World Fisheries Trust is split into three divisions that furthers the organization’s mission to support the sustainable and equitable use and conservation of our aquatic resources through education, research, and stewardship.
Our Mission.
Seaquaria Ocean Education is a division of World Fisheries Trust (WFT), a registered charity in Victoria, BC. WFT started in 1995 responding to a need to protect the genetic variability of dwindling BC salmon stocks.
World Fisheries Trust is split into three divisions that furthers the organization’s mission to support the sustainable and equitable use and conservation of our aquatic resources through education, research, and stewardship.
Our divisions are:
- Seaquaria Ocean Education whose focus is on local marine and aquatic ecosystem education;
- Coastal Collaborative Sciences whose focus is on local aquatic research and stewardship, and;
- World Fisheries Trust whose focus is on international projects in South America.
Creatures as Teachers.
Seaquaria was created by Joachim (Yogi) and Cathy Carolsfeld in 1998 with valuable support from the community and a network of talented and dedicated educators. Inspired by an eye-opening field trip to a Victoria beach, a few grade 6 and 7 students spotted an empty salmon tank in their classroom. They wondered, ” could we fill the tank with amazing creatures we just met on the shore?”
Parents and volunteers found the supplies to build a prototype saltwater aquarium in their classroom and obtained permits to stock it with algae and animals from the local shoreline.
A local company, WestWind SeaLab supplies, shouldered the initial challenges of assembling the first permanent ocean ecosystem Seaquarium for the school. WestWind SeaLab is now Seaquaria’s sister company.
Approach.
Seaquaria is committed to creating opportunities for youth to explore our world and take steps needed to protect it. Students participate in hands-on activities in their classrooms and on field-trips to uncover the threads that connect the coastal ecosystem we call home. We put a special emphasis on “place-based” learning by show-casing local species and by taking students to beaches and waterways located near them.
Impact.
How do we know the Seaquaria program is working? Because students are eager to learn and are asking questions about connections in the world around them. These questions are formulated in a logical, scientific manner, often with novel insights. They are finding new ways to share their learning with both local and global communities.
Teachers have found that our programming:
- Fosters empathy in students for nature.
- Promotes observational skills through hands-on learning.
- Inspires out-of- box and critical thinking through novelty and complexity.
- Provides a place for students and educators to explore their own personal interests.
- Provides a “hook”; for students previously reluctant to engage in classroom learning.