The Center for Oceanic Awareness, Research, and Education

I worked as a policy intern for COARE in 2014, and had the opportunity to see first-hand how Christopher and this great organization is helping foster a better relationship with our oceans. We worked together on California’s plastic bag ban, and I was amazed by the exceptional work ethic COARE’s of leaders. COARE does fantastic work getting its members involved, and I am overjoyed to have had the opportunity to work with such a phenomenal group. No doubt I will stay active with COARE into the far future!

I first met Christopher Chin at the Peter Benchley awards over a year ago. He graciously & humbly spoke to me about COARE and their immense efforts toward Ocean Conservation. What is fantastic about COARE & Christopher is that they are deeply committed to each and every project they pursue from beginning to end; a good example was the Shark Fin soup consumption initiatives in California; COARE was there every step of the way. What I love most about COARE is their Education program; without awareness we can’t save our Planet. Christopher educates our future generations on different ways to preserve & care for our Ocean, on the use of plastics, and for those interested, on becoming future scientists & divers. I am very impressed by COARE & its founder.

Carolina Dratva
Social Media & Communications Volunteer
Mission Blue (Sylvia Earle Alliance)

I first became a fan of COARE when I was doing research on sharks and shark conservation, etc. I was in Destin, Florida in 2005 when a girl was killed in a shark attack, in the very same spot my kids had been swimming 15 minutes prior to her attack. After that it seemed everyone was on a 'shark hunt' of sorts. Catching and killing sharks off of the pier or out on charters. Then when the Blacktips migrated in such large numbers a few years ago, I wanted to see what organizations were out there, and had settled upon the idea of creating my own. I knew starting my own organization was going to be quite an undertaking, especially since I am pretty far inland, and I don't think we've ever had a shark attack here in Ohio. But seeing people from all over, even friends of mine, posting pictures on facebook, etc. of the shark they caught on vacation, or poking at sea turtle eggs with sticks...it was just sad and infuriating. I was then diagnosed with Cancer in August 2011, had surgery and treatment in September 2011, and my advocacy group was put on the back burner. But I continued to follow Christopher's work, and a few select other groups that I felt had the same feelings and objectives that I do. I became a fan of COARE because of the goals and objectives, then became a fan of Christopher's and his work because it is evident that he has a passion for what he does and it's not just a job he does from 9-5. That makes all of the difference in the world. I whole-heartedly support not only what Christopher and COARE do but how they go about doing it.

The work being done by Christopher and the rest of the team at COARE is of paramount importance in ocean protection. The work that they are doing will not only change laws, it will change lives and ensure that the ocean is a sustainable resource for future generations. The steps they have taken to create and pass critical legislation will leave a lasting legacy and revolutionize the idea of cultural evolution as we transition more deeply into existing as a global society.

I have worked with Christopher Chin and COARE over the past year around educating people about banning shark finning practices worldwide, plastic pollution and various ocean awareness projects.

COARE is an amazing company with an outstanding group of tireless advocates working towards the preservation of the oceans of this world. Christopher Chin is a multi-talented dedicated man I count myself lucky to know.


Elise DuFour
Assistant Content Editor for Google Earth, Ocean Layer
The Sylvia Earle Foundation
http://www.sylviaearlealliance.org/

During an impetuous visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium on Shark Days, I was introduced to Christopher Chin, the founder of the Center for Oceanic Awareness, Research, and Education. We spoke for a while about our passions for the ocean, as well as our favorite marine species. From the get-go, I could tell that this man's passion for sharks far exceeds that of the common visitor to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. He excited me more than I realized about Chondrichthyes, and next thing I knew, I was on the volunteer list.

When the opportunity arose to work alongside Christopher Chin at World Oceans Day, this summer, I seized it immediately. We spend hours speaking to the general public, communicating the our passions for the oceans as well as shark conservation to anyone who would listen, and were quite successful in gathering signatures of California residents who supported bill AB 376.

I am proud to have worked with Mr. Chin, and would work again with him in a heartbeat.

