Dr. Emma McKinley, Cardiff University
The evolution of Ocean Literacy and the opportunities for marinas
For generations, the ocean has been a connector across time and space, a place for travel, trade and recreation and culture. Recent years have seen a growing call for better understanding of the many, and complex, relationships held between people and their ocean, coasts and seas. This has been particularly emphasised in the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development – launched in 2021, this decadal programme explicitly recognises the connection between people, ocean and place, and calls for a restoration of societal relationships with the ocean as one of its 10 pivotal challenges (Glithero et al., 2024)[1]. Ocean literacy has been positioned as a mechanism for change, increasingly recognised as a societal outcome, rather than an individual process. But what is ocean literacy? And what does it mean for marinas and their communities?
Although the momentum and interest around ocean literacy has grown in recent years, ocean literacy is not a particularly new concept. First coined in the early 2000s by marine educators in the USA who recognised a lack of ocean science within the national curriculum, ocean literacy has long been defined as ‘having an understanding of the ocean’s influence on us and our influence on the ocean’ (Cava et al.,2005)[2]. Grounded in seven key principles and education-based initiatives targeted at school-age students, the goal of early ocean literacy programmes was to build awareness and understanding of the ocean, increase ability for young people to be able to communicate about the ocean using their improved knowledge and to use that knowledge and understanding to take responsible ocean action. For almost 20 years ocean literacy was led by these three underpinning dimensions of knowledge, communication and behaviour.
More recently, however, and with a growing community of ocean literacy researchers and practitioners from across disciplines and sectors, the concept of ocean literacy has shifted and changed. At this mid-way point of the UN Ocean Decade, ocean literacy now encompasses at least 10 different dimensions (see image below) (McKinley et al., 2023)[3], including awareness, attitudes, access and experience, trust and transparency, and ‘emoceans’ or the emotional connections held by people towards the ocean – whether these are negative, positive or neutral!
So, what does this all mean for marinas?
Beyond our individual and collection responsibility to take ocean action, in their position at the gateway of the ocean and as long-term stewards of their coasts and seas, marinas are perfectly placed to support efforts to foster and enhance ocean literacy among the marina network and beyond.
In the first instance, marinas have the power to increase access to ocean solutions, with many already installing services like pump-out stations to reduce the risk of black and grey water entering the marina or local waters, improving waste management on marina sites and developing information leaflets to raise awareness among members about ocean issues and expected pro-environmental behaviours. However, a recognised challenge in some cases even when facilities are available, berth holders and members do not always avail of them. There is a real need to understand what the barriers to these actions are and to understand how the marina sector can better motivate its community to be active ‘ocean citizens’.
Related to this, a key area of work emerging from the ocean literacy research community has been assessments of existing ocean connections and knowledge, including gathering insights into barriers people may encounter around ocean actions. Several national and place-based assessments have been published since the start of the UN Ocean Decade, including the recently launched Ocean and Society Survey[4], which can be tailored to different contexts. While not focused on marina users, the national assessments done in the UK, for example, provide useful information about the types of behaviours people are likely to – or indeed already – adopt, and what the barriers to certain behaviours might be. In England[5], for instance, 42% of people indicated that they would be likely to make some sort of behaviour change to benefit the ocean in the coming year, with reasons for this including concerns about climate change (64%) and worrying about future generations (53%). Data is also available on the types of behaviours people are already doing – whether that is recycling more (77%), avoiding excess packaging (49%) – as well as helping us to understand why people might not take certain actions (e.g. feeling like they already do what they can, that the expected action is too expensive, or just simply that they don’t want to change their lifestyle). By tailoring surveys like this to the marina sector, they can offer a valuable tool for marina operators and the wider sector to gather insights into the motivators and crucially the obstacles (e.g. cost to users, convenience, lack of facilities, lack of time among other reasons) felt by members with a view to increase access and uptake of these facilities by addressing these concerns. Having this information to hand means marina operators can better understand what actions are being done and where and how they might need to focus additional effort to increase uptake of another. This could include, for example, targeted campaigns, improved messaging and marketing around marina sites, reminders of existing facilities for members and more!
In terms of connections with wider society, increasingly, sport and sailing in particular are being highlighted as key opportunities for engaging a broad audience in ocean issues. For several years, for example, the Ocean Race has been delivering a ‘Champions of the Sea’[6] programme to engage young people in host cities, with Ocean Race sailors delivering key ocean messages around plastic pollution[7]. Further, the UN Ocean Decade’s Cultural Heritage Framework Programme[8] champions the importance of marine culture and heritage – the marina sector has the potential to raise the recognition of their role as beacons of nautical and maritime heritage, celebrating stories and songs, retaining traditional skills and fostering connection and collective sense of identity. By embracing programmes and working with others to connect all of society to their ocean, coast and sea, there is an opportunity for marinas to not only increase levels of ocean literacy within the marine community, but also beyond.
[1] McRuer, J., Glithero, D., McKinley, E., Pagès, J., Fauville, G., Morris-Webb, E., Hart, N., Strang, C., Christofoletti, R., Hulme, S., Grainger, E., Pinheiro, B., Payne, D., Bridge, N., Lindoso, V., Machado Martins, I., Zandvliet, D., Bueno Fernandes, M., Bumbeer, J., & Shellock, R. (2025). Co-designing the Ocean & Society Survey–A Global Tool for Understanding People-Ocean Connections and Mobilizing Ocean Action. Ocean & Society.
[2] Ocean Literacy Survey Results 2022 - Ocean Conservation Trust
[3] https://www.theoceanrace.com/en/learning/champions-for-the-sea
[4] McRuer, J., Glithero, D., McKinley, E., Pagès, J., Fauville, G., Morris-Webb, E., Hart, N., Strang, C., Christofoletti, R., Hulme, S., Grainger, E., Pinheiro, B., Payne, D., Bridge, N., Lindoso, V., Machado Martins, I., Zandvliet, D., Bueno Fernandes, M., Bumbeer, J., & Shellock, R. (2025). Co-designing the Ocean & Society Survey–A Global Tool for Understanding People-Ocean Connections and Mobilizing Ocean Action. Ocean & Society.
[5] Ocean Literacy Survey Results 2022 - Ocean Conservation Trust
[6] https://www.theoceanrace.com/en/learning/champions-for-the-sea
[7] Hunt, L. and McKinley, E., 2024. Using a Global Sporting Platform for Ocean Literacy-Insights from the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18.
[8] Home - The Cultural Heritage Framework Programme