SDG 14 - Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

Find the most recent Gazette stories for this goal here. 

Teaching and Learning:

• Marine Institute’s School of Fisheries offers programs such as industry certifications, diplomas of technology, bachelor’s degrees, and master’s degrees among others to students interested in entering the aquaculture, fishing, environmental and food industries.
• The Marine Environmental Technology undergraduate program offered at the Marine Institute is focused on marine habitats, their protection, and developing solutions to manage marine resources.
• The Bachelor of Environment and Sustainability (BES) program at Memorial’s Grenfell Campus bridges scientific concerns about natural resources with policy development and management. The four-year degree program offers two majors: one in Environmental Studies and one in Resource Management.
• The Advanced Diploma in Sustainable Aquaculture offered at the Marine Institute is designed to instruct students in research using scientific principles derived from a wide range of disciplines including Biology, Biochemistry, Ocean Sciences, Food Sciences and Engineering. Research problems may involve field and laboratory studies on various marine and freshwater flora and fauna.
• The Master of Marine Studies (Marine Spatial Planning and Management) program offered at the Marine Institute allows students to analyze how development impacts the ecological, economic, social and cultural aspects of coastal and marine areas and deliver sustainable solutions.

Research:

• Memorial is a partner in the Ocean Frontier Institute, which is focused on understanding key aspects of ocean and ecosystem change and developing strategic and effective solutions that can be applied both locally and globally. OFI’s aim is to conduct research that advances policy decisions and advances the development of a blue — and sustainable — economy. 
• In 2020, Julie Reimer, a PhD candidate at Memorial’s Department of Geography, published a paper that offers guidance to decision-makers on how SDG 14 could be achieved. She analyzed whether current tools would be able to meet the targets outlined in the goal, and recommended that investments should be made in multi sector tools.
• The Marine Institute is home to the world’s largest flume tank, facilitating a wide-range of marine research opportunities by institutions, governments, and industry groups from around the world. The tank is used to carry out performance evaluations, gear tests, and other observations on newly developed or existing fishing gears or other related equipment.
• Memorial’s Northern Region Persistent Organic Pollution Control (NRPOP) Laboratory was established by Dr. Bing Chen to research toxic organic pollutants, such as oils and pesticides, and their pollution mitigation in cold environments. The lab is also developing eco-friendly solutions for cleaning up oil spills.
• The Cold-Ocean Deep-Sea Research Facility (CDRF) at the Ocean Sciences Centre provides researchers with access to aquatic containment and habitats, bioimaging, cytometry and other analytical services to be used in the study of aquatic organisms, especially those from the cold waters of the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans.
• MI’s Underwater Exploration Laboratory in Conception Bay is a seafloor observatory which allows for real-time monitoring of oceanographic conditions and marine life. It is equipped with a high-resolution camera, as well as specialized instruments to monitor currents, waves, water tempertaure, salinity, and underwater sounds.

Public Engagement:

• Memorial and a consortium of university-affiliated and community-affiliated researchers from Mi’kmaw communities across Newfoundland received funding for their research project titled Repurposing Marine By-products or Raw Materials for the Development and Production of Functional Foods and Bioactives to Improve Human Health and Coastal Community Sustainability. Their research investigates how repurposed marine biomass can develop new products and create a more sustainable future for Newfoundland and Labrador’s coastal communities.
• Marine Debris Tracker is a free smartphone application which allows its users to log marine debris and add these items to an online map. In 2019, a group of Memorial researchers created a categorization sheet for the app, which allows its users to record the specialized marine debris often found in Newfoundland and Labrador.
• Memorial was chosen to be the new host institution for the 2021 Canada Ocean Lecture Series. Dr. Sue Molloy, a Memorial alumna, presented a lecture titled Sustainability and Systemisation in the Ocean Sector as part of the series.
• The Ocean Sciences Marine Public Education Program allows members of the public to observe and interact with Newfoundland's local sea creatures, while learning about marine life and sustainability.
• In 2017, Memorial's Bonne Bay Marine Station received funding from the provincial and federal governments. The station works with community partners to enhance marine eco-tourism, combined with ocean health and sustainability learning opportunities.

Administration:

• Memorial University’s strategic plan, Transforming our Horizons, places ocean research, targeted towards sustainability and stewardship of the water that surrounds our province, at the core of Memorial’s academic mission.
• Memorial created The Cold Ocean and Arctic Science, Technology, and Society (COASTS) Initiative, a pan-university, trans-disciplinary coordinating exercise that conducts research on the human dynamics of development in cold-ocean and Arctic contexts.