Waitt Institute

The Waitt Institute is a non-profit that partners with committed governments and local communities to create and implement sustainable ocean plans to benefit people, the economy, and the environment.

The Waitt Institute brings technical expertise, funding, a global network, and tools to support each country’s vision related to ocean health, sustainable economic growth, food security, and improved livelihoods. The work of the Waitt Institute is partnership oriented and inclusive, working directly with Governments, civil servants, NGOs, private sector, and communities.

The non-profit takes a holistic approach to sustainable ocean management, focusing on six core areas: Marine Spatial Planning, Blue Economy, sustainable fisheries, science and expeditions, legal and policy, and communications and media. The work supports the global target of protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030 through the creation of Marine Protected Areas through a comprehensive Marine Spatial Planning process.

The concept of "Blue Prosperity" was coined by the Waitt Institute. Blue Prosperity is defined as sustainable ocean management that works in harmony with economic growth and innovation, sustainable fisheries, and ocean protection so that people, nature, and the economy can thrive.

The Waitt Institute is the founding member and organizing body of the Blue Prosperity Coalition, which currently has Blue Prosperity partnerships with The Azores, Bermuda, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, the Maldives, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu. The Waitt Institute is headquartered in San Diego, California, US, with team members located across the globe and in each partner country.

History
The Waitt Institute was founded in 1999 by Ted Waitt, the co-founder of Gateway, Inc. The Institute was created to provide a scientific research and technical arm to the work of its sister organization, the Waitt Foundation, which was established in 1993 to support marine conservation efforts around the globe through funding and grantmaking. The Waitt Institute began as the “Waitt Institute for Discovery,” and concentrated on marine archeology. Early efforts included expeditions to search for the remains of Amelia Earheart’s plane and map the Titanic (2000–2004), and expeditions to Gabon and Saya de Malha Bank (2010–2012). These efforts were on the cutting edge of oceanic research, including the use of submarines, submersibles, and mapping technology.

In 2012, the Waitt Institute shifted its focus to Marine Spatial Planning, creation of fisheries regulations and Marine Protected Areas as primary tools for ocean management. During this time, the Waitt Institute partnered directly with the Governments of Barbuda, Montserrat, and Curaçao. Each partnership was unique and guided by the local Government and communities, but included research, community outreach, and the development of a marine spatial plan.

In 2014, the island of Barbuda protected 33% of its marine space in fully protected marine protected areas, while also establishing a Marine Spatial Plan and sustainable fisheries regulations and monitoring efforts. These pilot programs laid the framework and foundation for the creation of the Blue Prosperity Coalition and later partnerships.

At the Our Ocean Conference Norway in October 2019, the Blue Prosperity Coalition committed $150 million USD to ocean management efforts  over the following 10 years with funding from the Waitt Foundation.

Ted Waitt supports a number of other initiatives besides marine conservation: the Waitt Institute for Violence Prevention addresses gender violence in homes, schools, workplaces and communities; additionally, the Waitt Advanced Biophotonics Center operates within the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and guides the development and implementation of state-of-the-art imaging technologies for research into various fields, including cancer, aging and neuroscience.

Approach
The Waitt Institute partners directly with committed governments to create a comprehensive, holistic marine spatial plan that benefits people, the economy, and the environment. Each country’s plan is locally led and customized to the needs and future goals of the nation. These plans are participatory, informed by the best available science, local and traditional knowledge, and strategically focused on long-term well-being.

Blue Prosperity and Blue Prosperity Coalition
The concept of "Blue Prosperity" was coined by the Waitt Institute. Blue Prosperity is defined as sustainable ocean management that works in harmony with economic growth and innovation, fisheries management, and ocean protection so that people, nature, and the economy can thrive. It represents the synergy between economic development and ocean protection, emphasizing the interconnectedness of ocean health and human well-being. This approach promotes the sustainable use of ocean resources in various sectors, such as sustainable fisheries, shipping, renewable energy, and tourism in addition to ocean protection to protect and restore important habitats, species, and ecosystem services. The Blue Prosperity Coalition was founded on 5 key principles:


 * 1) Our oceans need urgent protection.
 * 2) We can improve both the environment and the economy at the same time.
 * 3) At least 30% ocean protection is required.
 * 4) Protection is best achieved via comprehensive, science-based plans in consultation with key stakeholders.
 * 5) Working together with committed Government leadership, we can achieve sustainable and productive oceans.

The Waitt Institute is the founding member and organizing body of the Blue Prosperity Coalition, which currently has partnerships with The Azores, Bermuda, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, the Maldives, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu.

Established on March 7, 2019, the Blue Prosperity Coalition is a network of NGOs, academic institutions, foundations, and other organizations working together to assist committed governments in developing and implementing sustainable marine spatial plans. The Coalition's focus areas are creating a blue economy, marine spatial planning, sustainable fisheries, and marine protection. The Blue Prosperity Coalition provides the expertise, funding, and tools for governments to create a comprehensive marine spatial plan. The Blue Prosperity Coalition aims to promote growth and prosperity while empowering sustainable management of marine resources and ecosystems.

Founding members of the Blue Prosperity Coalition include Oceans 5, National Geographic Pristine Seas, Dynamic Planet, and the Waitt Foundation, as well as 16 other organizations. The Blue Prosperity Coalition aims to promote growth and prosperity while empowering sustainable management of marine resources and ecosystems. Current Blue Prosperity partners include Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, Seasketch, Global Fishing Watch, Environments and Markets Lab at UC Santa Barbara (emLab), National Geographic Pristine Seas, Shellcatch, and University of Queensland.

Expeditions
The Waitt Institute supports cutting-edge marine science around the world in the aid of scientific discovery to advance ocean understanding and inform policy protections. It has been involved in a wide range of projects that support topics from conservation biology and marine protected areas to historical discovery through archeology. As of February 2024, the Waitt Institute had conducted over 70 scientific expeditions and 8,500 scientific dives in 65 countries.

Each expedition represents a close partnership between Government, local scientists, and NGOs to collect information about coral reef health, fish and invertebrate populations, and water quality to get a broad snapshot of the health of coral reef ecosystems at a certain point in time. This information is processed and given to Governments to inform marine management decisions.

Recently, they have conducted several large-scale nationwide assessments in the Maldives, Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Federated States of Micronesia in partnership with local Governments, universities, and other organizations.

The Waitt Institute regularly collaborates with Scripps Institution of Oceanography, including the 100 Island Challenge led by Dr. Stuart Sandin’s lab, and partners with National Geographic Pristine Seas as well as local Governments, academia, and NGOs to conduct expeditions.

Current Projects and Funding
The Institute's current projects include partnerships with The Azores, Bermuda, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, the Maldives, Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu. Funding for the Waitt Institute's work comes from the Waitt Foundation, which provides grants for marine conservation projects.

The Waitt Foundation has established the Rapid Ocean Conservation (ROC) Grants Program, which awards funding up to $20,000 for ocean conservation projects, with priority given to countries with Blue Prosperity Coalition partnerships.