1998 Year of the Ocean Marine Education U.S.A.: An Overview 



current issues and providing contacts for further information (website address: 

 www.seaweb.org). SeaWeb also sponsors a 90- second "Ocean Report" on National Public Radio 

 and Voice of America with Sylvia Earle. 



Aquaria 



Aquaria, maritime science centers, and museums are currently a major source of informal 

 marine education for the public. At this time, there are twenty-seven aquaria around the country, 

 some for-profit, some for nonprofit. Education is a fundamental goal for all of them. Most 

 aquaria have extensive educational outreach programs for school children and children in other 

 groups (Scouts, Boy/Girls Clubs, etc). The outreach programs include escorted tours at the 

 aquarium, classroom visits by aquarium staff, books, tapes, and curriculum materials. 



Some of the best known of these facilities are Sea World, Monterey Aquarium, Waikiki 

 Aquarium, the National Aquarium at Baltimore, the New England Aquarium, the Miami Sea 

 Aquarium, and the Chicago Aquarium. In 1 998, a new Maritime Discovery Center will open in 

 Seattle. In 1999. a new aquarium will open in Charleston, South Carolina, and another in Long 

 Beach, California, in 2000. New facilities are in the planning stage in Erie, Pennsylvania, and 

 Denver, Colorado. These facilities are extremely popular and annually host millions of people to 

 whom they provide high quality marine education opportunities. This approach to providing 

 marine education is highly successful. It could possibly be improved by cooperative input from 

 federal agencies as is now being initiated through Coastal America, a federal, multi-agency 

 consortium. 



Media 



As indicated by the SeaWeb survey, the national media have an excellent reputation with 

 respect to informing the public about the ocean. Most notable is the National Geographic Society 

 . This organization's magazine has a large public circulation, is relatively inexpensive, and is in 

 most school libraries. A notable example is the National Geographic issue of November, 1995, 

 whose theme is "Exploring the Ocean's Bounty: Diminishing Returns." Other efforts by the 

 Society in partnership with IBM have produced state-of-the-art CD-ROMs on marine life. It is 

 widely recognized that the Society's television specials are high quality and popular, which 

 explains why they are often shown on PBS-TV pledge nights. The National Geographic Society 

 plans a one hour special for the Year of the Ocean to be shown on NBC-TV in 1998. 



Everyone will miss Jacques Cousteau and he can never be replaced. His role in providing 

 marine education for the world public is unmatched and unique. He has left a legacy of books 

 and television programs for the continued benefit of the public. Some other individuals have 

 made important contributions to informal marine education. In the 1950s, Thor Heyerdahl 

 captured the attention of the world with his ocean voyages, books, and films. Currently, Robert 

 Ballard, through his JASON project, has reached many people — especially young people. He has 

 collaborated with the National Geographic Society in producing television specials. Another 



K-6 



