Syndicated Comic Strip Helps Launch New National System of MPAs

Kara Schwenke
NOAA Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management

May 20, 2009 — Somewhere in a lagoon near the fictional Kapupu Island in the North Pacific, a great white shark named Sherman is planning his next meal. And, thanks to the healthy and sustainable marine environment he calls home, Sherman has a delicious variety from which to choose.

Sherman, his wife Megan, and an assortment of his other marine friends and foes, are all characters in “Sherman’s Lagoon” — a nationally and globally syndicated comic strip created by cartoonist Jim Toomey.

Toomey recently lent his pen to help promote the new National System of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), a joint effort between the Department of Commerce and the Department of the Interior. Working with staff from NOAA’s Marine Protected Area Center, Toomey created the National System Sherman’s Lagoon Poster, an engaging cartoon highlighting the system’s three goals: natural heritage, cultural heritage, and sustainable production.

According to its creator, the cartoon — which runs in more than 150 newspapers each day — features “a dimwitted shark named Sherman, his sea turtle sidekick, and an assortment of other coral reef critters who team up to battle the encroachment of civilization on their remote tropical paradise.”

“Because ‘Sherman’s Lagoon’ is such a widely recognized cartoon, this poster will appeal to audiences of all ages, as well as to those who may not be familiar with this important new effort,” said Kara Schwenke, outreach and communications coordinator for NOAA’s MPA Center.

If “Sherman’s Lagoon” were real, chances are it would be a marine protected area (MPA). MPAs offer valuable natural or cultural assets that are provided greater protection than the surrounding waters. They include areas such as deep-water habitats, estuaries, inter-tidal zones, fish spawning grounds and the Great Lakes.

The MPA designation system is among the most important tools available for managing the nation’s ocean resources. The United States has more than 1,700 MPAs, established by federal, state, territorial, and local governments to protect ecosystems, conserve cultural resources, and sustain fisheries. 

“Until the establishment of the national system, there has not been an overarching mechanism to help MPAs across all levels of government work together toward common goals,” said Joseph Uravitch, director of NOAA’s MPA Center. “This demonstrates our willingness and ability to work together to conserve our common marine heritage for future generations.”

NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, Toomey, and MPA stakeholders participated in an April 22 ceremony to announce the charter members of the national system. After the ceremony, the National System “Sherman’s Lagoon” poster was unveiled and autographed by Dr. Lubchenco and other dignitaries in attendance.