Shifting Baselines Ocean Media Campaign
The Shifting Baselines Ocean Media Campaign was a science communication experiment launched in 2003 to change how the public thinks about ocean decline. Marine scientists and Hollywood worked together to create entertaining media products around the idea that ocean decline often occurs so slowly that we don’t notice the changes. A goal of the campaign was to make people realize that ocean life today is a remnant of what existed only a few generations ago. The principal founders included:
Dr. Randy Olson — Creator and Director of the media project
Dr. Jeremy Jackson — Scientist
Dr. Steven Miller — Scientist
Gale Anne Hurd — Hollywood Producer
Instead of relying on scientific reports and fact-filled presentations, the project created humorous short films, flash animations (which were innovative at the time), celebrity public service announcements, blogs, contests, and collaborations with musicians and Hollywood actors. The philosophy was that people rarely change because of more facts—they change because of stories, humor, and emotion. Funny instead of preachy.
Some of the more memorable productions include:
Ocean Symphony featuring Jack Black
No Seafood Grill 2050
Did we make a difference?
The project helped pioneer using the internet to distribute short science films years before YouTube became dominant.
The Public Service Announcements helped advance multiple environmental campaigns and received wide distribution and millions of views.
We popularized the term “shifting baselines” beyond fisheries science to include climate change, biodiversity, urban development and cultural change.
Scientists are often – but not always – better storytellers today, due to the efforts of Dr. Olson and his ABT Narrative Framework that he created later. See https://abtnarrative.com/