In May 2011 Selfridges launched Project Ocean, a month long campaign bringing the issue of the exploitation of fish stocks to the public’s attention.

To assist with the project Selfridges collaborated with 20 environmental and conservation groups, who consulted on a whole host of events throughout the store.

The campaign was a whole-hearted affair; with escalators draped with lavish marine art installations, store windows dressed in underwater finery and an exclusive Project Ocean product range. Furthermore evening events were organised and fun activities took place daily, providing endless ways to get involved.

The London store arranged talks on four consecutive Thursdays in their snazzy Ultralounge. The discussions focused on the impact of over-fishing on marine life, potential solutions and the effects on local fishing communities both in Britain and overseas.

The first talk, titled “Fishing In Troubled Waters” was chaired by “End of The Line’ author Charles Clover who, along with a panel including Fish Fight front-man Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and fashion designer, Katharine Hamnett, discussed over-fishing and the current issues around fisheries policy.

'Fencing Off The Oceans', held on the second Thursday, addressed Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and brought together chairperson Kate Humble with a string of experts including Professor Callum Roberts from the University of York and Dr Frederick Ming, the Director of Bermuda's Department of Environmental Protection. MPA's were universally deemed a good idea by the panel in protecting fish stocks when planned and managed correctly.

Journalist Camilla Cavendish chaired the talk on the third week. Titled 'Let Them East Fish', it allowed prominent members of the sustainable food industry, including salmon farmer Nick Joy and restaurateurs Caroline Bennett and Henry Dimbleby, to discuss the variety of fish available, the route their businesses took to using sustainable fish and the increasing knowledge amongst their customers of the environmental issues surrounding the fish they consume.

The final talk 'Tales from the Deep' saw an eclectic mix of people share stories about their relationship with the ocean. Willie Mackenzie gave a unique look at his time with Greenpeace, Chris Hines gave an engaging summary of his activities with Surfers Against Sewage, David de Rothschild told his story of the Plastiki voyage and Phillip Hoare told of his motivations for writing his book Leviathan.

Selfridges have embraced the culinary interest surrounding this issue and celebrated the fact that both their food-halls and their restaurants sell only sustainable fish on their menus. To allow the public to make informed choices at the fish counter Selfridges also teamed up with the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) and ZSL London Zoo to develop a Fish Guide, providing advice to consumers on which fish to buy. In addition they produced a nifty App so consumers can carry the “good and bad’ fish lists on their mobile phones.

 

Friends of Global Ocean ‘The House of Fairy Tales’ presented their first ever fully interactive theatrical production,transforming the Ultralounge into a treasure map adventure. The game was designed to celebrate magical underwater landscapes as well as raise awareness around the issues of endangered fish and threats to oceanic ecosystems.

In addition London Zoo worked alongside Guerilla Science to host an educational workshop to raise awareness about coral reefs and the marine life threatened by overfishing.

 

 

So far over £96,000 has been raised for the Marine Protected Areas, and with the advertising reaching the attention of over 8 million of the British public, it is assured that Project Ocean was a tremendous success.

Donate now to Project Ocean!