2024 Finalists

Eleanor Fletcher was an innovative pioneer in marine conservation who was primarily self-taught. She educated thousands of children about sea turtles and initiated cultural change to preserve and protect the species. Like Eleanor Fletcher, the recipient of this award exemplifies a lifelong, extraordinary commitment to marine conservation education through their work or volunteer activities.

Jim Toomey, world-renowned cartonist and conservationist, will be awarded the notable 2024 Eleanor Fletcher Lifetime Achievement Award. This award recognizes a person who exemplifies a lifelong, extraordinary commitment to marine conservation through work or volunteer activities similar to those of Loggerhead Marinelife Center’s founder Eleanor Fletcher.

Jim Toomey - Alexandria, VA

Jim Toomey is the creator of the daily comic strip Sherman’s Lagoon, which is syndicated to over 150 newspapers in 20 countries and six languages. Sherman’s Lagoon combines two of his lifelong passions - art and the sea. Jim’s cartoon books have sold over half a million copies worldwide.

A native of Alexandria, Virginia, and the son and grandson of engineers, Jim earned a degree in mechanical engineering and had every intention of following the family tradition. While attending college, he drew political cartoons for the college newspaper, and after graduation, while holding down his engineering job, he began to develop a comic strip in his spare time.

The lead character in Sherman’s Lagoon, Sherman the Shark, is more than just a comic hero; he’s an ocean champion, introducing people everywhere to our underwater world and educating readers on the important challenges facing our ocean today. Jim has twice received NOAA’s prestigious Environmental Hero Award & for using art and humor to conserve and protect our marine heritage.”

To further honor Jim, NOAA has created its own internal citation, called the “Silver Sherman,” given to the most creative NOAA employee. Jim has since repurposed his cartooning skills into filmmaking and has produced several award-winning short videos for clients such as the United Nations, Pew Charitable Trusts, and the World Resources Institute. Playing the role of host and animator, he specializes in making science and environmental issues understandable in short, entertaining and visually rich videos.

In August 2015, Jim, his wife Valerie, and their two children embarked on a two-year cruise in a 45-foot catamaran, sailing over 12,000 miles, visiting 32 countries and territories, and crossing an ocean. Jim wrote a book about the experience called Family Afloat. For more information, visit Mariner Studios.

The Blue Ambassador of the Year Award recognizes a person who has made significant contributions to ocean conservation through volunteering and work-related efforts. The finalists are:

Nan Hauser - Brunswick, ME

President and director of the Center for Cetacean Research and Conservation (CCRC), and director and principal investigator of Cook Islands Whale Research (CIWR). This nurse-turned-whale biologist has spent the better part of three decades studying humpback whales in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, aiding in the creation of a 2 million square-kilometer whale sanctuary and educational research center in Rarotonga.

 

Todd Steiner - Forest Knolls, CA

Founder and executive director of Turtle Island Restoration Network, an ocean advocacy and research NGO with offices in California, Texas, and Hawaii. For more than 30 years, Steiner and Turtle Island Restoration Network have been leading advocates for the world’s oceans and marine wildlife.

 

Scott Vogel - Jupiter, FL

An LMC program assistant and hospital interpreter, Vogel has lived a life of volunteer activism and education. He has a lifelong passion for ocean conservation, and has been active in promoting stewardship to future biologists and conservationists.

The Blue Hatchling Youth Award recognizes a student up to the 12th grade who has contributed to marine conservation through volunteer activities. The finalists are:

Marina Barto - West Palm Beach, FL

President and co-founder of Surface71, a nonprofit organization run solely by students to raise awareness about plastic pollution and ocean conservation throughout Palm Beach County schools.

 

Cash Daniels and Ella Grace Galaski-Rossen - Chattanooga, TN

Founders of the nonprofit The Cleanup Kids. Since they were 7 and 6 years old, respectively, Cash and Ella have shown exemplary leadership skills and passion toward marine life conservation.

 

Asa Miller - Hartsdale, NY

A 16-year-old junior at Edgemont Jr./Sr. High School in Scarsdale, New York, Asa is a coral reef restoration specialist, diver, and filmmaker, particularly known for his work and research in his homeland of Cuba.

The Blue Business of the Year Award/Nonprofit of the Year Award recognizes a business or nonprofit that has made outstanding contributions to promoting conservation or restoration of marine life or ecosystems through its work, outreach, practices, products, or technology. The finalists are:

Inwater Research Group - Jensen Beach, FL

A small, nonprofit organization dedicated to rescuing and researching numerous marine species, including sea turtles, elasmobranchs, and bony fishes. Inwater has a strong focus on marine conservation and education, with research projects spanning across both coasts of Florida.

 

Rock the Ocean’s Tortuga Music Festival - Fort Lauderdale, FL

Founded in 2013 with the mission of raising funds and awareness for ocean conservation, Tortuga and Rock the Ocean have hosted more than 100 nonprofit organizations within the music festival, and raised over $4 million for ocean conservation research, efforts, and education

 

Upwell Turtles - Monterey, CA

A nonprofit committed to supporting the research, data collection, conservation, and management of open ocean habitats in the recovery of threatened or endangered marine turtles. Upwell launched the “Lost Years Initiative,” a satellite study that tracks sea turtle migration in hopes of protecting and preserving habitats.