Dr. Thomas Armbruster, a marine biologist and physician, created SandyHook SeaLife Foundation in 2008. ~ssf vision - comprehensive public support for the protection of our endangered marine environment.  ~ssf mission - to promote marine conservation through solutions-based advocacy, education, volunteerism and political action.~

      ssf focus - the status of highly migratory predators (sharks, swordfish, tuna and billfish), sustainable fisheries and marine animal populations. 

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ssf philosophy - individual actions matter. 

SandyHook SeaLife Foundation is an independent, self-funded organization and a member of Blue Frontier Campaign’s Blue Movement, a national conference of marine environmental groups, The Ocean Project, a multi-national consortium of aquariums, zoos and marine conservation organizations, Shark Alliance International, a group of NGOs supporting shark conservation worldwide and supports The Campaign for Environmental Literacy.   

For information on SSF projects: http://sandyhooksealife.org/ssf_news

SSF Invites Partnerships!

 Join Peter Coyote and SSF to film   

The Swordfish Hunters

(Recommended Reading by the U N Atlas of the Oceans) 

Help create change and accomplish your mission!

Conservation NGOs, marine biologists, divers, venture capital and funding organizations, members of the film community, members of Congress - groups and individuals willing and able to contribute to making and distributing this film. We need your expertise, energy, and funding! 

Together We Can Create Change     

before all the Big Fish are gone!

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In 1976 Jacques-Yves Cousteau stated "The ocean is sick, very sick...Whales now number less than 7 percent of what they did at the turn of the century. Coral is dying. The marine environment everywhere is raped and torn up. If the ocean dies, mankind will die soon after." Today, more than a quarter century later, the situation continues to deteriorate. In fact, studies indicate that 90% of large predatory fish are wiped out.  

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From: AmericaOceansUpdate 2011 survey - TheOceanProject & NOAA 

     While Americans believe ocean conservation is important and are willing to implement simple measures, mainly because we see ourselves as being 'green' and not because we understand the issues, urgency is not a priority. In fact, we need a reason to act, and will become involved more quickly over a particular species (dolphins) or a specific place such as the BP oil spill.

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The raw imagery of this film will draw public attention to the plight of an endangered ocean. As a human experience, The Swordfish Hunters is a vivid retelling, an emotional snapshot of the fear, boredom and exhilaration of the hunt for giant fish over the deepest canyons of the North Atlantic. Interweaving biological descriptions of marine life, area history, colorful characters and nautical superstition, The Swordfish Hunters is a maritime adventure.  

  But The Swordfish Hunters is also a serious look at the the reasons we need to care - the young fish caught before they can reproduce, the tons of floating garbage, the thousands of dolphins, birds, turtles and non-targeted fish that die in the name of fishing - in short, our human impact on the ocean. Thomas Armbruster's voice for marine conservation highlights the terrible waste of by-catch, deadly plastic gyres, deeply polluted waters and declining fisheries.    

 There is hope. Embedding conservation messages throughout this adventure, the author inspires us by offering simple ways each of us can bring about sea change. Individual actions, no matter how small, will help to improve and protect a shattered marine ecosystem while there's still time.  

        Reviews: http://sandyhooksealife.org/the_swordfish_hunters    

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Raising awareness of ocean issues is one thing - initiating change is quite another. We invite you to help us create real sea change before it's too late - 

before all the Big Fish are gone!  

shslfoundation@aol.com

 Art work and photos courtesy of

Thomas Armbruster, MD 

Catherine M. Armbruster and Kyle Murdoch