Contacts:
Jocelyn Juliano, (843) 953-2098 or jocelyn.juliano@scseagrant.org
Brooke Saari, (843) 953-6406 or brooke.saari@scseagrant.org
CHARLESTON, S.C. (June 19, 2024) – The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium will host the inaugural Maritime Days festival on Saturday, June 29, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Port Royal Sound Foundation in Okatie, S.C. This family-friendly event is free to the public and will showcase the vibrant culture and ecosystem services of Port Royal Sound, with a focus on marine debris education and prevention.
Vendors from the surrounding community will provide educational talks on marine debris prevention and removal, fishing best practices, seafood sourcing and maritime cultural heritage. Interactive demonstrations and activities include a fishing clinic, oral historian and musical performances, sweetgrass basket weaving, a presentation on the heritage and future of the shrimping industry and seafood cooking demos from chefs Amethyst Ganaway and James London. The cooking demo by James London requires preregistration. Local food trucks also will be present for festivalgoers to enjoy during the event. Please see the website at for a full list of demonstrations and booths, as well as a registration link for the cooking demo by James London.
Maritime Days is a collaborative effort with the Port Royal Sound Foundation. This festival is funded by the NOAA National Sea Grant Office and sponsored by the Lowcountry NETwork: Trawl to Trash program. The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium, in partnership with the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor and the University of Georgia Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, is administering the Trawl to Trash program, which is designed to raise awareness of marine debris and empower communities to help prevent and clean up trash on coastal lands and in waterways.