Even before her commitment to the conservation of the sea, Nouvian was already armed with the knowledge of 6 languages after graduating from Sorbonne University in Paris with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. She also had the experience of travelling for more than 10 years shooting wildlife documentaries for both French and International television and journalism (such as France 2, France 3, The Fifth, Discovery Channel and Science Channel). It is evident that she is naturally (pun intended), one of the best candidates to advocate for the important conservation issues that require more public awareness.
Claire Nouvian’s interest in the deep sea could be traced to a reconnaissance trip for a film at the Monterey Bay Aquarium at United States, in year 2001. She was captivated and dazzled by the unidentified creatures that were filmed at the depth of 4,000 metres. The lack of public documents on the deep sea and discovery of deep-sea fishing pushed Nouvian to launch a collective effort in the conservation of the deep sea. This includes collaboration with renowned researchers worldwide, gathering an extensive bank of never seen before pictures of deep sea creatures, and establishing campaigns in educating the public on the deep sea.
In October 2005, Nouvian was given the opportunity to travel down 1,000 metres onboard the submersible Johnson Sea Link-1 as a correspondent at sea on the Gulf of Maine mission of the Harbour Branch Oceanographic Institution. Her passion was further driven. 2005 was also the year the year where Nouvian founded BLOOM, a nonprofit conservation organisation based in Paris and HongKong. More information on BLOOM association can be found under ‘BLOOM’ tab.
Since then, Nouvian published a book called ‘The Deep’ in ten over languages, printing over 150,000 copies and launched the exhibition of the same name starting from Natural History Museum of Paris, 2006, to 6 other countries. She also published scientific findings and gives lectures on fisheries and sustainable development communication strategies to various universities and organisations in the mean time.
Named ” The Planet’s Guardian Angel” by the Geo magazine in 2007, and “Environmental Women of the Year” in 2012 in the Femmes En Or awards, Claire Nouvian has been recognised several times on a global platform for her passion and efforts in preserving an important part of Earth’s equilibrium. A more specific list of her professional career and her work can be found in the next tab, labelled ‘Achievements and Awards’.
Author’s note: Much of biography on Claire Nouvian made public were focused on her conservation efforts of the ocean. Prior to this commitment, Nouvian only provided brief information on her previous career as well. Her personal life has been kept private otherwise, unlike many famous conservationists. This may not necessarily be a bad thing as it allows media to focus directly on Nouvian’s efforts and threats the ocean is facing – issues which require more attention.