ECOFISH, led by Incatema, collaborates with World Oceans Day

8 June, 2021

The ECOFISH programme, led by Incatema Consulting & Engineering, took part in the organisation of the webinar held on 8 June, to celebrate World Oceans Day under the theme The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods on Mauritius island. This annual event is organised all over the world to mark the importance of the oceans for sustaining life in all its forms on Earth.

Oceans cover 72% of the planet’s surface and constitute more than 95% of the biosphere. 50% of the Earth’s oxygen comes from the oceans. They provide the world’s population with approximately 20% of its protein consumption. 250 million people earn an income from sea fishing on the planet.

World Oceans Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly on 5 December 2008 at the initiative of Canada. The date of 8 June was chosen because 80% of ocean pollution is caused by 8 million tonnes of plastic, which generate costs of 8 billion dollars for our marine ecosystem per year.

It is framed within Sustainable Development Goal 14: “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources”, of the 2030 Agenda established by the United Nations. 2021 is moreover a significant year because it constitutes the start of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) whose main objective is to strengthen international cooperation and promote scientific investigation and innovative technologies to link ocean sciences to society’s needs.

The ECOFISH programme, led by Incatema Consulting & Engineering takes place in Eastern Africa, Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean region for the purpose of fostering the Blue Economy in the Horn of Africa, as previously reported here.