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Why You Should Celebrate World Ocean Day
World Ocean Day is an international day that takes place on June 8 of each year. The day was first introduced in 1992 by Canada’s International Centre for Ocean Development and the Ocean Institute of Canada. In 2008, it was officially recognized by the UN as “World Ocean Day”. The purpose of World Ocean Day is to unite everyone on the goals to protect, preserve and rehabilitate oceanic ecosystems. Together, we can keep our oceans beautiful and safe.
Three Ocean Facts You May Not Know!
- More than 50% of the world’s oxygen is produced by the ocean (thanks to kelp, phytoplankton, and algal plankton). It stores 50 times more CO2 than our atmosphere. Source
- The ocean acts as a climate buffer by transporting heat across the world through ocean currents. Since the ocean can absorb much more heat than the atmosphere, air temperatures worldwide are actually regulated by the movement of the ocean. Source
- 60% of the world’s population lives on or near the coast and the ocean provides livelihood and diet for these people. The ocean is the main source of protein for over a billion people! Source
Despite the obvious importance of the ocean, only 2% of it is protected by “no-take” MPAs (Marine Protected Areas), compared to 13% of earth’s land that is protected. MPAs are protected areas of seas, oceans or estuaries that restrict human activity for a conservation purpose. World Oceans Day reminds us that we are reliant on the ocean for a multitude of reasons and we should help protect it every day.
The Indigo Connection To Our Oceans
Ocean safety and preservation is of utmost importance to all of us here at Indigo. From source to shipment, sustainability is always our priority. We work closely with seafood processors in Canada, the United States and Europe to source fish skins for our products. Previously, these fish processors were catching and harvesting fish, only to discard the skins and sell only the filets to market.
Generally, seafood processing utilizes just 20-50% of the fish as edible portions. The discarded 50-80% is labeled “non-edible” by-product. Included in the by-products are gelatin and collagen, which actually have significant potential for various applications in food and health industries. Source
At Indigo, we recognize the value of fish skins to create functional food products, specifically marine collagen, as well as the reduction in overall waste. After the fish are caught and processed, we collect the otherwise discarded fish skins and process them into collagen. The by-product of our production, or fishmeal, is then sold to the agricultural industry. This whole process is to ensure every aspect of the fish is used and not wasted.
