Ocean 2012

Below are a few videos which aim to educate and share the message of Ocean 2012

Organizers Recommendation Sheet

Please find below a recommended list of activities that your organization could host during the summer. This year's focus is primarily on highlighting the importance of the ocean to humanity economically, socially and culturally. YEE has become a member of the Ocean 2012 campaign and as part of its responsibility to this movement it has agreed to the promotion of its agenda which closely matches that of YEE. Ocean 2012 is primarily an advocacy group; YEE fits into this campaign by using its wide European network to:

- Raise public awareness about Ocean 2012
- Educating youth and their families to change their consumer habits to more sustainable methods
- Give the public an opportunity to voice their opinions on a wider European level

All events below have this as the main goal/objective in mind.

Suggested Events:

Short talk about the ocean covering the following points:

- Its relevance and importance to society socially, culturally and economically
- Some interesting facts about ocean diversity and life (Pictures of cute things etc.)
- Challenges facing this ecosystem, identifying the main problems and perpetrators
- Solutions to the above mentioned problems. This would be an excellant opportunity to mention Ocean 2012.

A film night with the Ocean as the main theme, suggested viewing could include the following movies:

- End of the Line
- The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau
- BBC Blue Planet
- Oceans
- BBC Oceans
- Exploring the deep frontier
- Death of the oceans
- The little mermaid

Games with Children with the ocean as the topic:

- Themes could include children competing for limited resources
- Certain children are only allowed to catch certain types of fish and have to throw the rest away
- Children have to destroy more prizes in order to win smaller ones

These have the potential to be pretty grim (which honestly reflects the current situation), so it is important that some sort of happy ending is included.

A group visit to a local aquarium

A cooking class where sustainable fish recipes are handed out and prepared - for more information on recipes visit this excellent website

A picnic to the seaside with sustainable fish recipes as the central theme you could also invite along a knowledgeable local naturalist, contacting local fishing clubs for recommendations could also be beneficial in fostering good relations with the people on the frontline of this movement.

2012 will be marked not only as the year that will host Rio+20 Conference on sustainable development, but also as the one when young people across Europe stand up for changes in the European Fisheries Policy and make a difference for the future of environmental well-being around the world.

Every single sphere of social relations has its own regulators. Fishery, not being an exception from the rule, has its own, which was formed in 1983, it is called the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Since social relations are constantly changing, the regulators that are expected to manage them have to adapt to the new conditions presented by ever changing global conditions. The CFP by turn is subject to review every 10 years. The last such review was conducted in 2002 and the new CFP will be enforced from 2012 on. This is the year for another reassessment of the main regulations of our fishing practices on our continent.

It shall be noted, however, that the process of review of the CFP in 2012 has some characteristic features which separate it from previous revisions. It is influenced foremost by the changes that were introduced by the Lisbon Treaty which came into force in 2009. In particular, the treaty enlarged the number of actors capable of making decisions on the CFP by means of including in it members of the European Parliament. The process has been made more democratic including a wider range of Europe's diverse society.
This is exactly the point from where OCEAN2012 campaign kicks off. The mission of the campaign is to ensure that the 2012 reform of the EU Common Fisheries Policy stops overfishing, ends destructive fishing practices and delivers fair and equitable use of healthy fish stocks for future generations. The campaign mission is expected to be carried out and supported by all the interested people, but particular hope is placed on youth organizations who are objectively the most active and influential representatives of European civil society as they have the most to both lose and gain.

The main advantage of the campaign is that everyone can be involved regardless of their physical location, number of members in their organization or financial resources at their disposal. The only prerequisite for being involved is to have a desire to do so. All the other information on ways of involvement may be found at the official web-page of the OCEAN2012 website ocean2012.eu or by getting in touch with representatives of YEE engaged in the campaign.

So far OCEAN2012 has support of 158 organizations from all over Europe and beyond. But in order to have a robust impact on CFP the campaign needs even greater assistance, which means any new member are more than welcome join in order to raise awareness and spread this message to as many ears as possible.

The importance of the issue of over fishing cannot be overstated, it is a major threat financially, economically and culturally, one which if not properly looked after could have a wide ranging impact on European life as we know it.

20% of the current fish stocks are under threat of extinction and it is now high time to take concrete steps and actions to avoid further unsustainable exploitation and damage. If we do not act now, the future of our sea stocks will be destroyed. Plain and simple. Europe needs to act, we need to act. Spread the word, bring Ocean2012 up in discussion, write an article, petition your EU representative, join in local actions and enjoy the sea and all it has to offer.

We look forward to getting in touch with you and to our fruitful cooperation.

Yours faithfully,

YEE "Fishery" Team

Ocean 2012 is a global campaign with member organisations located across three continents. YEE is proud to also be a member.

The aim of the campaign is simple:

- Reform of the EU Common Fisheries Policy to stop overfishing
- End destructive fishing practices
- Deliver fair and equitable use of healthy fish stocks for future generations.

The chance to amend these policies only presents itself once every ten years, the next time an opportunity for change comes along it will be too late. The following page contains a host of links and information about getting involved, potential activities to raise awareness, videos to inform you on the current situation and email address to help apply pressure where it is needed.

Join the struggle to end EU exploitation of the ocean, take the first step in ensuring the future of our ocean by following the below links:

Potential activities for hosting an awareness day in your organisation

Letter to YEE member organisations

Video Links

Petition

News