<![CDATA[Maluku, as an archipelagic region, has marine resources, yet utilization remains suboptimal, particularly in coastal areas such as Negeri Porto, Central Maluku. Community activities are dominated by traditional fishing, while knowledge of aquaculture as an alternative for sustainable resource use remains limited, especially among younger generations. This condition motivated the Aquaculture Goes to School program to improve marine literacy and introduce aquaculture concepts based on local potential, particularly sea cucumbers. The activity employed a participatory-educational approach through presentations, interactive discussions, and aquaculture simulations. Participants included students from SMA Negeri 4 Porto, teachers, and university lecturers, with students positioned as active participants in contextual learning. The results showed that students had good knowledge of marine biodiversity, but their understanding focused on capture fisheries and did not include aquaculture concepts and economic value. After the activity, students’ understanding of aquaculture, the economic potential of marine resources, and sustainable management improved. Pre-test and post-test evaluations across four indicators indicated that locally based education has the potential to improve marine literacy and sustainability awareness. This program is relevant to support blue economy strategies. However, interest, motivation, and perception changes were recorded only through one-day observations and were not used to infer long-term attitudinal changes.]]>
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