The ocean shapes our daily lives more than we realize — the food on our plates, the air we breathe, the weather that greets us each morning. But our choices shape it back. In this column, we dive deeper into how everyday decisions — what we eat, what we buy, what we ignore — quietly go deep beneath the surface. From seafood traceability to illegal fishing, Below the Surface investigates the hidden facts of the marine world through news items and facts you may not know, or know but need reminding.
Elle Wibisono is the Technical Director of the Blue Lab at Georgetown SFS Asia-Pacific. A fishery scientist and science communicator, she has worked across international NGOs, government, and coastal communities — bringing together perspectives on how people and the ocean shape each other. Elle is the author of A Snapper Tale, a children's book on the surprising diversity of red-colored snappers, and occasionally publishes fish comics at @fishtory.co. Her current work sits at the intersection of art, science, and policy — finding ways to create real impact for communities and nature.
Making people afraid to get care does not protect the health system. It merely ensures that the care delivered is the most expensive, least effective and most desperate kind.
