SASSI Educates the Educators in Cape Town and Durban

This winter SASSI attracted a group of dedicated educators from diverse organisations to engage on the topic of sustainable seafood and its role in education. The workshop took place in Cape Town and in Durban and the groups ranged from school teachers to conservation organisations and rangers- a powerful mix of passionate educators. The quaint setting of Intaka Island set the scene for a captivating workshop in Cape Town, whilst SAAMBR (The South African Association for Marine Biological Research) based at Ushaka Sea World played host to the Durban workshop. Cape Town educators were treated to a fascinating talk on “Lost Worlds: Extinctions–Past & Present by world renowned palaeobiologist, Professor Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan. Her talk painted a clear picture of the ancient fossil records, evolution and the environment, taking the audience on a journey of the past and current status of our world which includes the (human-induced) sixth extinction. The message was that not all hope is lost because we have the power to curb the tide of our negative impacts on our planet. SASSI speakers then presented a snapshot of our oceans and without too much doom-and-gloom, we moved on to a solution for consumers and educators alike that is of course, the SASSI tools and the MSC certification. The workshops aimed to update educators on the state of our oceans as well as developments on seafood sustainability globally and nationally. The highlight of the workshop was discussion and feedback from educators on their challenges and requirements in helping to spread the sustainable seafood message. The engagements certainly enable SASSI to spring into action and work toward our new goals around sustainable seafood education.