“This day is really a reminder that we are all connected by this big blue world. There is one ocean that connects us all and requires us to work together to take responsibility for our choices and preserve our ocean.”
Jenny Weitzman MMM
Jenny Weitzman, Interdisciplinary PhD Student, Marine Affairs Program, Dalhousie University
Jenny Weitzman, Masters of Marine Management (MMM), is currently pursuing her doctorate in the Marine Affairs Program in Dalhousie University’s Interdisciplinary PhD Program. Her PhD research focuses on developing an integrated framework to inform decision-making and planning that places salmon aquaculture within the safe operating limits of the combined natural, social and economic environment. Passionate about how science and information are communicated to various audiences, her research interests revolve around issues at the science-policy interface, including aquaculture and fisheries management, sustainable seafood, environmental impact assessment, and marine and resource policy.
World Oceans Day is celebrated annually on the 8th of June. This idea was first proposed by Canada’s International Centre for Ocean Development (ICOD) and the Ocean Institute of Canada (OIC) at the 1992 Earth Summit – UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
CEGE Connection reached out to Jenny Weitzman to discuss the importance of celebrating and honouring the ocean.
Jenny Weitzman: Why is World Oceans Day important?
The oceans are critical to our continued life on this planet. More than half of the oxygen we breathe comes from tiny plants in the ocean. These tiny plants form the basis for the seafood we enjoy and are the primary source of protein for around 3 billion people worldwide. The massive currents that flow throughout our oceans also help control weather and regulate climate.
On June 8, we celebrate World Oceans Day. This day, we share what we love about the ocean and what it means to us. Approximately 40% of people in the world live within one-hour drive (100km) to a coast, and many more rely on the ocean directly for their livelihoods. Whether it was the beach, the beloved lobster roll, or the charismatic whales and turtles that drew us to the sea, we all have some connection to the ocean.
The oceans are dynamic and powerful yet are not invincible. The problems we face in today’s climate are global and require all of us to work together to solve. What we do, whether we live near the ocean or not, affects the ocean through our seafood choices, our plastic consumption, and fossil fuel burning. These pressures can often have the greatest impact on small coastal communities in developing nations that do not always have the capacity to deal with the scale and severity of these issues.
This day is really a reminder that we are all connected by this big blue world. There is one ocean that connects us all and requires us to work together to take responsibility for our choices and preserve our ocean.
Jenny Weitzman
June 8, 2019
Coast of Newfoundland May 2019
Thank you to the Government of Canada for proposing the concept of a World Ocean Day, at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. In 2002, when The Ocean Project began to globally promote and coordinate World Oceans Day development and activities, there were only a handful of events in a few countries. Now, there are thousands of events in over 120 countries and a social media reach into the several billions.