A presentation about the Jellyfish Project - a local project to raise awareness of the ocean's fragility, encourage consumers to buy only sustainable seafood and lobby for the use of biodegradable plastics that won't clog oceans and kill fish and seabirds - was well-received by Sechelt council's committee of the whole last Wednesday (July 28).
Delegate Daniel Kingsbury outlined the project, saying jellyfish are a symbol for the ocean's fragility.
Numbers of jellyfish, he said, are increasing around the world and may be caused by rising ocean temperatures and the loss of other forms of sea life, though biologists haven't studied them long enough to know for sure.
The Jellyfish Project is looking to raise awareness of three topics: the existence of the Pacific Gyre (a current-free zone in the Pacific, approximately twice the size of Texas, where plastics accrue and kill fish and birds); the need to buy sustainable seafood rather than endangered and at-risk species; and the need to use biodegradable plastics that won't clog the Gyre.
"The world's oceans are being overheated, overfished and overpolluted," he said. "So I'm just trying to bring an awareness piece, so that as consumers we're empowered to make smart choices."
The plan to get these messages across is firstly to paint a jellyfish by each of Sechelt's storm drains to pique local curiosity about the project, and secondly to leave pamphlets on residents' doors, which can be tucked into wallets and used as a consumer's cheat-sheet in order to avoid buying endangered seafood species.
Kingsbury said he plans to co-ordinate with School District No. 46 to get students involved with the project. He said he also intends to speak with Gibsons council about the project.
"Wouldn't it be great if it started here and then went viral and took off in North America?" he asked council members.
Councillors reacted positively to the presentation and passed a motion to have the District's sustainability manager investigate ways that Sechelt council can help the project move forward.
