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Picture of the month
 Some of us might wonder what marine litter is exactly and where it comes from. We all know the term “litter” and have seen it in some kind of form in our daily lives; an empty plastic bag drifting in the wind, cigarette butts on the pavements, empty drink bottles in the park or even remote idyllic places wasted by the presence of litter. What we see on land is not different from what is going on in the sea and thus the term “Marine Litter” has been introduced to describe discarded, disposed of, or abandoned man-made objects present in the marine and coastal environment. It consists of articles that have been made or used by people and, subsequently, deliberately discarded or accidentally lost. They originate from ocean-based (fishing vessels, cargo ships, stationary platforms, fish farming installations, pleasure crafts and other vessels) or land-based sources (littering, dumping, poor waste management practices, untreated sewage and storm water discharges, riverine inputs, industrial facilities, tourism, extreme natural events) and can be found all around the globe. Most sources of marine pollution are land based and some studies indicate that up to 80% of marine litter originates from land. Read more.
FAO project enters test phase in Gambia
 Widespread fishing of baby fish is a scourge that contributes to reducing world-wide production of fish and fishery resources caught in the wild by an estimated 700,000 tonnes each year since the early 1990s. Fishing baby fish happens to a large extent as a result of shrimp fisheries. They take out up to 80% of so-called 'by-catch', dead and dieing juveniles of other valuable species, which happen to be in the way of the trawl. They have little or no commercial value at that size and are thrown overboard. This is a tremendous waste, because they will never grow to a size where they can reproduce themselves and keep their population healthy and productive. Any fishery with too small mesh sizes or hooks operating in areas with lots of baby fish is very destructive. It affects also the once rich fishing grounds in Northwest Africa. The FAO - EAF Nansen pilot activities implemented by Mundus maris aim at promoting an ecosystem approach to fisheries by introducing the key concepts of ecosystem integrity and protecting people's livelihoods already at an early age in schools in Senegal and Gambia. The fish ruler poster - here for Gambia - uses wide-spread soda cans as a measure to draw attention of the minimum size at which overfished species will have multiplied, thus ensuring the sustainability of the resource base. Read more.
Khadim primary school, an active participant in testing FAO-Nansen teaching aids
 The Khadim School in Hann, Senegal, is actively involved in pilot activities in the framework of the FAO - EAF Nansen project aimed at testing teaching aids to support the introduction of ecological concepts into the curriculum, such as marine ecosystems approaches to sustainable fisheries. It thus provides concrete experimental opportunities relevant also to the efforts of the Regional Programme for Environment Education (PREE), which engages IUCN together with the ministries of education of seven NW African countries. The school has a track record of working on environmental themes, even before they received wider official recognition. Examples are some earlier efforts, such as beach clean up and drawing attention to the pollution from untreated waste from Dakar provoking unhealthy conditions in Hann Bay. These are illustrated in the article on the FAO - EAF Nansen project. For the profile of the school itself, read more.
Santa Yalla School in Rufisque experiments with the babyfish ruler
 Santa Yalla School in Rufisque, Senegal, is experimenting with the fish ruler to alert the school community against overfishing. This is an off-shoot of the FAO / EAF Nansen pilot activities, which the deputy-director learnt about and liked. The school has also set up a profile on the website expressing their interest to network with others. Read more.
 Welcome to the workshop 'Learning, teaching and practising - together - sustainable development'! What do young people need to know? What do they need to be able to do? What should they value enough to act upon when they graduate into adult life? What can we to together to be fit for the transitions and huge challenges of our societies? Considering that we have to feed and house 9 billion people by 2050, produce four times more energy while decarbonising our economies? Revert the impoverishment of the oceans, which lost more than 90% of their big species in the last century in the North Atlantic alone. These were key questions participants from Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America discussed upon invitation of Mundus maris on 2-3 March 2012 at the Free University of Brussels. The wealth and diversity of past experiences shared by the participants opened new insights and a strong sense of togetherness and trust. New joint activities are on the cards. Read more.
 Mundus maris - Sciences and Arts for Sustainability asbl has stepped up participation in the 2012 agenda of Campus Plein Sud at the Free University of Brussels (ULB). This time, we organised or participated in four successful events. The theme in the tenth year of existence focuses again on water and sustainability issues, this time with particular attention to climate change. From its beginning, the ambition of Campus Plein Sud was to inform the campus community of the many facets of development "in the global South" so as to replace the caricature of misery or exoticism often painted by the media with more nuanced understanding. The climate change and global trade and sustainability perspectives forcefully illustrates global interdependencies. Read more.
Will we still be able to eat swordfish, tuna loins, tasty grouper, octopus and native mussels and oysters from near home or will we eat jellyfish burger in the future? What can we learn from the culinary seafood traditions and the culture of the many nationalities that have developed a love for the sea and its food? Quite a few have also settled in Brussels and Belgium leaving a stamp on the eating habits of the European capital. This is the beginning of a series of invited articles and activities, which we will feature in 2012, in the occasion of the year of gastronomy in Brussels, 'Brusselicious', and the growing attention to issues of food, culture and food security further afield. Read more.
The project about developing and testing teaching modules on marine ecosystems in pilot schools in Senegal and The Gambia is gaining momentum. Mundus maris, in collaboration with experienced local partners, Stay Green Foundation in The Gambia and UNI.V.ERE in Senegal, is developing a teaching aid kit, which will be tested in the first quarter of 2012. Five schools in Hann and Kayar (Senegal) and four schools in Gunjur and Tanji (The Gambia) will participate. The collaboration takes place in the context of pilot activities supported by the FAO's EAF Nansen project. Read more.
