United Nations World Oceans Day

Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Cathaoirleach Denis O'Callaghan, with Catherine Harris and Cheryl Baker, members of Dun Laoghaire Tidy Towns group, flanked by representatives of Every Can Counts

Giant Sea Turtle Installation of Recycled Cans in Dun Laoghaire to Mark World Ocean Day

12th June 2024 World Oceans Day

A giant sea turtle installation made of recycled aluminium cans appeared on Dún Laoghaire East Pier to mark World Ocean Day last weekend. Made from 2,000 cans, the PixelCan artwork was created by leading recycling not-for-profit, Every Can Counts, in…

Irish marine scientist and journalist Dr Olive Heffernan (above) will be interviewed by marine journalist Lorna Siggins at the Borris festival - acknowledged as the coolest literary festival on the island - on Sunday, June 9th at 2.50 pm

The High Seas by Dr Olive Heffernan on Borris Festival of Writing and Ideas Programme This Weekend

7th June 2024 Marine Science

On the weekend of UN World Ocean Day, Irish marine scientist and journalist Dr Olive Heffernan will discuss the findings of her widely praised new book on the subject. The ocean covers 70 per cent of the planet’s surface and…

“Our oceans are a resource that we must manage and protect - they support diverse ecosystems, are a source of food, influence our climate and weather, and offer countless benefits to our health and wellbeing,” said Dr Rick Officer, CEO of the Marine Institute

Celebrating UN World Oceans Day 2024: The Marine Institute Emphasises the Importance of Ocean Conservation

7th June 2024 Marine Science

The Marine Institute is proud highlighting the importance of the ocean surrounding our shores by celebrating UN World Oceans Day on Saturday, 8th June 2024. The United Nations World Oceans Day takes places on 8th June each year, and raises…

Catalyst Coffee and Bray Sealife partnered up for a big clean-up for World Ocean Day removing almost 10 full bags of marine litter at Bray beach in County Wicklow

22.5 Tonnes of Litter Collected Across Ireland for World Ocean Day by Clean Coasts Volunteers

14th June 2022 World Oceans Day

Over 230 clean-ups took place with over 4,000 volunteers answering Clean Coasts’ call to action to protect our ocean this June. As Afloat reported previously, Wednesday the 8th of June marked the global celebration of World Ocean Day, an initiative…

United Nations World Oceans Day 2022 Comes at Pivotal Moment for Irish and EU Marine Protection – Ireland South Green Party MEP

8th June 2022 Marine Wildlife

As the United Nations gears up for a landmark conference later this month in Lisbon on ocean protection and conservation, World Oceans Day today (8 June 2022) marks what could be a crucial turning point in our relationship with the…

World Oceans Day - The June 8th date was designated by the United Nations

Galway Atlantaquaria Hosts talks for World Oceans Day

8th June 2022 Marine Wildlife

The "underwater treasure" around over 3,000 km of Irish coastline is the theme of three talks hosted by Galway Atlantaquaria to mark World Oceans Day. As Dr Noirín Burke of Galway Atlantaquaria says, Ireland can “boast an incredible range of…

Pictured at the launch of the Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) Clean Oceans Initiative Fishing Gear Retirement Scheme to coincide with World Oceans Day on 8 June are: BIM Chairman Aidan Cotter, fisher David Kirwan, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D. and BIM CEO Jim O’Toole

Pilot Fishing Gear "Retirement Scheme" Announced on World Oceans Day

8th June 2022 Marine Wildlife

A “Clean Oceans” fishing gear retirement scheme has been announced by Minister for Marine Charlie McConalogue to mark World Oceans Day. The project, which is aimed at collecting old and damaged fishing gear, is to take place this autumn and…

The ROV Holland 1 ready to be deployed at dawn from the RV Celtic Explorer

Tune Into Live Chat With Ireland’s Marine Scientists on World Oceans Day

3rd June 2022 Marine Science

Tune into a live chat with Ireland’s marine scientists to celebrate World Oceans Day next Wednesday 8 June. The conversation will be broadcast live on the Marine Institute’s socials — Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube — at 10.30am. Join Marine…

About World Ocean Day

World Ocean Day is celebrated annually on June 8th to highlight the important role the ocean has for our life and the planet. The focus each year is on the 30x30 campaign: to create a healthy ocean with abundant wildlife and to stabilise the climate, it is critical that 30% of our planet’s lands, waters, and oceans are protected by 2030.

One of the issues affecting our ocean is marine litter which has become a global problem for both humans and marine life. However, communities around Ireland have demonstrated their desire to be part of the solution by taking part in several beach cleaning and clean-up calls to action.

Statistics show that the number one cause of marine litter is litter dropped in towns and cities.

In 2021, the initiative changed its name from “World Oceans Day” to “World Ocean Day”. By dropping the “s”, its organisers wanted to highlight the fact that we are all connected by a large ocean. This shared ocean supports all life on the planet, by producing most of the oxygen we breathe and regulating climate. No matter where we live, we all depend on the ocean to survive.

This means that each piece of marine litter removed from a beach, river, lake, park or street in Ireland, will have a positive impact on a global scale.