KUALA LUMPUR, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia's biggest oceanarium Aquaria KLCC marked World Oceans Day on Wednesday with a ceremony here to remind the public of the impact of human actions on the ocean and raise awareness of the importance of sustainable marine management.

The event, held in cooperation with the Malaysian Department of Fisheries (DOF) and themed "Revitalizing: Collective Action for The Ocean," kicked off with an underwater mermaid show named "Danger to the Beauty," an underwater story showing how plastic waste in the ocean negatively impacts marine lives.

Additionally, in conjunction with World Sea Turtle Day which falls in the same month, Aquaria KLCC treated the visiting school children to a day of interactive activities and workshops aimed at providing a fun and interactive educational experience.

Activities such as "Plastic or Jellyfish?" aimed to educate students on how plastic pollution affects sea turtles, as research suggests that 52 percent of the world's turtles have eaten plastic waste as a floating plastic bag can look a lot like jellyfish or algae.

The oceanarium also introduced their new jellyfish species on display, the Sea Nettle (Chrysaora Chinensis). It is native to the Indo-Pacific region and can grow up to six meters long, and is a favorite food of sea turtles. Guests and visitors were shown how sea turtles mistakenly eat plastic waste due to its similarity to jellyfish in the water, resulting in their death.

Aquaria KLCC's Executive Director Daryl Foong said the oceanarium has always been committed to environmental sustainability through education, and actively encourages the public to think about how they as individuals can lessen their impact on the ocean.

"World Oceans Day is another opportunity for us to broadcast this message. Malaysia's natural beauty and biodiversity are a national treasure, and as a nation, we stand to lose the most should we allow our oceans to continue to be polluted," he said.

"We must take action to conserve and preserve the ocean to secure a safe, sustainable, and healthy environment for future generations," he added.

The DOF said in a statement that Malaysia is one of the countries that have signed the Convention on Biological Diversity and is for the establishment of Marine Protected Areas to address various threats to marine ecosystems.

"In line with the aspiration of sustainable development, resource extraction must be balanced by conservation efforts where the development priorities need to be in compliance with the country's aquatic resource conservation obligations," it said. Enditem

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