SFS has teamed up with organisers of the 6^th World Fisheries Congress to offer an exciting competition that encourages school children to learn more about the relationship between scientists and fisheries, and how this helps to protect the marine ecosystem.  

Pupils of high schools and primary schools taking part in Seafood Scotland’s ‘Seafood in Schools’ pilot project, are being asked to design a t-shirt for delegates at the Congress, which will be held in Edinburgh in May 2012. The design must illustrate the association between seafood and science.

Prizes for the competition are sponsored by Seafish and include £1000 worth of science equipment for the winning high school and £500 of equipment for the winning primary school.   The pupil responsible for the overall winning design will receive a presentation t-shirt at the Congress, followed by a VIP visit to Deep Sea World at South Queensferry.   A runner-up will be presented with their own design on a t-shirt and also visit the aquarium.

Jon Harman, Seafish Director of Development said: “Seafish is committed to improving awareness and understanding about the importance of the seafood industry amongst all consumers, young and old. This competition is a creative, innovative way of encouraging school children to get excited about fisheries and science, so we are delighted to offer our support. This is a great way to make learning fun, and to ensure that the pupils gain a sense of how science is being applied in real life to protect our marine ecosystem for the future.”

The winning pupil’s school will receive a visit and lecture from marine expert Professor Mike Kaiser of Bangor University, and Vice-President of the World Fisheries Congress. “We’re excited about working with Seafood Scotland to help children understand the important role of a healthy and biodiverse marine environment in providing the fish we love to eat. Education is a key tool in helping us achieve sustainable use of our seas,” he said.

Libby Woodhatch, CEO of Seafood Scotland said: “We are pleased to work with Professor Kaiser and his team on this competition. The design brief asks pupils to show an understanding of the need for marine and freshwater fisheries and aquaculture to feed the world, and to demonstrate the link between science and fisheries. Investigating this will give them a greater insight into the issue of sustainable seafood, which is one of the main aims of our Seafood in Schools programme. We look forward to seeing a high calibre of entries and have already had indication from a number of schools that they will encourage pupils to enter.”

For more information about the competition and details of how to enter please download the document here:Competition Flyer.pdf