Celebrate World Oceans Day on June 8th!

In December 2008, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution officially recognizing June 8th of every year as World Oceans Day.

The Alaska SeaLife Center is joining The Ocean Project and its worldwide network of partners to help promote and coordinate World Oceans Day events.

The 2010 World Oceans Day Theme is “Oceans of Life.�  It focuses on ocean biodiversity, and encourages people to “pick your favorite protect your favorite.�

But there are many additional ways to get involved in the Ocean celebration, including the ideas below:

1. Experience a direct connection to Alaska’s marine wildlife by visiting the ASLC.  We’ll be giving away tickets, tours, and prizes each hour during the day!  Your admission, memberships, and donations all support our work in research, wildlife rehabilitation, and education.

2. Whether you visit or not, send an e-mail to amyh@alaskasealife.org or post a comment on our Facebook page to tell us about your favorite Alaska SeaLife Center animal.  We’ll put a photo of the winning species on our website and Facebook page, and send a copy of the photo to those who request it.  

3. Eat some sustainable seafood for breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner!  You can learn about the best choices by going to Monterey Bay’s Seafood Watch page at http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx.  There’s even an iPhone and iPad app for Seafood Watch!

4.   Touch the ocean!  If you live near marine waters, go to a beach and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of a healthy saltwater ecosystem.  If you see trash or debris, please pick it up and discard it properly so it won’t end up harming any animals.

5. Read a marine-related book or story, or watch an ocean-themed film—Disney’s new feature will be in theaters, or you can rent old favorites like “Finding Nemo.�  Find lots of suggestions at
   http://www.marinebio.org/Research/References/
   and  http://www.forsea.org/booklist.html

6. Wear blue, and get all your friends to wear it too!