U.S. Embassy Ottawa will be “sea-side” in June as it showcases the natural beauty and critical importance of the world’s oceans through a poster show on the Embassy’s MacKenzie Avenue fence. The show will mark World Oceans Day as well as promote the “Our Ocean” Conference in Washington, DC, being hosted by the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, on June 16 and 17.
The posters feature a variety of ocean scenes, from a school of tuna to a coral reef as well as some important facts about the current challenges facing these bodies of water and their importance to the U.S.
The ocean and Great Lakes area under U.S. jurisdiction is larger than the country’s total land mass of 3.7 million square miles. The U.S. depends upon these water resources for many activities including commercial and recreational fishing, aquaculture, navigation, commerce, and recreation and for resources such as oil, gas, minerals and sand.
“In the 20th century, the great ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau said that ‘for most of history, man has had to fight nature to survive; in this century he’s beginning to realize that, in order to live, he must protect it,'” said Secretary Kerry. “Now, in a new century, whether we’re talking about trade, or climate, or food sustainability, there can be no doubt that the ocean requires our protection and our collective action.”
The show will be on display from June 6 to 20. Media and the public are invited to take a stroll along the fence-line and take in the incredible images while considering the important role oceans play in the world.
-30-
Media Contact
Jennifer Young
Media Assistant, U.S. Embassy Ottawa
Tel: 613-688-5315 Email: youngjm1@state.gov