One of our favourite things is being able to introduce children to the wonders of the sea, up close and personal. It’s especially great when these children come from communities that are close to our hearts, as is the case with the Overstrand region and with the coastal town of Kleinmond.
Earlier this month, a group of grade 6 learners from Kleinmond Primary School were treated to a guided tour of the Two Oceans Aquarium to celebrate World Oceans Day on 8 June 2017. The trip was made possible by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) in recognition of the active role these learners are playing towards improving the marine environment in their community. For most of the children, all of whom are proud members of the Friends of the Ocean club, this was their first trip to the Aquarium.
The Friends of the Ocean club was founded by Kleinmond community member William August, as part of his EcoEnviro initiative. The initiative aims to create partnerships with other environmental and social organisations, and to raise funds for educating and inspiring local children to care for their environment. “My goal is to improve the awareness and prospects of children from our community and get them to understand and appreciate the world around them and, in so doing, help them create a better future,” said William.
The MSC is an international non-profit organisation. Like ours, its vision is for the world’s oceans to be teeming with life, and that seafood supplies are safeguarded for this and future generations. When you see the blue MSC label on a seafood product, you can be sure that it comes from a wild-catch fishery that has been independently certified to the MSC’s science-based standard for environmentally sustainable fishing and that it’s fully traceable to a sustainable source. The Kleinmond fishing community is currently involved in a pilot Fishery Improvement Project with WWF-SA, part of which is connected to the MSC Fisheries Standards programme.
On the day, the Kleinmond Primary learners were given a guided tour through the Aquarium and the group also received a lesson at our Environmental Education Centre.
"They had a fabulous time and learnt a lot. Having a guide and doing a lesson really ensured they came away with loads of info,” said MSC Southern Africa Communications and Office Manager Angela McQueen. “The lesson included some info on fish anatomy (they had a real sardine to scrutinise) and identification of some common species found off the South African coast.
“The lesson also touched on the concept of sustainable fishing using a fishing game, which was very effective in practically demonstrating the idea, and a bit on the MSC label found on seafood products and what it means.”
Said Kleinmond Primary learner Joshwin November: “I learnt a lot about our oceans, including that fish actually need oxygen to live! I also learned that it is important to protect our fish so that there will be fish for the future. I would like to be a fisherman or a diver one day.”
The learners also received an MSC T-shirt and cap, a copy of the educational magazine Envirokids (the “Fishing for the Future” edition) and a snack for the road in a reusable shopping bag, as a little take-home for Mom. The bags are made from surplus or reject parachute fabric and produced by the non-profit, community based organisation Greyton Transition Town.
“Ocean plastic pollution was highlighted on their tour of the Aquarium,” said Angela, “and we wanted to reinforce the message of living a sustainable life in general by ensuring that the bag that it all came in was reusable as well.”
A huge thank you to the MSC for choosing us for this special excursion!
