Founders of The Last Ocean Project

Dr. David Ainley, Scientific Adviser

Dr. Ainley has been studying Ross Sea ecology for over 30 years, and was one of the first scientists to push for Ross Sea conservation measures. David established FORSE (Friends of the Ross Sea Ecosystem) in 2001 after he and 30 plus of his scientific colleagues became concerned about the affects of commercial fishing in the Ross Sea.

David is internationally recognized for his extensive research experience and has published nearly 175 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals, as well as four books and seven monographs. He has created and managed a number of projects.

John Weller, Last Ocean founder and nature photographer

John Weller is a nature photographer and writer based in Boulder, Colorado. He started working on The Last Ocean with David Ainley in 2004 and was recently awarded a 2009 Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation, which will support further development of the project.
Weller trained in economics and philosophy at Stanford University, and has been photographing professionally since 1999. His first book, Great Sand Dunes National Park: Between Light and Shadow, was published in 2004. He has had more than 20 photography exhibitions since 1999, and his work has been published in magazines including Outdoor Photographer, American Photo, Rangefinder Magazine, and National Geographic.

Peter Young, Last Ocean Charitable Trust Founder

Peter Young has been working on The Last Ocean since 2006 and spearheaded the founding of The Last Ocean Charitable Trust in New Zealand. Peter is one of New Zealand’s leading documentary filmmakers with a strong background in natural history, wildlife, and arts documentaries.

He has worked for most of the major players in the documentary field, including National Geographic, Discovery, BBC and Television New Zealand. He has credits in over a hundred documentaries filmed in New Zealand and around the world and has won many awards for both his camera and producing work. He is currently working on a Last Ocean feature documentary.