The International SeaKeepers Society has returned from hosting the 2014 Bal de la Mer. The event honored accomplishments of Wendy Benchley with the SeaKeeper Award at the Yacht Club de Monaco during the annual Monaco Yacht Show.
Wendy Benchley
On September 26th over two hundred guests gathered at the Yacht Club de Monaco to honor Wendy Benchley as the 2014 SeaKeeper Award Recipient at the annual Bal de la Mer. Michael T. Moore, Chairman of the Board of SeaKeepers; Maria Damanaki, Honorary Committee Chair; and Richard Snow, President of SeaKeepers welcomed Benchley into the ranks of past honorees, including Sylvia Earle, H.S.H. Prince Albert II and James Cameron for their extraordinary commitment to ocean conservation and awareness.
Benchley's Table
SeaKeepers was thrilled to celebrate Benchley’s accomplishments and devotion to shark conservation. Benchley is engaged in the marine policy and conservation community as a respected leader and generous supporter. Benchley’s efforts span decades of activism including a 28-year commitment as National Council and Advisory Trustee of the Environmental Defense Fund and Co-Founding the Peter Benchley Ocean AwardsTM, dedicated to her late husband’s legacy to recognize the remarkable ocean conservation efforts of marine explorers, policy makers, researchers, and scientists. Today she is recognized as a global voice on ocean and shark conservation.
Damanaki, Benchley, Moscoso
This year’s Honorary Committee representing Women in Ocean Advocacy & Yachting included remarkable members who have embodied the many achievements of women in ocean advocacy from around the globe. The Honorary Committee Chair, Maria Damanaki, was elected as the European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in 2009. The committee’s Founding Chair, Patty Elkus is also a Founding Member of SeaKeepers and was Honorary Committee Chair in 2012 and 2013.
Michael Moore, Richard Snow, Wendy Benchley
The SeaKeeper Award and the Honorary Committee Chair award were created by Hermann Moscoso, a local Miami artist. Moscoso’s custom awards incorporated Benchley’s love of sharks and the ocean with a mosaic of colorful stones to create an image of a shark and the Bal de la Mer nautilus shell. Moscoso attended the event to see his creations presented to Benchley and Damanaki.
The spectacular evening included a video highlighting SeaKeepers 2014 DISCOVERY Yacht missions. Genome sequencing, floating classrooms, shark tagging, and drifter deployments were featured in the video to update guests on the most recent SeaKeepers missions.
All Bal de la Mer guests were invited to attend Benchley’s “On Sharks & Humanity” discussion at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco on September 25th, the night before Bal de la Mer.
