The Sea Around Us at Vancouver’s March for Science (PHOTOS)

Photo by Deng Palomares

Photo by Deng Palomares

“It was the most organized, punctual march I’ve ever attended,” the Sea Around Us‘ Graduate Student Madeline Cashion said about the March for Science that took place in Vancouver on April 22, 2017.

Some 500 people gathered at Queen Elizabeth Theatre Plaza and, at 10 a.m., they started walking towards Creekside Park near Science World. Once there, an array of figures such as Dr. Scott Sampson, Paleontologist & CEO of Science World; Erin A’tman Ryan, Research Coordinator with the BC SPCA and member of the Syilx (Okanagan) Nation; and Marine Biologist Abby Schwarz, among others, gave speeches that touched upon the importance of academic freedom and evidence-based policy making, the cuts to scientific research funding proposed by the U.S. government, and climate change denial.

Part of the Sea Around Us team, together with students and staff from the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, attended the demonstration. Their participation was documented in the below photos by Deng Palomares.

This March for Science was part of a series of events taking place, on Earth Day, in about 600 cities in +30 countries. Beyond tackling urgent issues affecting science, the main goals were “to celebrate the very important role science plays in our lives” and to spread the word that “staying silent is no longer an option.”

Meanwhile, following the premiere of An Ocean Mystery: The Missing Catch at the Smithsonian Museum, the Sea Around Us Principal Investigator, Dr. Daniel Pauly, attended Washington DC’s March for Science.

Filmmaker Alison Barrat captured some images from the rally.