MEMS stall “seals” the Sydney Boat Show

What does a life-size cut-out of a seal and a jar of dried kidney beans have in common?

They are two of the items on the Environment and Heritage Group stall that started lots of conversations at the Sydney International Boat Show held from 3-6th August at Darling Harbour.

Hundreds of people visited the stall to find out more about everything from water quality to marine mammal approach distances!

Staff on the stall had a great time talking to people about projects funded under the three Environment and Heritage Group led Marine Estate Management Strategy Initiatives, including:

• How close is too close when it comes to marine mammals? (Initiative 5: Reducing impacts on threatened and protected species)  
  Approaching marine mammals puts them on edge and affects their health, wellbeing, and survival. Boaters must stay at least 300 m away from a whale with a calf. All animals need rest to survive. You can help by enjoying their presence from appropriate distances. To learn more about seal, dolphin, and whale approach distances for boats, swimmers, drones, and land observers click here.

• ‘Invisible’ water pollutants (Initiative 1: Improving water quality and reducing litter)
  We all know that plastic impacts our oceans but how about washing your car on pavement, overwatering your garden, and sweeping leaves into gutters? These all elevate nutrient levels in our waterways (eutrophication) and can contribute to algal blooms, which can kill seagrass, fish, and other critters. You can help by washing your car/boat on grass, at a car wash, or avoiding using detergent.

• Become a RedMap citizen scientist (Initiative 3: Planning for climate change)
  South-eastern Australia is one of the fastest warming regions of the world’s oceans. Citizen scientists can help us understand how marine species are extending their ranges south by logging ‘out-of-range’ species sightings. If you are a boater, fisher or diver you likely know your local areas the best and can help us understand changing patterns by uploading information on the species you see out in the water. You can see what marine species are on the move on the NSW coast by checking out the NSW Citizen Science Report Card or see the most recent out-of-range sightings on the NSW REDMAP website.

We had a survey to help us understand how people value the ocean and get information about it. People who completed the survey and signed up to the MEMS newsletter (hello new subscribers!) went in the running to win a pair of binoculars. The lucky winner of this prize has been contacted, congratulations!

We also had an interactive poll to see what people thought has the biggest impact on waterways. Those who came to the show may remember the kidney beans that we used as counters for this poll. We have counted the votes and found that most people thought ‘emptying food scraps/grease down the sink’ was the biggest threat to our water ways. It’s great to see people are aware of this water quality issue!

There were so many amazing conversations over the whole four days. If you were one of the people who stopped and talked to us, we’d like to say thank you, we really enjoyed meeting everyone.

For those who didn’t get a chance to meet us and see the boats don’t worry, we plan to return next year!

This activity was funded by the NSW Government under the Marine Estate Management Strategy. The ten-year Strategy was developed by the NSW Marine Estate Management Authority to coordinate the management of the marine estate.