Advancing the Practice of Ocean Communications Through Science, Strategy and Story
The Pisces Story
In 2017, Kes Morton saw talented people across Atlantic Canada’s ocean sector doing important work without the support to carry it forward. So she built it.
Pisces Research Project Management was founded to give ocean projects the management support they often lacked. As the work grew, a second need became clear: researchers and innovators also needed help with strategy and with getting their work in front of the right people.
That need brought Natalie Gilson to Pisces in 2023. After seven years running her own creative studio, she joined to build out the company’s science communications work.
In January 2025, Kes stepped away. By March, Natalie and longtime team member Dr. Melissa Weber had taken ownership and renamed the company Pisces Oceans Inc. Today, Natalie leads Pisces as CEO.
Pisces now focuses entirely on strategic ocean communications, built on three pillars: Science, Strategy, and Story. The science informs the message. The strategy shapes how it reaches each audience. The story moves people to act.
Our clients span ocean tech, academia, government, and non-profits, from Nova Scotia to Europe to the Caribbean and beyond. Ocean challenges cross borders, and so does our work.
As Natalie puts it, Pisces is building its own ship: a communications model shaped specifically for ocean leaders and ocean projects. Our next chapter is about building communications capacity for ocean projects and their teams, and setting the standard for ocean communication worldwide.
Research, technology, and ideas that could change the ocean’s future often stall because the right people never hear about them, understand them, or act on them.
That gap is what Pisces exists to close.
What drives us
The ocean sector is doing more ambitious work than ever. Projects are growing in scale and complexity, and the stakes for ecosystems, communities, and the planet have never been higher.
Communications hasn’t kept pace. Research stays in reports. Technology goes unadopted. Good ideas stall because the right people never hear about them, understand them, or act on them.
That's the problem Pisces Oceans was built to solve. Not just once, for one project. But across the entire sector, for as long as the ocean needs it.
Ocean Impact
We only take on work that creates a positive impact for the ocean. From the clients we choose to the way we run our business, the ocean comes first.
Working Together
There is only one ocean, and solving its challenges takes collaboration. We work as one team internally and as partners externally, supporting ocean projects of every size.
Thoughtful Leadership
We bring deep expertise, and we share it. We show up as leaders who keep learning, keep growing, and help raise the standard for ocean communication.
Natalie Gilson
CEO
Ocean Communications Expert | Creative Strategist | Brand Consultant | Award-winning Brand Designer
Kirsti Burnett
Ocean Science Manager
MSc Marine Biology | Shark & Ray Researcher | Genomic Scientist | Project Co-ordinator | Technical Writer
Andrew Lewin
Ocean Story Manager
Digital Media Producer | Marine Biologist | Conservation Storyteller | Podcast Strategist
Sheryl Drake
Ocean Strategy Manager
Project Strategist | Project Manager | Marketing & Communications Strategist | Video Producer | Ocean Conservation Advocate
Science.
We speak the language of ocean science: academic rigour, peer-reviewed thinking, and deep sector knowledge. We make complex work clear and credible so your audiences understand why it matters.
Strategy.
We build communications strategies that put your work in front of the people who decide. Clear audiences, clear messages, and a plan your team can carry forward.
Our Strategy Team:
Story.
We craft the narratives and creative work that connect people to the ocean and move them from interest to action.
Our Storytelling Team: