COMPASS advances and communicates marine conservation science to policymakers, the public and the media. Our goal is to accelerate the pace of solutions to important marine environmental problems.

MISSION
COMPASS works to advance marine conservation science so that it is better communicated, less fragmented, and better connected to and informed by policy. We stimulate interdisciplinary, conservation-oriented research and action by academic marine scientists. We catalyze communication among marine scientists, policymakers, nongovernmental organizations, the media, and the concerned public in order to raise awareness and inform important discussions.

OUR NICHE
We are defined by our understanding, capabilities, and relationships with credible science and scientists. We are committed to academic, independent, peer-reviewed science and scientists. COMPASS is uniquely positioned and connected to academic scientists, policy-makers, and journalists, effectively working across boundaries to connect these different arenas.

WHAT WE DO
We communicate marine conservation science to the media by training scientists to be better communicators and by working with journalists to keep them informed about cutting-edge science.

We inform policy and management decisions with the latest, credible marine
conservation science by synthesizing and packaging the science to be understandable and useful, connecting relevant science and scientists with decision-makers, and working with decision-makers to understand their expectations of the scientific community.

We help advance marine conservation by working with academic scientists to frame their questions and provide information that is relevant and salient to policy-makers and public interests.

We keep our finger on the pulse of marine conservation science, enabling us to facilitate strategic collaborations.

WHO WE ARE
COMPASS is a partnership of staff at the collaborating institutions: SeaWeb, Island Press, the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Center for the Future of the Oceans, and three academic institutions (Oregon State University, Stanford University, and University of New Hampshire). Staff at these institutions combine their experience, skills, relationships, and talents regarding marine conservation science, communications, media, outreach, training, and policy-making to work toward COMPASS' mission. COMPASS partners and staff are advised by a team of Academic Scientists.