On September 6, 2024, PERSGA held a stand event in Aqaba─ Jordan, to raise awareness and promote regional projects funded by the World Bank and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). These projects focus on sustainable fisheries management in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and marine biofouling prevention and management, as well as associated invasive aquatic species.

The stand event was set within the framework of the 2nd Arab Open Championship for Sports Fishing, held at Talabay Marina. This championship was organized by the Royal Marine Sports Federation in collaboration with the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) and the Arab Diving and Rescue Federation. The event featured 10 Arab teams and 35 local teams, with participants from five countries: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, and Jordan. Over 25 professional anglers competed, and more than 200 participants attended the event.

During the event, PERSGA showcased awareness-raising materials both from the GloFouling Partnerships project and SFISH project, including pull-up banners, posters, leaflets, and publications. Various projects videos on ocean aware, wakame seaweeds produced by the IMO, and PERSGA’s animated videos on Invasive Aquatic Species (IAS) and IUU fishing were displayed on screen. Additionally, multiple hard-copy publications on recreational boating and IUU fishing were shared with participants.

To enhance engagement, GloFouling’s generic pull-up banners, including a virtual reality banner, were featured at the booth. Two VR devices were set up on-site, allowing participants to experience and visualize, in 360 degrees, the underwater biofouling journey and ship hull clean-up operations. GloFouling posters detailing the prevention of invasive aquatic species were also displayed and used during presentations.

PERSGA experts presented the outreach materials, including leaflets, booklets, and posters from the World Bank-funded SFISH regional project on sustainable fisheries management, to the Chief Commissioner of ASEZA, who visited the PERSGA exhibition stand. This included materials on biofouling for recreational boating and the VR goggle devices from the GloFouling project.

The awareness-raising activity was a success, and the championship concluded on the evening of Saturday, September 7, with a ceremony honoring the top competitors and all participants.