PBS and BBC announce 'Big Blue Live' a reality show depicting success story of 'once endangered' to 'now thriving' Monterey Bay in California [Photos]

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, or MBNMS, in California is one of the most protected areas within the United States and offers some of the spectacular views to the wildlife lovers around the world. However, the Monterey Bay area was once depleted of the marine mammal and other key fish population, until a sanctuary was established to look after the wildlife and resources.

In May 2015, BBC and PBS announced the production of a three-day television event called the Big Blue Live. The program is scheduled to showcase the marine life along the west coast of the United States and the resurgence of the “once endangered” species of animals.

During the live event, scientists, animal behaviourists, photographers, filmmakers and animal experts from across the world gather for two weeks. The team of wildlife enthusiasts will document the rejuvenation of the Monterey Bay area, a rare, yet extraordinary conversion of the endangered marine ecosystem to a thriving one.

The inspiration behind the Big Blue Event is the dramatic recovery of the sanctuary in the last 23 years. The producer of the BBC series, Adam White, believes that the transformation at the sanctuary in terms of wildlife conservation is one of the greatest success stories so far on the planet.

“This is a very special place that attracts animals from the four corners of the Pacific. It’s a wildlife spectacle unique in the world. Most of the animals recently made a miraculous recovery. Few people thought they’d recover at all, let alone in the numbers you find here. If it can work here, it should inspire the rest of the world to take care of their ocean,” said White in a press release.

MBNMS is one of the four largest marine sanctuaries in the United States, even larger than the famous Yellowstone National Park. It spans across an area of 4,601 square nautical miles. The sanctuary was established with a purpose of resource protection, education, research and public use.

Ahead of the Big Blue Event, the management at the MBNMS highlighted the conditions at the sanctuary in a recent press release. The assessment was based on an upcoming report concluded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA.

According to the conditions report, the number of of key species within the MBNMS are either stable or increasing, including the number of humpback whales, blue whales and grey whales. The increase has been so significant that NOAA is planning to take off the humpback whales off the list of endangered species.

The report further highlights the success stories associated with the emergence of the “once endangered” species of animal at the MBNMS. The average annual count of southern sea otters has increased by over 60 percent from about 1,800 to more than 2,900, while the brown pelicans were taken off the endangered species list by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife in 2009.

In 1970s, there were only 1,000 breeding pairs of pelicans in the area. However, the numbers bounced back due to conservation efforts by the management, and a 2006 survey reported 11,695 breeding pairs in 10 locations within the sanctuary.

To help make this spectacular rebound possible, the management of the sanctuary has been taking some serious ocean conservation efforts in the last three decades. The science-based conservation efforts by the sanctuary, in addition to the market-based partnership and policy initiatives, have helped preserve the health of the ocean significantly.

During the two-week period, the Big Blue Live event will be filmed in the sanctuary from open-air studios at the sanctuary at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The correspondents will be placed at different locations within the MBNMS, including the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries’ research vessels. The event will feature some of the spectacular and amazing marine animals, including gigantic whales, sea lions, dolphins, sea birds, sharks, sea otters and brown pelicans. In addition, different scientists and experts will provide their valuable insight into the ecology, marine life and ocean conservation efforts.

The three episodes that air over three nights between Aug 31 and Sept 2 are expected to tell the success story of animal rejuvenation and ocean conservation at the MBNMS. Some of the events that the audience can expect to witness include:

• Episode 1 – This episode will feature the story of the migrating whales, sharks and various birds that join sea otters, sea lions and other species which live full-time in Monterey Bay. In addition, it features the reports from Monterey Aquarium and NOAA research vessels and the facts about humpback whale anatomy.
• Episode 2 – This episode will narrate the hidden world of Monterey’s sea lions and the success story about the bay’s rejuvenation through sea otter's return. In addition, this episode will feature a scientist trying to help solve the mystery of shark migration and study the anatomy of white sharks and elephant seals.
• Episode 3 – This episode will feature the giant of the sea, the blue whale, as the team search for it through the marine water.

The show will be co-hosted by leading conservation scientist Dr M Sanjayan, BBC television host Liz Bonnin, comparative anatomist Dr Joy S. Reidenberg, BBC's Steve Backshall and biologist Joe Hanson. The big giants in the field of television production, PBS and BBC, are excited to bring the event live to its viewers.

“ We’ve gathered an extraordinary team, on and off screen, to take us deep into the lives of a host of animals, from sea otters to humpback whales and we’re thrilled to co-producing this event,” said BBC Controller Natalie Humphreys.

The production team is hopeful that the narration of the successful re-emergence of the marine animals at the MBNMS will inspire the audiences of all ages. The Big Blue Event will air live on PBS over three nights, Aug. 31-Sept. 2, 2015, at 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET, with a second live feed to the west coast at 8:00-9:00 p.m. PT.

The digital recording of the event will be available at PBS.org/BigBlueLive. The site will also serve as a social platform for the wildlife enthusiasts, who will be able to converse and interact with the other audience about the conservation success story of the Monterey Bay. To participate in the conversation, participants are required to use the hashtag #BigBlueLive across the different social media platforms.

The BBC recently released a preview clip from the upcoming Episode 1 of the Big Blue Live event.

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