Picture of the month
Did you know that bone ships were produced by prisoners of war, mostly those interned in Britain during the Napoleonic Wars some 200 years ago? Many have been produced as objects of art with an amazing love for detail and accuracy, even models of famous existing vessels. This is the US Frigate Chesapeake.
Bryggen is a historic harbour district in Bergen, one of North Europe’s oldest port cities on the west coast of Norway, which was established as a centre for trade by the 12th century. In 1350 the Hanseatic League established a “Hanseatic Office” in Bergen. They gradually acquired ownership of Bryggen and controlled the trade in stockfish mostly from the Lofoten in Northern Norway through privileges granted by the Crown.
A lot of focus was placed on the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication during this year's MARE Conference in Amsterdam. A specific workshop convened by Cornelia E Nauen of Mundus maris and Nicole Franz of FAO was titled “From crisis to recovery – how can research support recovery of fisheries resources and livelihoods? Exploring the case of Senegal”.
Our Ocean, Our Future - this year's motto of World Oceans Day inspired the Mundus maris booth at the Environment Festival in the Cinquantenaire Park in Brussels, Belgium, on 4 June. That kicked off a series of events organised by Mundus maris and its partners in different countries in Africa, Europe and Latin America.
Slow Fish 2017: We are the net!
At the old port - Porto Antico - in Genoa from 18 to 21 May - This was the international event dedicated to fish and sea resources that combines conviviality with scientific knowledge and good practices, education to the taste of the commitment towards the protection of aquatic ecosystems.
Preparations for World Oceans Day in full swing in Cameroon
With our new initiative of Ocean Volunteers, we collaborate for the fourth consecutive year with Mundus maris in celebrating World Oceans Day in Cameroon. We are stirring up public and private organisations, local authorities and schools and are receiving promises for cooperation from quite a few.
Preparations for World Oceans Day 2017 in Senegal are already warming up. Aliou Sall and Bina Diop of the Mundus maris Club Senegal visited the public elementary school El Hadji Talla Ndiaye in Yoff.
A project in the making
We visited two communities, Oke Ira Nla and Otodo Gbame all in Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos on 2 February 2017. Both are informal fishing communities with a majority of the men and women involved in fishing activities. The two communities are in the water front of Lagos Lagoon water body.
The Green Me Filmfestival was founded in 2007 by Nicolai Niemann and Donald Houwer. Nic Niemann became the managing director and festival president when Donald Houwer left the organisation in 2012. His wife, Nkiru Niemann, is a graduate of theatre arts and experienced in the international circuit. She is the Director International Affairs & Production
As we remind ourselves of the historical decision at last year's Climate Summit in Paris, we can keep global warming at 1.5 °C, if we really want it. This year's first Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA1) in Marrakesh, Morocco, came up with the first practical steps on how to achieve that. Let's not be fooled, more than that is needed. We need serious commitment and action starting with speeding up renewable energies, ocean protection and cleaning up the act of mobility, including the shipping industry.
To go fishing or to learn at school? In the past, the reply to this question for young boys in fishing villages was straight forward: fo go fishing! But today, in the face of overexploitation of the ocean, the old and wise men promote going to school in order to open more chances to the kids.
Third Theatre Festival "72H" of the association "Talataay – Nder" of Yarakh in Hann
For the third consecutive year, the cultural and theatre association "Talataay-Nder" of Yarakh invited people from Hann neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Dakar, to participate in the theater festival and celebrate the local culture. A great success !
The Festival of the Future in Berlin mobilised the who is who in environmental protection and sustainable economy in Germany, because the German Environment Ministry celebrated its 30th anniversary. Mundus maris was there.
Come sunshine or rain, Mundus maris Club FCFMT in Lagos keeps beach clean-up commitment
Rainy season in the Gulf of Guinea in July. Low hanging clouds and unpleasant weather are not the most inviting conditions for what's already not an exciting job.