Marine Musing – Advisory Committee on the Protection of the Sea

Like the page on human connections with the ocean, this ‘marine musing’ page is designed to bring alive and celebrate the ways in which seas and oceans have inhabited our imagination for millennia as well as the diversity of human experiences across the world.

A poem inspired by the ISA Council Meeting of July 2025 (ISA30 Part 2), Kingston-Jamaica

By the very talented Aiste Klimasauskaite, a member of ACOPS’ Delegation to the ISA

Idioms across oceans

"The World is Your Oyster"; Meaning: You can do what you want or go where you want

Literal translation: "To die at the beach"; Meaning: To fall short

Literal translation: "Let he lay ties on the seafloor"; Meaning: Someone who pays no attention to warnings

Literal translation: "To sleep like a shrimp"; Meaning: To sleep curled up

Literal translation: "For the ocean's secret ask a fisherman"; Meaning: To understand a subject matter ask the expert

Literal translation: "To scoop the moon out of the ocean"; Meaning: A hopeless illusion

Literal translation: "A beached ship is a beacon at sea"; Meaning: Learn from mistakes made by others

Literal translation: "A frog in a well does not know the great sea"; Meaning: To encourage someone to get a wider perspective

Literal translation: "There is no sea without waves"; Meaning: There is no work without risks

Literal translation: "To pour salt into the sea"; Meaning: To do something pointless

From People who see the sea to our ‘sea-ing’ the future

Our first musing comes from an invited presentation made by Philomène Verlaan to the London Ocean Forum on the Theme of ‘People who see the sea’.

This piece also inspired our establishment of ACOPS – A Network to SEA the Future’, a group on LinkedIn that we hope to develop on other platforms.

#marinemusing #musoceanart #musicatsea #interdisciplinary4oceans