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iac 2012

Photos, tweets and teens: “Voices for the Future of our Oceans” are heard for 8th IAC

Posted on August 14, 2018November 30, 2018

It was all nerves and last-minute speech-revision last night in the stunning Tranquility boardroom as Two Oceans Aquarium Head of Education Russell Stevens’ terrific teenagers – the Young Biologists (YBs) – gathered to make their voices heard. PA to Russell Katja Rockstroh manned the equipment that would allow these South African future leaders to connect with their contemporaries in France, Monaco and the United States of America.

Two Oceans Aquarium Young Biologists dressed in their finest blue for the big blue. All photos by Ingrid Sinclair

The “Voices for the Future of our Oceans” video conference is part of the 8th International Aquarium Congress (IAC) that kicks off on Monday 10 September at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Hop over to this link to read the full story Voices for the Future of the Oceans.

Tranquility’s awesome view of the Ocean Basket Kelp Forest Exhibit – one of only two of its kind in the world

Two Oceans Aquarium Young Biologists were joined – via top-notch video-streaming technology and lots and lots of bandwidth – by budding marine biologists from the Institut Océanographique (Monaco), Monterey Bay Aquarium (Monterey, USA) and Nausicaá, Centre National de la Mer (France) to discuss a range of topics including descriptions of shorelines, specific environmental problems facing these shorelines, the question of whether endangered animals should be exhibited in aquariums, and how youth can be inspired to engage with nature through aquariums.

Running through the speech before the video conference launched

This youth-oriented video conference is a first for the IAC, which happens every four years. In another first, the IAC is being hosted in Africa this time around. The Two Oceans Aquarium is the host, and its staff – from the top all the way to the bottom – have been hard at work for the past two years to host the “Aquarium Olympics”.

What we saw here in South Africa

The teens from the other side of the world raised very interesting facts and issues – it was encouraging to note that marine environment challenges align the world over.

Katja and Two Oceans Aquarium (award-winning) educator Khonzani Lembeni

In Monaco, which is on the Mediterranean, booming human populations are putting immense pressure on marine resources, said the group from Institut Océanographique. Approximately 278-million tourists visit the Mediterranean every year, and it receives 30% of international marine traffic. Over-consumption of predators like bluefin tuna has resulted in dangerous multiplication of jellyfish in the Mediterranean.

Taking notes!

The Two Oceans Aquarium’s YBs outlined South Africa’s problems as follows: We are at the mercy of overfishing, pollution, poaching, seabed mining and oil spills. That’s quite a long list.

Two Oceans Aquarium Deputy Head of Education Bianca Engels jumped in to answer a question about kelp. Totally off the cuff, she rattled off the scientific names of kelp found on the South African shoreline… Very, very impressive

Students in France talked about the scale of the fishing industry and the importance of promoting sustainable seafood consumption.

Russell Stevens said: “This has been a dream come true”

For Monterey Bay Aquarium, overfishing, declining otter populations and the need for ocean conservation awareness were top of mind.

The Two Oceans Aquarium’s Young Biologist Course is very popular and offers a fun and stimulating inroad for budding biologists

Overfishing came up a lot and it was great to note that campaigns around the world are engaging with consumers to help them make sustainable choices in seafood. Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch programme has been a big success; in South Africa, the South African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI) is making inroads and in Europe, Mr GoodFish tackles the same problems … and solutions.

We took to the internet to tweet the event, and the response was amazing! Said @LightEls from California: “It is amazing how we all can connect with each other and discuss our environmental issues!” That is a cause for hope.

Russell Stevens said the video conference “has set the tone for the entire congress, with its themes of sustainability and inspiring change”

We even gained some followers who are not directly involved in the IAC. The power of modern technology! Tweeted @chriscombrink: “Quite interesting listening to the Aquariums around the world discuss challenges faced, globally.”

No one seemed unhappy about spending Friday night this way…

Two Oceans Aquarium YB @Megan_RoseF tweeted: “Educating the next generations!” Education will be emphasised at the 8th IAC as the dire need to engage future leaders becomes more apparent. Aquariums around the world are making education a priority, as was apparent during this conference, and the Two Oceans Aquarium invests one-third of its annual profits back into educating communities in and around the Cape Town area.

Outlining the issues facing the South African marine environment: overfishing, pollution, poaching, seabed mining and oil spills. A long list that is shared by shorelines around the world

For Russell Stevens, the youth conference represented something big. “This is a dream come true,” he said. On long, cross-continental journeys to other aquariums, he had often wondered how he could get his staff and students engaged with their friends across the pond. Technology has provided the answer to long-haul flights and rising travel costs (both financial and footprint-wise).

Cape Town
Nina Lawrenson  will present a synopsis of their discussions and the ensuing resolutions to the 8th IAC delegates at the CTICC on Monday 10 September 2012

A resolution was written at the end of the night, which will be presented at the 8th IAC’s Education plenary session on Monday 10 September.

Pizza!

The Two Oceans Aquarium YBs had pizza for dinner and spent the night at the Aquarium, sleeping among the sharks …

For more on last night’s event,  visit our Twitter profile for all the great – informative and quite opinionated – tweets.

Join the conversation

Please follow the 8th IAC on Twitter here – whether you’ll be attending or not. We’ll be using the hashtag #8thIAC on Twitter for IAC coverage, so follow that too. You can also “like” our page on Facebook and please do join our group on LinkedIn here for regular IAC updates, pictures and news.

  • Author: Ingrid Sinclair

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Cape Town Aquarium Tickets

IAC 2012 Cape Town offers you the list of Cape Town International Acquarium Tickets and prices.

* Adult E-Ticket                                       R175.00
* Child E-Ticket (4-13)                           R85.00
* Child E-Ticket (14-17)                         R130.00
* South African pensioner E-Ticket    R130.00
* South African Student E-Ticket         R130.00

Two Oceans Aquarium South Africa

The Two Oceans Aquarium South Africa is an international aquarium located at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town and is one of the top tourist attractions in Cape Town and over 3000 living sea animals, including sharks, different kinds of fish, turtles and penguins. You can catch a feeding show, look and feel closer a penguin and ocean experience, and if you want you can take a dive in the aquarium. Follow iac2012.co.za and stay updated!

Large Community Aquarium

A large community aquarium is one of the most complex system that animal lovers can aspire. But, if you are not experienced you should start with small community aquarium, because it will be easier to manage. Also it is good to know that there should not be a big difference between the size of the fish in your aquarium, in other words no fish should fit into the mouth of another. A large community aquarium is a tank or a bowl filled with water where living aquatic animals or plants are bred. Whereas aquarium society or aquarium fish club is a social association for fishkeepers. Follow iac2012.co.za and get informed about the aquarium societies events.

Cape Town International Convention Centre

The Cape Town International Convention Centre is a convention centre in South Africa which was founded in June 2003 and the International Aquarium Congress 2012 (IAC 2012) is the website about the Cape Town International Convention Centre, which was hosted for the first time ever at the Cape Town in 2012. Many meetings and events are being organized, whether for business, leisure, education or celebration.

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