

In the Pacific, azure waters embrace Bora Bora, the jewel of French Polynesia. Its coral-laden lagoons teem with marine life, where blacktip reef sharks glide through the shallows in abundance. Drawn to these shallow waters, they frequently cross paths with humans — approaching divers and snorkellers with an unhurried, almost inquisitive grace. 🎥: @lukesaddler

The whale shark is one of only three filter-feeding shark species, straining plankton from the water using specialised structures called gill rakers. They do this in one of two ways: ram feeding or suction feeding. When ram feeding, the shark swims forward with its mouth wide open, pushing water through its gills. When suction feeding, it remains stationary within a productive prey patch, rhythmically pumping plankton-rich water over its gills. 📷: @jasminecorbettphoto | © @mantatrust

Applications for the Save Our Seas Foundation Keystone Grants close tomorrow. These grants are aimed at those with multi-year projects on the research, conservation or education of threatened shark and ray species. Applications close on May 13, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. CET. 📅 Apply at the link in our bio. 🔗 📷: @jakewiltonphoto

#0058 Hairy chiton - Chaetopleura papilio As the name suggests, these large, handsome mollusks have an impressive sprinkling of stubble on their soft fleshy girdle. Often found in crevices and under rocks in low tide pools or on shallow reefs, Hairy chitons are topped with eight shell plates that are near rectangular but rounded to the front with lifted sides. These plates are often brown or maroon with striking light brown or black stripes, sometimes even with blue or white spots. If you’re lucky, you might spot a rare blue-coloured one. Like other chitons, this distinctively stubbly species rasps algae off the rocks using its radula – which is kind of like a muscular tongue. @saveourseasfoundation #1001seaforestspecies #seachangeproject #taxonomy #1001species

Basking, burrowed in the soft sands of Indonesia, this snake eel has only its head jutting from the substrate. A handful of tiny cleaner shrimp jostle for prime position — a small, industrious crowd tending to their host. In this act of symbiosis, the shrimp pick away parasites and dead skin, earning their meal, while the eel submits patiently to the service, rewarded with better health.

🌊From walls across Mahé to conversations around the world, the Mahé Ocean Murals project transformed public spaces into powerful reminders of our connection to the sea. Presented by @saveourseasfoundation , this latest chapter of @pangeaseed ’s global public art program brought together local and international artists to create large-scale public artworks inspired by the marine ecosystems, biodiversity and cultural identity of Seychelles. 🎨 Rooted in collaboration between artists, scientists and the local community, each mural was designed to do more than beautify a wall. By combining public art with marine science and place-based storytelling, these works help give our oceans a desperately needed creative voice, translating complex environmental issues into something emotional, accessible and impossible to ignore. 🌍 In island nations like Seychelles, where the ocean shapes daily life, culture and survival, these stories matter deeply. From coral reefs and mangroves to sharks, rays and migratory species, the murals celebrate the interconnected ecosystems that sustain both people and planet, while inspiring communities to protect what lies beneath the surface. ✨ Thank you to every artist, partner, supporter and community member who helped bring this project to life. Together, we continue proving that art has the power to spark dialogue, shift perspectives and inspire action for our blue planet. 🎥 Video footage of the completed Mahé Ocean Murals project in Seychelles by PangeaSeed documentarian @yoshi_travel_ Mahé Ocean Murals is supported by @tourismseychelles @national.arts.crafts.council @afseychelles @woodworksunlimitedptyltd @pewtrusts @palmseychelles , Office of the Mayor of Victoria, @wastea.sc @maisonmarengo @doffaycars @the_boardwalk_sez @seychelles_airports_authority , SFRSA, and more. #PangeaSeed #SaveOurSeasFoundation #OceanConservation #publicart

There's one week left to apply for our Keystone Grants! If you're working on a multi-year project focused on the research, conservation or education of sharks, rays and chimaeras, apply now. Applications close on May 13, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. CET. 📅 Apply at the link in our bio. 🔗 📷: @s.hilbourne

🗓️ NEW SIDE EVENT ADDED Grants 101: what are donors looking for? Join funders (Marine Conservation Action Fund at the New England Aquarium, Save Our Seas Foundation, Shark Conservation Fund) for a discussion on their respective funding priorities and criteria, as well as what they’re looking for in a project/grant application. After a brief overview of their grant programmes, delegates will be able to ask any questions they may have about funding and grant applications. 🗓️ Friday 8 May | 13:15-14:15 (Hall A)