Pascal Thoya, Kenya
I don’t have a specific memory of the ocean. The ocean has always been there. For me. I was born in a family that depended on fisheries. My mom used to work in the local fisheries cooperative, and fisheries contributed a lot to my family in terms of livelihood, food, and income. Fish was a big part of my family, and whenever we were broke, we used to eat fish, because that was what my mom could get through work. When I was growing up, there were plenty of fish, so fish and the ocean have always been there for me.
When I think about the ocean, for me and my experience, and what I’ve gone through, it’s the source of life. It’s where I initially got an interest to work in the ocean space. It’s the place where my mom was able to get income for us. It’s the place where we used to go and have fun as children. We used to go to the ocean for recreation and swimming. For me, the ocean will always be a source of life for my generation, because that’s where we begin.
From my experience, the ocean means everything to me, from my childhood, from my education, and generally in my life. Being raised by someone working in the fisheries industry, I think that’s where I got my inspiration to go and study fisheries. I ended up doing an undergraduate course in Fisheries and Aquatic Science, and from this training and studies is where I got my passion to do fisheries research as part of my first job. Later on, I decided to advance and do both a master’s and a PhD in marine science. So, for me, the ocean is everything about my life, my childhood, my education, my job. What I am is all about the ocean.
The biggest memories I have about the ocean are me seeing the changes in life or the changes that have happened in the world through the ocean. For example, when I was growing up, as I said earlier, my mom used to bring us lots of fish. We can see that it is not the same situation now. Now there are less and smaller-sized fish, which means that you cannot get it for free, and fish is very expensive. Where I grew up, we have also had a lot of changes. For example, there’s been a lot of deposition from sedimentation, the places that we used to swim or dive as young kids have become too shallow. So, we can see the result of climate change with our own eyes.
Despite this, the ocean will always remain my source of life, and the source of my everything. If it was not for the ocean, I would not be in the same position as I am today. The ocean has provided me with many opportunities: scholarships to study the ocean, and my job. The ocean has also given me an opportunity to travel and see the world. Coming to this workshop in Zanzibar and being part of this MSP training is one of them. The ocean has given me the best, and I have dedicated myself to its preservation as it is the hope of my future.
“Journeys to the Sea” is a new series of inspiring stories that highlight the personal connections of marine professionals with the ocean. As a follow up to World Oceans Day on June 8th, WIOMSA is excited to launch a three-month-long celebration dedicated to the ocean. The series will feature 34 unique stories from across the Western Indian Ocean region. These stories will share firsthand accounts of ocean-related experiences, reflections, and narratives from participants who have been part of the Sida-funded International Training Programme on marine spatial planning, “Planning for a Sustainable Blue Future in the Western Indian Ocean”. The stories have been part of the Ocean Storytelling component of the workshop, led by Dr Mia Strand, Nelson Mandela University. Read the collection of stories here.
Feature photo: Small scale fish processers scramble for fish, Malindi, Kenya. © Patrick Kimani
