Air show provides outlet to raise marine awareness
Staff from Cefas (the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) will be attending the Lowestoft Seafront Air Festival on 24-25 July and showing off work being done on seabed science.
Cefas administers the Marine Environment Protection Fund (MEPF) on behalf of Defra (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). In 2002, the government imposed a levy on all primary aggregate production (including marine aggregates) to reflect the environmental costs of winning these materials. A proportion of the revenue generated is used to provide a source of funding for research aimed at minimising the effects of aggregate production.
The MEPF has helped to fund initiatives devised by Cefas scientists to raise awareness about the marine environment. For example:
- a dedicated classroom and "touch pool" at Great Yarmouth's Sea Life Centre
- Cefas' Seabed Quest workshops for schools
- other work with local students, such as those at Kirkley High School, Lowestoft, who have supplied marine-themed artwork for various related events
- community outreach opportunities, such as the Lowestoft Seafront Air Festival.
Cefas' Denise Goldsmith said: "The Sea Life Centre's new classroom is a creative workspace for lessons, and the touch pool offers visitors the chance to learn about the amazing marine life on display at the Centre. "We try to make science come alive for those who don't normally look beyond the sea's surface. Our stand at the Air Show will be a great chance to raise awareness about marine-related issues much more widely." The Seabed Quest workshops are aimed at children at Key Stages 1 and 2. The workshops are delivered directly in schools and are aimed especially at children living within coastal areas.
Notes for editors
- Cefas is an internationally renowned scientific research and advisory establishment, based at Lowestoft since 1902. It currently also has laboratories at Burnham-on-Crouch and Weymouth, and a number of other facilities around the UK.
- Operating as an executive agency of Defra, Cefas works alongside government and other agencies, both in the UK and internationally, to play a vital role in securing healthy marine and freshwater environments for everyone’s well-being, health and prosperity. It applies its expertise and knowledge gained through over 100 years of applied science and research to fisheries management, environment and biodiversity protection, and aquaculture. For more about its range of activities visit www.cefas.co.uk.
- The MEPF is the primary marine delivery partner of the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF), a funding vehicle delivered through Defra. The ALSF has three key objectives: a) minimising the demand for primary aggregates; b) promoting environmentally friendly extraction and transport; and c) reducing the effect of local aggregate extraction. For more about the MEPF and the ALSF visit www.alsf-mepf.org.uk/default.asp.
- Cefas’ Seabed Quest workshops have been very popular, with the summer term fully booked within weeks of its promotion at Easter 2008. Contact Denise Goldsmith (denise.goldsmith@cefas.co.uk) directly to book workshops.
- The Sea Life Centre classroom is available to schools and other groups, on request. For more about the Sea Life Centre, including opening times, visit www.sealifeeurope.com. School visits and classroom bookings should be arranged by telephoning 01493 330631.
- Wall displays at the Sea Life Centre classroom will change each term, giving local and regional schools the opportunity to show off their own marine-themed artwork to a wider audience. Schools wishing to submit artwork for display should contact Cefas’ Denise Goldsmith (denise.goldsmith@cefas.co.uk).
- For more about the Lowestoft Seafront Air Festival visit www.lowestoftairfestival.co.uk/.
Press contact:
Anne McClarnon: Telephone: 01502 524370 / Email: anne.mcclarnon@cefas.co.uk
