Sustainably sourced seafood, beach cleanups and fun on the beach will be the order of the day as Fijian resort Uprising Beach Resort, the Deuba community and tourists commemorate World Oceans Day and Coral Triangle Day this Sunday, June 9.
The celebrations will shed light on the importance of healthy oceans and the Coral Triangle which is a triangular stretch of tropical marine waters that hems together the livelihoods of millions of people in Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Solomons, Philippines and Timor Leste.
The South Pacific Ocean is also part of the Coral Triangle.
Coral Triangle Day in 2013 theme: Shared Waters, Shared Solutions: Coming Together as One for the World’s Centre of Marine Life—The Coral Triangle, reflects the common lifeblood that binds these countries together and how goals of conservation needs to be shared to protect this iconic natural treasure.
The Coral Triangle, dubbed the richest garden of corals and sea life or the Amazon of the seas covers 5.7 million square kilometers of oceans waters that supports the livelihoods, economies and future market supplies of species like tuna for these countries.
WWF South Pacific Communications Manager Patricia Mallam said tuna species in the South Pacific Ocean alone generate approximately $US4b a year in income for the industry.
“What we need to consider, is what would happen should we allow our oceans and its richness to be exploited?” she said.
“More importantly, the onus is on us to decide what we’re doing about it. Events such as World Ocean’s Day and Coral Triangle Day create an informal platform to discuss and raise awareness on the serious issues surrounding marine conservation. WWF supports these events and urge you to participate in celebrating the wealth of our oceans.”
At Uprising, plans for the day kick off with a Beach Clean Up at 10.30am topped off by a sustainable seafood spread that features fresh Marine Stewardship Council Certified Albacore Tuna.
Resort Operations Manager James Pridgeon said the ocean plays a major role in attracting their visitors.
“It is imperative that we support organizations like WWF in ensuring the protection and sustainable use of our natural resources,” he said.
“This Sunday our new head chef, Rajesh Ram, will be hosting a Sustainable Seafood Buffet Lunch using ingredients from suppliers who are using sustainable practices within their business such as The Crab Company Fiji and the recently MSC Certified Fiji Tuna Boat Owners Association.
“Members of the local community are also invited to come along at 11am and join the Pacific Harbour Multi-Cultural School for a Beach Clean Up, aimed at promoting a more cleaner and sustainable Fiji.
“Light refreshments, gloves and rubbish bags will be provided by the hotel to all those who participate in the clean up and we hope to get a good turn out to increase awareness on the significance of our oceans.”
Both the fun of a beach clean-up that prevents land based refuse from polluting our oceans harming marine life critical for our livelihoods and the sustainable seafood meal is expected to bring home the message that our oceans are important to our very existence as island people.
It focuses on the importance of fun and camaraderie in sharing activities and goals in ocean conservation, from the very young, the corporate, tourist and all individuals within the community.
You can get more info here: http://www.thecoraltriangle.com/day/
PRESS RELEASE