Abstract
The European Marine Science Educators Association (EMSEA), used its 12th Annual Conference this past September in Ostend, Belgium, to investigate and begin to create the future of Ocean Literacy. The conference featured an opening keynote panel, “The Future of Ocean Literacy,” and a closing plenary workshop, “Refining the Ocean Literacy Principles.” These two events represent two different, interrelated aspects of our community’s nascent vision for expanding the breadth, depth and impact of Ocean Literacy. The opening panel suggested ambitious ways to expand our work well beyond the field of education into a wide range of other social, economic and cultural sectors. The closing workshop represented a call to researchers and practitioners to come to agreement about an expanded theoretical framework that will increase our efficacy in advancing Ocean Literacy and guide our ability to understand and measure levels of Ocean Literacy worldwide.