UNAIR NEWS – Ranked 19th among the best universities in Southeast Asia, Universitas Airlangga has made another contribution through the Airlangga Global Fisheries Summit program. This program is organized by the Student Executive Board (BEM) of UNAIR Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences (FPK) and themed “Realizing the Potential of a “Sustainable Blue Recovery in Southeast Asia.”
The series of events that were officially opened on Friday, November 26, focused on discussing the future of Southeast Asian fisheries with all their potential and management, referring to SDGs number 14 (Life Below Water).
This activity was carried out in several sessions on November 26, 27, and 28, 2021, from the Grand Symposium held on the first day to virtual conferences on Day 2 and closed with cultural exchanges.
In his speech, the Dean of Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, Prof. Ir. Mochammad Amin Alamsjah, revealed that the increasing carbon release due to human activities and plastic waste every year harms marine ecosystems, causing more Dead Zones in the ocean.
“Dead Zone is a zone where the sea is no longer able to become a habitat that supports marine organisms due to low dissolved oxygen and pH levels in the ocean,” he explained.
To overcome this problem, Prof. Amin continued, a collaboration between the government, academics, the private sector, and the community is needed to jointly manage and maintain marine resources so that the sustainable use of the sea to achieve the SDGs can be realized.
“Starting from small steps such as reducing the use of plastic, using local and environmentally friendly products, and educating the public on the importance of preserving marine resources for sustainable use,” he said.
Ending his speech, Prof. Amin hoped that this program would produce information that can be used as a guide in realizing the SDGs for the creation of human welfare.
“Life Below Water is an aspect that cannot be separated from human life, and therefore through this program, I hope we could create a role model in managing the potential of sustainable marine resources,” he concluded.
Author: Ivan Syahrial Abidin
Editor: Nuri Hermawan
