Pen Hadow

Accelerating Conservation of Arctic Ocean Biodiversity

Pen Hadow is a leading explorer of the Arctic Ocean, now dedicated to advancing protection for the wildlife and ecosystem services of the Arctic Ocean.

Hadow is Executive Director of 90 North Foundation (www.90northfoundation.org) which advocates for:

• An international treaty to prevent commercial fishing, trans-boundary shipping, and deep-sea mining, the treaty building on the existing Central Arctic Ocean Fisheries Agreement – the end-game of the treaty to establish the North Pole Marine Reserve

90 North Foundation introduces a significant new perspective on the Arctic’s diminishing sea ice, revealing the potentially catastrophic threats from surface vessel activity to the unique “floating ice-reef ecosystem”. The ecosystem supports some of the world’s most iconic species – polar bear, walrus, blue whale, bowhead whale, gray whale, orca, narwhal, beluga, six species of seal – and significant fish species in the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans; and this region’s biodiversity also provides a range of ecosystem services critical to life on Earth.

In 2017 Arctic Mission sailed two 50’ vessels 300 miles into the Central Arctic Ocean’s high seas area (a ‘global commons’ the resources of which are the common heritage of all humankind), and were the first vessels in history to do so without icebreakers. The objective was to warn of the increasing accessibility of these waters to commercial fishing, transboundary shipping, cruise-ship tourism and deep-sea mining mining, and the direct stressors these activities impose on the region’s wildlife, already-stressed by the reduced sea-ice habitat.

Previously, Hadow led the multi-award-winning £7.5m international scientific research programme, Catlin Arctic Survey (2007-2012) investigating the rates, causes and impacts of the Arctic’s rapidly melting sea ice.

In 2003 Hadow became the first person to trek solo, and without resupply, across the Arctic Ocean’s sea ice from Canada to the North Geographic Pole – a feat that took three attempts over 15 years … and will likely never be repeated due to climate change as fixed-wing aircraft can no longer operate safely on the sea ice.

Hadow was awarded the Shackleton Medal (2023) for his polar conservation work, and is Honorary Patron of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, the British Exploring Society, the Scientific Exploration Society, and The Explorers Club (UK Chapter).

ENQUIRIES: If you are interested in partnering with OR booking Pen for a speaking engagement please email mark@athletemedia.co.uk
or call 07952 304340.