Promoting the Sustainability of Artisanal Fishing through Environmental Education with Game-Based Learning

Oceans provide a wide range of ecosystem services, including food and cultural ecosystem services derived from fisheries. The sustainability of fisheries is addressed by United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 on ocean conservation, and education strategies should include ways to achieve it. In this paper, we describe a game-based learning environmental education experience for the promotion of artisanal fishing developed in northwest Spain, in which more than a thousand primary education students (aged 6-12) participated. Following a qualitative methodology, we analyze our own generated games, their formative assessment, and the results of their implementation in schools and informal education events. Moreover, we compare the educational games generated with other game-based learning experiences on ocean literacy and the sustainability of fisheries. These educational experiences provide play-based learning opportunities in which students show great motivation and increase their knowledge about marine biodiversity, the socio-environmental effects of fisheries, and ocean conservation. Some differences were identifiable in the choice and design of the games, including their type and duration, the dimensions of sustainability analyzed, the specific learning objectives sought, the historical and cultural references used, cooperative peer learning, and the generation of shared knowledge. In this experience, the inclusion of education for responsible consumption (SDG 12) within the sustainability of fisheries represents a remarkable innovation, empowering students in their role as fish consumers.