The Sandals Foundation, Georgia Aquarium, and CLEAR Caribbean have partnered to host a series of shark education training workshops to improve shark education and awareness among fishers, students and technical team members between November 2-6 in Dennery, Soufriere and Gros Islet. The training sessions will build stakeholders’ capacity to understand the types of sharks in Saint Lucian waters, the importance of sharks to the marine ecosystem, and tips on how to interact with sharks.
The 5-day training hopes to engage one hundred stakeholders including fishers, divers, students, members of the Soufriere Marine Management Association, and Sandals Resorts team members. The series follows the successful completion of similar shark education training in Jamaica in 2023. First of its kind on that island, some one hundred (100) stakeholders including fishers, media, technocrats, students, and conservationists were engaged to increase education, reduce fear of sharks, share conservation tips, and examine the local laws for their protection.
“Generally, there is a significant need for public education on sharks in the Caribbean. The Sandals Foundation sees this latest venture as essential to building the capacity of more regional stakeholders in conservation efforts,” says Georgia Scarlett, Environmental Projects Manager at the Sandals Foundation.
“Promoting marine conservation and education is a pillar to our mission,” said Bailey Dawson, director of education at Georgia Aquarium. “Our partnership with the Sandals Foundation helps us reach more people about the misunderstandings about sharks and hopefully enable more conservation practices.”
Georgia Aquarium, based in Atlanta, Georgia, is a nonprofit organisation and the largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere committed to inspiring awareness and preservation of oceans and aquatic animals worldwide. Over the years, the United States based team has been working with partners in the Caribbean region towards increasing marine conservation efforts.