by ibby
A creative ad campaign uses gyotaku fish prints to spotlight Hudson Canyon and drive ocean conservation during World Oceans Month. See how design meets advocacy.
This past June, in honor of World Oceans Month, select seafood markets in New York and New Jersey wrapped their fish in limited-edition butcher paper printed with one clear message: protect Hudson Canyon.
The ad campaign—led by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in collaboration with McKinney and Cylndr Studios—blends two powerful visual traditions: the nostalgic look of East Coast fish markets and gyotaku, the Japanese art of fish printing. Using blue ink and real marine species found in the canyon (think: black sea bass, scallops, crabs), the team created striking, inked impressions of the very creatures they’re working to protect. Each sheet also features a QR code linking to a petition for conservation.
And there’s plenty to protect. Hudson Canyon is an underwater valley off the coast of New York and New Jersey. It’s deeper than parts of the Grand Canyon and rich with life—from whales and sharks to vibrant cold-water corals. It’s also one of the most important and fragile marine ecosystems in U.S. waters.
World Oceans Month may be over, but ocean protection doesn’t follow a calendar. Ad campaigns like this show how thoughtful design, rooted in culture and craft, can inspire everyday action.
Why it caught our eye:
- It uses a tactile, analog format to spark digital action.
- It pulls from tradition (gyotaku) to create something fresh.
- It makes advocacy feel personal—like something you’d want to keep, not just skim.
WCS, by the way, runs the world’s largest conservation field program and manages all five of New York City’s zoos and aquariums—including the Bronx Zoo. They protect more than half of Earth’s known biodiversity.
Proof that sometimes, the packaging is the message.
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