National Marine Aquarium joins global #OurOceans campaign

The National Marine Aquarium has launched in Plymouth an international campaign to clean up our oceans.

The global #OurOceans campaign, created by the European Commission, is designed to tackle the critical and growing volume of waste deposited in the sea, calling on Aquariums from around the world to spearhead the project at a grassroots level.

Over 70 Aquariums have so far joined the initiative, which was centrally launched in Monaco today by the Commissioner for Environment and Price Albert. To mark the launch in the UK, National Marine Aquarium divers took to its Eddystone Tank armed with the #OurOceans hashtag props, showcasing the campaign to its visitors.

Over the course of the next year, the National Marine Aquarium, along with its international partners, will be raising awareness about the harm waste in our oceans causes to marine life and how the community can help to reduce, reuse and recycle their litter. The campaign has been called to action to combat the urgent need to improve the conditions of the oceans and create a global common message.

The Aquarium will also be hosting events such as beach cleans to further support the campaign, and will be open to all to get involved. From the rubbish collected, the Aquarium will then be creating an aquatic-themed sculpture to go on display in Sutton Harbour.

Nicola Murray, Head of Discovery and Learning at the National Marine Aquarium, said: “10 million tonnes of waste are deposited into our oceans every year and, by 2050, it’s predicted that there could be more plastic in the sea than fish. These statistics are shocking and hard to swallow, and immediate action must be taken. At the National Marine Aquarium we are committed to connecting people with the ocean and are proud to be spearheading this campaign in Devon. We will be working hard with the community to spread the message and rally people to reduce, reuse and recycle.

“Changing simple habits at home can make a huge difference, such as opting for reusable materials like long life shopping bags or picking up any litter you spot when you’re out and about. Millions of sea creatures are killed each year by litter in the sea but, if we work together collectively, we can improve the conditions of our coasts, helping to protect and preserve marine life for future generations.”

To find out more about the inspiration behind the #OurOceans campaign, you can view the following footage from the European Commission: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3UIl9TbvUk&feature=youtu.be

To find out further information about the #OurOceans campaign and how you can get involved, visit www.national-quarium.co.uk or https://ourocean2017.org/