Mystic Aquarium Hosts Events on World Ocean Day

Information provided by the Mystic Aquarium

Mystic Aquarium is partnering with like-minded environmental organizations to present its World Oceans Day Celebration on Saturday, June 8 and World Oceans Day Beach Cleanup on Sunday, June 9.

Aquarium guests and beach cleanup participants will learn the critical role oceans play in our everyday lives and simple ways protect, conserve and advocate for our nation’s waterways.

Mystic Aquarium’s newest exhibit, “Animals Without Passports,” follows the humpback whale’s migration between North Atlantic feeding grounds in NOAA's Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS) off Massachusetts and the Caribbean breeding grounds. Located in the Foxwoods Marine Theater queuing hall through November 2013, the traveling exhibit showcases SBNMS’s sister sanctuaries program and describes the various hazards humpbacks face as they journey across ocean borders. Aquarium guests are offered a unique look into the issues impacting marine ecosystems and are encouraged to examine the personal role they have in the protection of one of our nation’s underwater treasures. Exhibit funding is provided by NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.

Mystic Aquarium is encouraging people to recycle derelict fishing gear through Fishing for Energy, a partnership between the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, the NOAA Marine Debris Program, Schnitzer Steel Industries and Covanta Energy, operators of a nearby Energy-from-Waste facility in Preston, Conn., which serves the sustainable waste disposal needs of Southeastern Connecticut communities. Gear collected through Fishing for Energy is recycled at Schnitzer Steel Industries facilities and combustible materials are converted intro renewable energy at Covanta Energy-from-Waste facilities. People can learn how they can participate in the Fishing for Energyprogram and about the impact of marine debris through hands-on activities at both the celebration on June 8 and the cleanup on June 9.

Additional highlights during the World Oceans Day Celebration on June 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. include an e-waste recycling fair where WeRecycle will collect old electronics, discussions on safe boating practices by Coast Guard Auxiliary and Covanta Energy, educational information on sustainable seafood purchases and free water conservation kits to use at home.

On June 9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., people are invited to the World Oceans Day Beach Cleanup at Bluff Point State Park in Groton, Conn. Participants will help clean the beach, look for Long Island Sound inhabitants using seine and dip nets, use remotely operated vehicles to look for submersed marine debris, create personal monofilament line collectors, and enjoy demonstrations by the Fishing for Energy partnership.World Oceans Day Celebration activities and demonstrations are included with aquarium membership and admission. The cleanup is free and registration is not required.