Sustainable Village in Suma Yacht Harbor” to raise awareness of marine litter issues

　Sustainable Village in Suma” was held at Suma Yacht Harbor (1 Wakamiya-cho, Suma-ku, Kobe City) on November 17. The event was organized by the Suma Yacht Harbor Management Joint Venture.

Children collecting seawater in a rubber boat

　The theme of the event was “Clean and rich oceans to protect, for the oceans 100 years from now” and provided an opportunity for marine education for children. Since the Marine Sports Foundation joined this year as the operator of the facility, which aims to be a yacht harbor open to neighborhood residents as well, the foundation is also focusing on marine education events.

　Fifty-six people, including 33 children, attended the event, where Associate Professor Yoshifumi Horie of Kobe University’s Center for Inland Marine Environment Education and Research gave a lecture on the theme of “What color is the microplastic that makes fish want to eat it? The children learned about trash separation through hands-on experience while collecting trash in the yacht harbor, and observed microplastics under a microscope after collecting seawater on a rubber boat.

　Participating children commented, “I had no idea there was so much microplastics in the ocean,” and “It was fun to pick up trash while sorting it. Mr. Kazuhiro Okada of the Marine Sports Foundation said, “We were able to hear the children’s honest opinions about the marine litter problem. We would like to continue this kind of activity in the future.