This National Science Week (15-23 August) international non-profit, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), is launching its Saltwater Schools education initiative to help plug Australia’s ocean literacy gap.  

One in eight science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classes in Australia are taught by a teacher outside their field of expertise 1. The MSC’s Saltwater Schools initiative aims to address this by providing specialist information through a series of curriculum-aligned lesson plans and multimedia content for the classroom. The free to use resources designed by teachers for teachers cover topics such as fish adaptations, the effects of climate change on the ocean, the marine food web, sustainable fishing and more.

The education initiative is being launched by marine scientist and former presenter of Channel 7's Get Clever, Laura Wells, the Marine Stewardship Council’s resident shark biologist, Dr Adrian Gutteridge, and youth ambassador, Nicola Tsiolis, in a special live-stream Zoom for the classroom. With almost a thousand people expected to attend from all over Australia, the session which takes place Monday 17 August 11:30 – 12:30 AEST, also aims to inspire teachers to access and use the resources in their own classes.

The virtual lesson Ending Overfishing: Virtual Classroom with Marine Scientists is designed for science and geography school students age 10-12+. As well as learning about ocean-health related topics students will hear first-hand experience about what it’s like on Antarctica and have their questions answered by a shark expert. A 'sustainable oceans' quiz will also provide the opportunity to win an annual subscription to National Geographic Kids magazine. 

Speaking about the importance of ocean-themed education, Anne Gabriel, Oceania Program Director at the Marine Stewardship Council, said: "Young people are our future leaders and more than ever are keen to make a positive impact in the world. Our oceans are under immense pressure from pollution, climate change and overfishing. As we pass the baton to the next generation, education is key to generating greater understanding, urgency and action to protect our big blue planet.

"As a parent and advocate of the health of our oceans, I know all too well how wondrous life below water can be for young people. Whether you're a teacher looking to inspire your class or a parent grappling with home-schooling, the new resources contained in our Saltwater Schools initiative are a great way to engage young minds to embrace sustainability."

The initiative comes at a time when the majority (74%) of Australian seafood consumers believe that schools and universities need to do more to educate people about the health of our oceans. That's according to a recent study by independent research consultancy GlobeScan.

The study also shows that the top concerns Australians have about threats to the ocean are pollution such as plastics (61%) and overfishing (51%). More than three-quarters (78%) also believe we need to protect fish populations so our children and grandchildren can enjoy fish in the future.

Oceans contain up to 80 per cent of life on earth 2, with seafood providing an important source of protein to more than 3 billion people across the world 3.  However, according to the United Nations, a third of fish populations are fished beyond sustainable limits, and a further 59.6% are fished to their maximum capacity 4. 

The Marine Stewardship Council is an international non-profit with a vision of the world’s oceans teeming with life, and seafood supplies safeguarded for this and future generations. Consumers can feel confident in their choices by purchasing seafood with the Marine Stewardship Council’s blue fish tick, which recognise and reward sustainable fishing practices and help put an end to overfishing.

The free educational resources including family friendly sustainable seafood recipes are available to download at msc.org/saltwaterschools