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"Man has become by far the greatest predator of all time. As populations mount and land-grown food supplies are unable to feed the growing numbers of the hungry, man is turning more and more to the sea for his food. On land man has slowly learned to conserve the soil lest it stop producing crops. But on the ocean, man is a hunter only. He takes but returns little. If the bounty of the sea is not to be exhausted, man must learn to farm it as he farms the land, by sowing as well as reaping." -The Ocean World of Jacques Cousteau, 1975
Why Are Our Oceans in Trouble?
The sea's glistening surface belies troubles beneath.
Covering more than two-thirds of the Earth's surface, our oceans were once thought to be an inexhaustible resource, too vast to be damaged by the actions of humans. But we have removed such huge numbers of fish and destroyed so many other kinds of sea life that we now know we have the capacity to pluck the sea bare. We have carved up our coastlines to make room for housing, hotels, roads and fish farms, and allowed our waterways to be dumping grounds for toxins and other waste.
From icy seas to warm tropical waters, more than two-thirds of the world's fisheries have been fully exploited or over fished. Billions of pounds of fish each year are wasted as unwanted "bycatch" (catch tossed overboard, dead or dying, because of regulatory mandates and lack of market), and hundreds of thousands of seabirds, marine mammals, sea turtles and other marine life are also killed through destructive and inefficient fishing practices.
The recent explosion in fish farming to satiate our growing appetite for seafood is polluting our coastal waters with fish waste, antibiotics and other pollutants. Runoff from farms, animal feedlots and streets has created huge "dead zones" in many bays and some estuaries, where few life forms survive. Our oceans are in trouble -- but with the right tools we can reverse this decline.
Many species of endangered or threatened marine mammals, turtles and seabirds are particularly at risk from litter. According to figures provided in the Global litter information gateway, approximately 100 000 marine mammals and turtles, and between 700 000 and 1 million seabirds are killed worldwide by litter every year.
Habitat destructionis a huge problem in the marine environment. Habitats are destroyed by:
• Destructive fishing activity: bottom trawling and dynamiting coral reefs destroy entire ecosystems.
• Coastal development: habitats are destroyed when marshes are dredged for real estate development. Soil runoff and erosion result
in excess nutrients from fertilizers and domestic sewage, which then leads to harmful algae blooms that block sunlight and
deplete the water of oxygen. It also causes silt to build-up on coral reefs, which blocks sunlight necessary for coral to grow.
• Dredging ship channels: Removes accumulated sediment and pollutants re-suspending them into the water. Dredging can also
destroy sea grass beds and other habitats that provide food, shelter, and breeding grounds. The dredge material must be disposed
of, and is often dumped into salt marshes damaging a very productive marine habitat.
Overfishing: About 70% of the earth's commercially targeted fish species have been overfished to the point where their stocks are in grave danger of being depleted. Fish harvests have quadrupled since the 1950s and the competition for marketable catches has increased to the point where competition is driving governments to subsidize fishing vessels.
Loss Of Biodiversity: Pulitzer prize winning biologist Dr. E. O. Wilson, widely known as the father of biodiversity, said that the loss of biodiversity is the "folly for which our descendants are least likely to forgive us." What will our children say when they discover that generations before them destroyed what can never be replaced? Biological diversity in the ocean is much greater than biodiversity on land - a staggering concept considering the abundance and variety of life on land - yet much more is known about terrestrial biodiversity. The ocean is not as accessible which accounts for part of the problem, but in addition, only in recent years has interest in marine biodiversity increased, likely due to the critically low populations of several key marine species. Threats to biological diversity in the ocean abound as commercially targeted species are overfished and fishing methods remain indiscriminate against non-targeted species. The use of cyanide and dynamite to harvest reef fish is threatening those communities at an alarming rate.
Global Warming: Research on global warming is a hotbed of controversy and much research is needed to answer the questions raised by the issue. Global warming is reportedly caused by fossil fuel emissions and greenhouse gases in the earth's atmosphere. What impact does global warming have on the ocean? One tangible effect is the melting of ice sheets and glaciers at record levels. If this trend were to continue sea levels might rise impacting the densely populated coastal areas of the planet.
Runoff and Pollution: Although the ocean covers two-thirds of the surface of the Earth, it is surprisingly vulnerable to human influences such as overfishing, pollution from run-off, and dumping of waste from human activity. This kind of pollution can have serious economic and health impacts by killing marine life and damaging habitats and ecosystems. Toxins from pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals used on farms contaminate nearby rivers that flow into the ocean, which can cause extensive loss of marine life in bays and estuaries leading to the creation of dead zones. The dumping of industrial, nuclear and other waste into oceans was legal until the early 1970s when it became regulated; however dumping still occurs illegally everywhere. Pollution is a worldwide problem, and our fish comes from around the world," said Kate Mahaffey, toxins expert at the US Environmental Protection Agency. "No one is immune."
“Future generations would not forgive us for having deliberately spoiled their last opportunity and the last opportunity is today,”
Jean Jacques Cousteau 1992
What Can You Do?
Take an interest in conservation and get involved, include your children for their sake and the sake of their children!
1. Don't pollute! Get involved in local government, community groups or associations that monitor local conditions and solutions. Find out where your community's wastes are really going and find out if the laws are really being enforced. Get to know your watershed - where your water comes from and where it goes after it leaves your home.
• Have septic systems inspected and pumped out at least once every three years. Some failed or outdated septic systems
give no more protection to the environment than old-fashioned outhouses.
• Teach your children about conserving water, and ask them what they're learning about water pollution in schools.
• Install devices in your home to save water. Limit use of fertilizers.
2. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce the amount of materials and energy you consume by buying fewer prepackaged goods, driving in an efficient manner, sharing magazines and books, minimizing the use of heating and air conditioning, etc. Minimize your use of resources and maximize your efficiency.
Reuse. Look for energy-efficient light bulbs and appliances. Choose water-saving bathroom fixtures and garden equipment. Avoid products with excess packaging. Look for recycled materials in new purchases. Find substitutes for hazardous household and lawn products. Combine errands and people to minimize automobile use. Remember the little things: close the refrigerator door quickly, turn the light out behind yourself, walk four blocks for that quart of milk, set the table with cloth napkins (that you smoothed while they were damp so they didn’t need ironing), put on a sweater and turn down the thermostat (or, in summer, take off the sweater and turn the temperature up). Many "disposable" items are reusable, especially containers. Remember to shop using cloth bags or by bringing ’used’ bags with you to carry your purchases home.
Recycling is one of the easiest ways to reduce your environmental impact. If your apartment complex or work place does not have bins for recycling, demand that some be installed. If you have a choice, avoid using materials that cannot be recycled. Find out how to make Compost out of kitchen and garden wastes. Get informed!
3. Buying saltwater fish for your aquarium. Hundreds of thousands of young and rare tropical reef fish die every year in aquariums in the US alone. "Globally, wildlife traders export 25-30,000 primates, 2-5 million wild birds, 10 million reptile skins, and more than 500 million tropical fish each year to fuel the insatiable demand for wildlife." – see World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
4. Vote. Vote for those who support Marine Conservation.
5. Support Marine Conservationists!
There are lots of groups like those listed under Marine Conservation Organizations that need money, volunteers and good minds. If there ever was a time in history when conservationists needed help, it is now and I sincerely hope it is not too late... help them protect the 10% of the fish that are left for at least our children's sake, and let this time be known as the Era of Conservation!
Resources:
MarineBio.org: www.marinebio.org
Florida Museum of Natural History: www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish
National Geographic. www.nationalgeographic.com
Cousteau Society: www.cousteau.org
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Marine Conservation
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