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By Kyle Hunter
Published Jun 5, 2014 at 8:00 am

Bring your children down to the Aquarium on Saturday for the celebration of World Oceans
Day. Students from the Creative Touch Home Pre School are seen here enjoying their day
out at the Aquarium in Flatts (Photo by Zachary Friesen)

From the tiniest of tots to seniors, and everyone in between — all are invited to come and celebrate World Oceans Day at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo on Saturday.

Bermuda, like many countries in the world, will mark World Oceans Day with a number of events.

Bermuda will be one of the many countries celebrating World Oceans Day this weekend

World Oceans Day has been celebrated every year since its original proposal in 1992 by Canada at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was officially recognised by the United Nations in 2008 and since then it has been coordinated internationally by The Ocean Project and the World Ocean Network with greater success and global participation each year.

On Saturday the Bermuda Zoological Society will be hosting an open house at BAMZ, with free entry for all. Doors open at 10am and guests will enjoy a wide variety of activities, including ocean-themed crafts for kids. Learn more about the resident animals with regularly scheduled encounters and feelings, or see how to hold your breath under water and take part in the Get Salty! breath holding competition.

The Junior Volunteer Programme will also be hosting a number of snack concessions, as they raise funds for an educational trip to Costa Rica. People can also dine overlooking Harrington Sound in the exciting Azu Beastro.

The Aquarium's new resturant Azu Beastro hosts wonderful views out onto
Harrington sound to enjoy as you eat. (Photo by Zachary Friesen)

There will also be a wide variety of educational displays throughout the property to celebrate our ocean, featuring both BZS and BAMZ programmes, as well as the Department of Conservation Services, the Marine Resources Section of the Department of Environmental Protection, BIOS, the Lionfish Task Force, the Sargasso Sea Alliance, the Ocean Support Foundation, Bermuda Ocean Explorers, Greenrock!, 5 Gyres, Blue Halo, Dolphin Quest, BUEI and the Marine Debris Task Force.

Guests will be able to learn more about these important organisations and services first hand from people who work in the field.

A spokesperson for the BAMZ said: “The event coincides with World Oceans Day, on June 8, in which hundreds of aquariums, zoos, museums, and conservation organisations around the world look to provide an opportunity to focus special attention on our personal connection to the sea. Our desire is to raise awareness about the crucial role the ocean plays in Bermuda’s existence and the increasingly critical need for each of us to help conserve its wonders and resources.”

The Ocean Project (www.TheOceanProject.org.) is coordinating many of the projects around the world.

They suggest different ways to get involved including:

Help the ocean. We can all do something to protect our ocean! Get out in your community, or make a promise to change something in your life.

Take a photo. Show the world how you’re helping your community; with a promise, at your favourite nature spot, or whatever you want!

Share it with the world! Post to Twitter, Facebook, or other social media platform and tag it #WorldOceansDay.

Not sure what to promise?

Here’s what other people are doing:

• I promise to use reusable bags at the grocery store
• I promise to use a reusable water bottle
• I promise to not eat meat on Mondays
• I promise to take shorter showers
• I promise to take public transportation to school/work once a week
• I promise to only eat sustainably caught or farmed seafood
• I promise to shop at thrift store first instead of buying new
• I promise to unplug my electronic chargers when not using them
• I promise to turn off all the lights and the heat or A/C when I leave my house
• I promise to bike instead of drive for at least one errand a week
• I promise to participate in a litter cleanup
• I promise to not use toxic pesticides on my garden or lawn

A spokesperson for The Ocean Project said: “We support people getting involved on whatever level they can handle, but we especially encourage people to do something measurable for the ocean.”

Here are some of the ways other countries will mark World Oceans Day:

Magnetic Island, Australia: The Base Backpackers celebration on beautiful Nelly Bay beach features a cleanup, marine talks, beach games, stalls, a beach BBQ, short films, and music.

Miami, Florida: The Miami Underwater Festival is a two-day celebration held at Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science and Knight Plaza in downtown Miami. Events include fun family workshops, community art project, sailing activities, scavenger hunts, pop-up live science with marine-themed performances, interactive demos, “life-size” games, and a giant inflatable shark.

Seattle, Washington: Join Seattle Aquarium’s youth-led World Oceans Day weekend and learn how you can be an Ocean Hero. Hands-on activities and special talks will highlight what guests can do to be ocean heroes on an individual, community and civic level, from helping protect our corals from ocean acidification to reducing the use of plastics in our lives.

Durban, South Africa: Paddle out for sharks — divers, surfers, scientists, anglers, and others will celebrate by ‘Paddling Out’ to highlight the plight of sharks. Hundreds celebrated last year, and this year will include sister events throughout South Africa, Australia, and Mozambique.

Liverpool, UK: This student-run weekend of fun and games is hosted by University of Liverpool and The Liverpool World Museum. There’s going to be a whole host of activities and arts and crafts for children and adults: face paints, mermaid puppet shows, and representatives from several marine charities and organisations to educate on marine conservation issues.

Hong Kong: Ocean Park has several fun events focused specifically on preventing ocean trash. Visitors can make a pledge to protect the ocean, attend upcycling workshops and art exhibition jointly with local green groups, enjoy a “local fishermen fun day” for local fishermen and their families, and help out at a beach cleanup.

Fujisawa-city, Japan: World Oceans Day Japan will celebrate again this year with a big festival, aerial art on the beach, sand art workshops, and beach and underwater cleanups.