 Examples to Follow! Expeditions in aesthetics and sustainability is an exhibition of works by some fourty artists and arts groups inviting the public to reflect critically about the devastating effects of consumerism and become active themselves in protecting our planet. The exhibition is supported by the German Federal Cultural Foundation, Heinrich Böll Foundation and others and was initially inaugurated 2 September 2010 in Berlin. It has since travelled to several German cities and is set to be shown in Mumbay, India, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 2012. Mundus maris contributed to the reader adding further material to the exhibition, its catalogue and other accompanying materials. These publications were awarded the iF-Award in November 2011 after winning other prizes before. Read more.
 Maria Damanaki, EU Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, spoke on 22 November 2011 in the European Parliament at a seminar promoting low impact fisheries. The seminar was organised by Seas at Risk, an umbrella organisation for environmental NGOs from 11 countries in collaboration with MEPs Anna Rosbach, Isabella Lövin and Christofer Fjellner. Research findings were presented showing that many parts of the Commission proposal for reforming the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) went into the right direction, but that some parts needed further strengthening. A particular plea was put forward to provide positive incentives for low impact fishing and to discourage destructive gear and fishing methods. In her response, the Commissioner commented that “we need the fish, but we need to fish in a smarter way...”. Read more
 In traditional communities, the dichotomy between modern and customary power reveals itself as being all but a myth. Boucar FALL is a traditional chief of the fishermen in Hann-Pêcheurs (the fishing village inside the town of Hann). According to Boucar Fall, in the past, governments have always relied on customary power to manage conflicts between citizens, whether in the field of conflict in general or that of the distribution and collective management of natural resources. The traditional leader illustrates this statement through a few examples, without trying to be comprehensive, of course. Read more.
 Dr. José Lozán is a long-term guest scientist from Peru working at the University of Hamburg. During his work at the university he has been particularly concerned with making the best science about water, the oceans and our climate available to young people and the public at large. The last public symposium he organised from 20 to 22 September 2011 was part of the high-level events of the now well-known Hamburg Climate Weeks. Mundus maris contributed to the latest activities co-organised by Dr. Lozán and interviewed him to learn more. Read more.
 With "Kayar – a childhood caught in the nets", based on the life of artisanal fishermen in the third port in Senegal, the French filmmaker Thomas Grand offers a fascinating as well as oppressive portrait of the drama of this lively fishing town. The film describes the life and prospects of Adama, a boy turned fisherman. Kayar does not have a nursery school and a very limited capacity in primary schools. The film shows this harsh reality, where many children must return home after failing to find a place. The film is based on an extensive research of about three years which allowed precise targeting of awareness about the challenges and preparing the emergence of new initiatives to address these critical issues experienced in Kayar. Thomas Zadrozny reviews the film and interviews the film director. Read more.
 SeeArt - Sciences and Arts for Sustainability - was a youth exhibition in Hilden, Germany which brought together group and individual works from young people and schools from some 10 countries from around the world reflecting on what can be done to protect the seas and increase international cooperation and solidarity. It was organised by Helmholtz-Gymnasium Hilden and Mundus maris and opened by the mayor. Ansgar Beer with his working group 'Sciences and Art for Sustainability' were the driving forces behind the success. Between 26 June and 17 July 2011 works were on display in the exhibition hall at the Business Park South. Funds raised through an auction go towards the Oloibiri Resources Centre in the Niger Delta. Read more
 "Ten percent of the big fish still remain. There are still some blue whales. There are still some krill in Antarctica. There are a few oysters in Chesapeake Bay. Half the coral reefs are still in pretty good shape, a jeweled belt around the middle of the planet. There's still time, but not a lot, to turn things around."
Sylvia Earle, marine scientist and winner of the TED Prize 2009. Her wish was to join her in protecting the vital blue heart of the planet.
Citation selected by Daniele d'Antonio, interview title: save the little fish today or you won't have big fish tomorrow! - Read more.
 European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki, opened this year's Slow Fish fair in Genoa, Italy. She was particularly keen on contributing to the fight against illegal fishing and healthy marine ecosystems. Mundus maris contributed specifically to two of the workshops, one on fishing in Africa and one on direct sales and traceability - another aspect of fighting illegal operations. In addition to these types of multi-stakeholder reflections, Slow Fish offered a variety of sustainably produced fish food, educational activities and promoted sustainable tourism. Read more.
 The Shanghai Ocean University hosted the 9th Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum (9AFAF) and several associated symposia from 21 to 25 April 2011. Working with and mentoring young people has been a staple for Stella Williams of Mundus maris, who also spoke at the 3rd Gender in Fisheries and Aquaculture Symposium organised as well in Shanghai. Stella gave an invited talk in the event and also seized the opportunity to show three posters specifically focussing on people in aquaculture - mostly women. Stella says, meeting the young people from the university was among the best parts of a very interesting trip. Read more.
The school is also actively involved in pilot activities in the framework of the FAO - EAF Nansen project aimed at testing teaching aids to support the introduction of ecological concepts, such as marine ecosystems and sustainable fisheries, into the curriculum, and thus giving concrete experimental ground also to the efforts of the PREE. Some earlier efforts of the school in terms of beach clean up and drawing attention to the pollution and resulting unhealthy conditions in Hann Bay are illustrated in the article on the FAO - EAF Nansen project |
