The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Gerry Byrne, Minister of Fisheries and Land Resources:

Mr. Speaker, World Oceans Day is recognized globally on June 8, and I am immensely proud of the initiatives Newfoundlanders and Labradorians took last week to celebrate World Oceans Day and explore this year’s theme, “together we can protect and restore our ocean.”

The focus of this year’s World Oceans Day celebration was reducing plastic pollution, and highlighting solutions that inspire leadership and conservation, both locally and globally.

Mr. Speaker, last week I was happy to attend a World Oceans Day event at Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Corner Brook, where students shared their ideas about protecting our oceans through video projects and artwork. A family fun day held at the Marine Institute in St. John’s was also a great success, with families coming together to enjoy a wealth of activities aimed at raising awareness of the importance of our oceans.

All over this province, schools and organizations hosted beach clean-ups, information sessions, and student art challenges – including a poster contest that generated more than 1,500 entries from Kindergarten to Grade 6 students from all over the province. I was uplifted to see so many young people involved in celebrating the ocean, our most precious resource.

Mr. Speaker, our province was founded on the ocean as its primary resource, and the ocean remains an integral economic and cultural force to this day. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians active engagement in this year’s World Oceans Day events demonstrates their devotion to this resource, and our shared commitment to preserving the ocean’s species and ecosystems for generations to come.

Thank you.