Fisheries and Aquaculture
June 6, 2014

Celebrating Our Connection to the Sea

World Oceans Day Encourages Conservation and Protection of Marine Environments

World Oceans Day is an annual celebration that encourages people to reflect on the sea and its significance to their environmental, cultural, and economic well-being. The Honourable Keith Hutchings, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, will mark the occasion by attending the opening of World Oceans Day festivities in St. John’s tomorrow (Saturday, June 7) at the Marine Institute of Memorial University, Ridge Road Campus at 10:00 a.m.
 
“The waters surrounding our province have played an integral role in the lives and livelihoods of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians since the first settlers, and this government is committed to promoting marine stewardship through research initiatives, and public engagement. I encourage residents throughout the province to take a moment to celebrate World Oceans Day this weekend, and appreciate the many ways that the sea influences our society.”
- The Honourable Keith Hutchings, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture
 
The no-cost, family-oriented event at the Marine Institute will feature more than 25 interactive displays, and will include a reading of The Green Crab Invasion, the third in a series of children’s books produced by the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture to teach respect for marine environments and the creatures that live within them.
 
In addition to supporting World Oceans Day festivities at the Marine Institute, the Provincial Government also holds annual World Oceans Day art and essay contests that engage youth across the province from Kindergarten to Grade Nine. This year’s contest winners are listed in the background below.

QUICK FACTS

  • Minister Hutchings will mark World Oceans Day at an event at the Marine Institute’s Ridge Road campus in St. John’s on June 7, 2014.
  • World Oceans Day first came into being at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when Canadian representatives proposed the concept.
  • This year’s event was organized by the World Oceans Day Event Committee, which includes the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, World Wildlife Fund, Fish, Food and Allied Workers, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and the Marine Institute.
  • Through Budget 2014, the Provincial Government committed $300,000 annually for the Provincial Government’s Coastal and Oceans Management Strategy and Policy Framework, which provides long-term strategic direction on the sustainable use of the province’s marine resources, and promotes public education on marine stewardship.
  • More information about World Oceans Day can be found at www.fishaq.gov.nl.ca/education/wod.html

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Media contact:
Jason Card
Director of Communications
Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture
709-729-3733, 699-0470
jasoncard@gov.nl.ca

BACKGROUNDER
World Oceans Day Contest Award Winners

World Oceans Day is recognized each year through an annual art contest that is managed by the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture and supported by the World Oceans Day Event Planning Committee. The contest is open to students in primary and elementary schools across the province. The winners of the 2014 World Oceans Day Art Contest are:

  • Kindergarten - Rachael Griffin, Immaculate Heart of Mary School, Corner Brook
  • Grade 1 - Abby Neil, Fogo Island Central Academy, Fogo
  • Grade 2 - Savannah Skinner, Jakeman All Grade, Trout River
  • Grade 3 - Maya Ruiz, Holy Trinity Elementary, Torbay
  • Grade 4 - Molly Dyke, Mary Queen of the World School, Mount Pearl
  • Grade 5 - Ella Banfield, Mary Queen of Peace School, St. John’s
  • Grade 6 - Abby Hynes, St. Peter’s Academy, Benoit’s Cove

In addition, the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture collaborated with WWF-Canada on the annual Oceans Hero Essay Contest. This contest is open to junior high students across the province. The winners of the 2014 World Oceans Day Oceans Hero Essay Contest are:

  • Grade 7 - Calli Strickland, Gill Memorial Academy, Musgrave Harbour
  • Grade 8 - Radhika Verma, Stephenville Middle School, Stephenville
  • Grade 9 - Jonathan Careen, Fatima Academy, St. Bride’s

Prizes for contest winners include ocean themed reading materials, tablets, and keepsakes.

 2014 06 06                                        1:05 p.m.