The Ocean Symposium 2022
Ella Garrud
Living Seas Officer
The Ocean Symposium is an exciting annual event held in Sussex, which brings together stakeholders working in the field of marine conservation and members of the public. This year it was held in Bexhill-on-Sea on Saturday 19th November. The event was organised by the United Nations Association, Climate and Oceans, in collaboration with Sussex Wildlife Trust and Community Supporters, and sponsored by RS Aqua.
It was a fantastic event attended by 130 people. The day was full of fascinating talks from a wide range of speakers. The morning focussed on local Sussex projects, including a talk from Dr Chris Yesson from the Zoological Society London, who gave an update on the pioneering Sussex Kelp Recovery Project, and then on Youth Projects along the coast. We heard form a group called Young Pollinators who are supporting the creation of Bexhill Beach Garden. The project aims to increase biodiversity, enable access to the beach, increase shingle stability, and increase awareness around issues our marine and coastal environments are currently facing. It was inspiring to hear what young people are doing to make a difference for our beautiful marine and coastal environments.
In the afternoon we heard from Gonzalo Alvarez, Chair of UNA Climate and Oceans, who gave an update on COP27 and the UN Decade of Ocean Science, and Nile Bunger, UNA Youth Representative in Arizona. Placing local projects in the context of global climate and ocean-related issues is essential to understanding how the work taking place in Sussex is intrinsically linked to global marine conservation.
Sussex Underwater, a group of local free divers working to raise awareness of the magical underwater world of Sussex by creating and sharing videos of Sussex marine life, made two new films especially for the event. Their films give non-divers an incredible insight into what our Sussex seas really look like, and they certainly aren’t grey and lifeless! They are bursting full of life, and we hope to see this continue following the Sussex-wide nearshore trawling ban which has been in place since 2021.
As well as the talks, the event had an interactive element in the form of stalls hosted by local marine conservation groups. During the breaks, attendees were encouraged to network with others and talk to the stall holders. The hall had an electric atmosphere, full of energy and conversations.
The Ocean Symposium will be held again in 2023 – no date yet but watch this space! We have plans to make it even better next year.
Speakers:
Dr Chris Yesson – Research Fellow, Zoological Society of London
Thea Taylor – Project Head, Sussex Dolphin Project
Jake Wilson – Fisheries and Conservation Officer, Sussex IFCA
Marianne Glascott – PhD Researcher, University of Sussex
Young Pollinators, Community Supporters
Nile Bunger – United Nations Association Representative
Gonzalo Alvarez – Chairman, UNA Climate and Oceans
Nelson Kay – Cleaner Ocean Foundation