I was first introduced to COARE when I met founder Christopher Chin at a rally in San Francisco's Chinatown to raise awareness about the numerous problems with shark fin soup. That was about 2 years ago and I've been a regular volunteer since.
COARE has a way of interacting with the public and getting them interested in the problems currently facing our oceans. Everything from teaching children about sharks and the problems plastics are causing in our oceans, as we recently did during the Marine Science Institute's Earth Day celebration, to reaching out on an international level in getting a number of restaurants to stop serving shark fin soup with its SharkSafe certification program. This organization also lobbies frequently to get more laws in place that will protect the overall health of our oceans as Christopher recently did when he testified in front of the California state legislature on behalf of the plastic bag ban, as well as on behalf of the shark fin ban.
Overall I've been really impressed with the dedication and presence of this organization and all the people involved with it.

Christopher Chin has so much passion with conserving the ocean and it really shows when he speaks to others about it. He has made me open my eyes more to what humans have done and what we can do to help stop the destruction of the ocean. It is great to work with a nonprofit who shares the same compassion as I do.

I volunteer regularly with the Center for Oceanic Awareness, Research and Education (by representing them at various events in the area, as well as by helping to manage their online and social networking presence).

I have been consistently impressed by COARE's presence -- they are invited to (and attend) a large number of events nationwide, and have made a difference not just in the United States, but internationally as well. For example, COARE's SharkSafe program, which certifies restaurants around the globe as serving food that is safe for sharks (the restaurants have to vow not to serve any shark products, as well as to obtain their seafood via sustainable practices) has restaurants participating in places as far away as Indonesia (and as close to home as San Francisco).

COARE's presence at events is essential to getting people involved and starting a discussion about why the oceans are so important. This brings me to another thing that COARE is astonishingly good at: motivating people to take action, and following up with them to in a way that's non-obtrusive or pushy. Their newsletters are informative and give a number of volunteer opportunities, and it's easy to be involved to whatever extent a supporter is comfortable with. I've seen a number of people approach COARE's Executive Director at events, questioning what the organization does and why they should care, and walk away ready to volunteer.

Our K-12 school in Oakland, Head-Royce School, recently featured a week-long study and celebration of the ocean. When we asked Christopher Chin to be a guest speaker, we only knew of him as someone generous with his time and energy and someone committed to ocean conservation and shark protection. We had no idea he would be able to take a few hundred middle-school kids from a state of roaring, unbound energy to enraptured focus where you could hear a pin drop. He spoke for twenty minutes or so, weaving in personal stories about shark encounters, the bad rap sharks have in the media, unreasonable human fears, the plight of the ocean, the vital role of sharks, and incredible facts about these highly-evolved animals. The assembly ran overtime from questions, and the students gathered around him afterwards to hear more. It was an afternoon I won't forget. Thanks to Christopher for engaging these young minds (and mine!) and taking them into a world they may never have ventured without him as their guide.

My first encounter with COARE was the enthusiastic description detailed to me by the executive directer, Christopher Chin at the Our World Underwater Scholarship Society NYC weekend. Christopher lit up with joy when discussing COARE's Shark Safe initiatives in local restaurants, the importance of spreading ocean love to optimistic kids, and describing the potential COARE has for making change in marine conservation. It did not take him long to recruit me onto the COARE team so that I too could dedicate countless glorious hours spreading enthusiasm for marine conservation research and education across the country! I would love to see COARE's initiatives spread to cities spanning across the entire US. Its location in San Fransisco, while perfect for conducting local projects, provides a limited demographic that, in turn, limits the organization's potential for growth and ultimate success. That is why I hope to tell others along the East Coast as well as the Midwest Region about COARE. With enough determination, one can easily find all of the hidden marine enthusiasts and conservation activists that would drop everything to support an organization like COARE. That is what I intend to do! I will look in every nook and cranny of every un-obvious location to find people as passionate as Christopher to spread COARE's love for our oceans on to the next generation!

This organization ROCKS! Not only do they EDUCATE the public about conservation of species, the need to recycle and re-use, but with the addition of Sharksafe, they have gone great strides for protection. No hidden agendas here... Great people, great reasons to support!