June 8 is World Ocean Day!

World Ocean Day was created at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Fifteen years later, Canada is struggling to meet its commitment to conserve our oceans’ vast biodiversity. With only 0.12 per cent of Canada’s oceans protected, there is a lot of work to do. And we need everyone’s help if Canada is going to conserve the health and majesty of our coastal and ocean environments for generations to come.

We invite you to join the David Suzuki Foundation in celebrating World Ocean Day and ask that you make a commitment to help protect the web of life in Canada’s oceans by taking the following actions:

1.  Choose sustainable seafood whether you buy it to cook at home or order it in a restaurant.

2.  Urge the Prime Minister to commit more federal funding to protect Canada’s coastal and ocean ecosystems.

3.  Discover the beauty beneath the waves to see for yourself why our oceans should be managed in a more careful way.

4.  Get informed – Listen to what the experts have to say.

See below for details...

Finally, In honour of World Ocean Day, for the week of June 4^th to 10^th, we are pleased to present the Habitat Media documentary, "Can the Oceans Keep Up with the Hunt?"

Join countless Canadians who are choosing green to improve the health of our oceans.

With simple changes to the choices you make when you buy seafood you can:

- Help protect rare and threatened marine life and the unique marine environments where they live

- Help recover depleted fish populations

- Be part of building a growing demand for responsible, sustainable and healthy fisheries that benefit the web of life in our oceans and the communities that depend on it

Visit www.seachoice.org for more information on sustainable seafood choices.

The David Suzuki Foundation is a proud member of the SeaChoice sustainable seafood initiative.

Send the Prime Minister your thoughts about the need for more ocean conservation in Canada!

The David Suzuki Foundation believes that Canada is failing to live up to its international commitments regarding the protection and sustainable management of our oceans.

Follow this link to voice your concerns about the state of Canada’s commitment to marine conservation and to send a letter today!

Some facts about ocean conservation in Canada:

- Budget 2007 offers chump change for Marine Protected Areas and marine use planning

The Federal Government recently announced a commitment to establish a few new marine protected areas. Although this sounded good, the federal budget did not allocate enough money to realize this commitment. There is a grossly insufficient level of funding in the budget to undertake the planning and consultations necessary to establish a comprehensive system of marine protected areas off our Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic coasts. There was also a lack of funding for reforms to industrial practices that are degrading our oceans.

If this situation does not change, Canada will end up with a few small protected areas while destructive practices continue in the vast majority of our marine ecosystems. A greater commitment to a precautionary approach to ocean management is needed.

- Only 0.12 percent of Canada’s oceans are protected

- Dr. E.O. Wilson says 20-30 per cent of marine areas need to be protected

Famed Harvard scientist E.O. Wilson recently affirmed that he believes that 20 per cent to 30 per cent of the world’s oceans need to be protected in order to preserve our rapidly diminishing marine biodiversity. That leaves Canada with a long, long way to go!

See Dr. Wilson’s comments.

Stunning footage of the undersea world awaits you...

See the world oceans up-close and beautiful in  

The David Suzuki Foundation is pleased to have partnered with IMAX theatres across Canada to raise awareness about the need for greater marine conservation. Click here for locations and schedules to see an exciting ocean film.

The destruction of the ocean floor by the world’s trawl fisheries continues. Recent satellite photos from China are a graphic demonstration of the extent of damage that these massive commercial operations cause. Renowned UBC fisheries scientist Dr. Daniel Pauly is shocked by the images. In a Globe and Mail article by Mark Hume, Pauly comments, “I say it is like a geological force, because firm ocean bottoms are being turned into soft, oozy bottoms on a gigantic scale.” He adds, “An environment that was dominated by large animals essentially becomes a microbial vat.”

DSF has been actively involved in an international campaign to stop these destructive practices, but Canada has not supported a UN ban on the most destructive forms of the trawl fishery. There is some good news: A recent agreement will severely restrict destructive bottom trawling in the South Pacific.

See the Globe and Mail article about these photos.

Read about international efforts to ban destructive trawl practices.

What do the experts say?

On April 3, 2007, Dr. David Suzuki was joined by Dr. Daniel Pauly, professor and director of the University of British Columbia's Fisheries Centre, and chef Robert Clark of C Restaurant to discuss their views on restoring the health of Canada’s oceans and ensuring the future sustainability of our seafood industries.

Check out these video clips for highlights from their talks.

Redfish - Greenfish: Smart seafood choices for a sustainable planet

 
Greenfish: BC Spot Prawns

These delicious crustaceans are sustainably harvested using trap cages in the Canadian Pacific. They are considered a “Best Choice”, according to SeaChoice, based on the five sustainability criteria used for our fisheries assessments: inherent vulnerability to fishing pressure; status of wild stocks; nature and extent of discarded bycatch; effect of fishing practices on habitats and ecosystems; and effectiveness of the management regime. They are seasonally fished from May to July, but over 90 per cent of the prawns caught in our waters end up in Japan. Go GREEN on World Ocean Day and ask for Canadian B.C. Spot Prawns.

Redfish: Tiger Prawns

While tiger prawns are widely available in Canadian grocery stores and restaurants, they are typically caught using trawling methods, which take high levels of bycatch, including finfish, other commercially important fishes, and significant numbers of endangered and threatened sea turtles. Trawling can also have a severe impact on the marine habitat. Don’t be tempted by those tiger prawn skewers. Go green instead.