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It is becoming increasingly clear
to everyone that our oceans are in trouble, and that mankind is the primary
cause! Even though two-thirds of earth is covered by oceans, and it was long
though that this vast expanse of water was indestructible and beyond any harm,
this assumption has long proven to be false. Virtually every scientist,
environmentalist and intelligent person in the world now agree on this fact, and
we are all urged to take action now before it is too late.
One of the latest group of
humans to echo this fact was the
PEW Oceans Commission. In May 2003, this commission submitted to the
United States Congress it's report "America's Living Oceans -Charting A
Course For Sea Change". This authoritative report, created by this
independently appointed prestigious commission of scientists, economists,
fishermen and other experts and chaired by Leon E. Panetta, outlines the
problems facing America in regards to it's coastal waters, and offers realistic
and sound solutions to be implemented by our government. And the sad truth is,
similar reports, reaching the same conclusions, would be generated by
commissions just like the PEW Commission for every country in the world that
wished to do so.
The facts are in. Our oceans,
it's habitats and it's creatures, worldwide are under assault -primarily
from four different forces: coastal development, over fishing, pollution and
poor ocean governance. Without change for the better, these four forces will
continue to wreak havoc, grow stronger and eventually we will see more and more
species of sea animals and fish disappear, vast areas of the ocean's coastlines
turned into dead lifeless wastelands and the possible catastrophic disruption of
the ocean's vital role as climate regulator, resulting in climate change that
will make anything prior to it in human history to it seem like a spring day in
May.
1)
Over Fishing: Over fishing is the single biggest threat facing the oceans.
More than two-thirds of the world's fisheries have been already fully exploited
or over fished. Fleets the world over are now exceeding the ocean's limits, and
a number of species have already been fished to commercial extinction.
Populations of many fish, including tuna, cod, grouper, marlin, swordfish and
sharks are only a shadow of their former populations, and without intervention
and enlightened management, extinction will be the end result. The fish of the
ocean, irregardless of how fast they swim, are no match for modern fishing
fleets, with their sophisticated boats, computerized fish finding sonar and
equipment and devastatingly efficient heavy trawl nets, which destroy non-wanted
species -including innocent turtles, whales, and dolphins as well as so called
"trash fish". 300,000 dolphins, porpoises and whales die an agonizing death each
year as a result of becoming entangled in fishing nets and each year billions of
unwanted "by-catch" fish are tossed overboard from fishing vessels, dead or
dying, because of regulations or lack of markets. This horrific waste is
absolutely uncalled for, unnecessary, preventable and immoral!
2)
Pollution: Everything eventually ends up in the oceans! Oil, fertilizer,
gas, pesticides, paint and hundreds of other chemical that are spilled on the
ground, or in parking lots, finds their way as run off into local brooks and
streams. From there these pollutants are carried to bigger streams and rivers,
and eventually to the oceans, killing fish and aquatic life along the way as
well. Every year in America alone, 28,000,000 gallons of oil from human
activities (driving cars, heating homes to name just two) end up on the
ground in parking lots, roads and yards and then in our rivers on it's way to
the sea. And this pollution creates massive problems in estuaries and
coastlines where the rivers enter the sea. There now exist in many parts of the
world "Dead Zones" along coastlines, places where very little marine
life exists and the pollution is so bad in some areas the surface of the water
has been known to catch on fire. Additionally, many estuaries and harbors around
the world receive so much nutrient rich runoff that huge algal
blooms occur, causing sea grass meadows, kelp beds and other coastal habitats to
die. The direct cause is overuse of fertilizer by the farmers of the world, and
the end result is the killing of part of our oceans. Another growing source of
ocean pollution is certain types of fish farming, where coastal waters near
these unregulated farms are severely polluted with antibiotics, fish waste
and other pollutants. And in a sad irony, human caused pollution recoils
directly onto our children and those who wish to use the ocean for innocent fun
-in America in 2002 over 12,000 beaches were closed due to pollution! Add to
this mix, the many oil spills , cruise ship dumps of waste material, people
throwing trash overboard and other obvious rapes of the ocean and the pictures
gets really distressing.
3)
Coastal Development: Humanity's urge to live near the ocean
has resulted in the carving up of coastlines all over the world for hotels,
resorts, housing, roads and fish farms. This development is resulting in
wholesale destruction of estuarine and coastal habitats at an alarming rate
-wetlands, mangroves, coral reefs, shellfish beds and marshes worldwide are all
disappearing almost overnight. All of these habitats are critical and important
breeding grounds for many marine species. If we lose these vital ecosystems,
then whole populations of fish and other animals will disappear -no place left
for the babies to hide and grow! In America alone, marshes that trap
floodwaters, filter out pollution and nurture fish, birds and other wildlife are
disappearing at the rate of 20,000 acres a year! And this scenario is being
repeated all over the world.
4.) Poor Ocean Governance: The world over,
there are few or weak regulations in place to deal with over fishing, pollution
and coastal development. Without the will to address these problems, things will
only get worse for countries that turn a blind eye. In America, with the
presentation of the Pew Oceans Commissions report, a step in the right direction
has begun and recommendations made to our government for change. The
question then remains however, how do these changes occur, given the
unenlightened state and weak, self-serving nature of many of our government
officials and those in power. The answer is simple. Visit the links to the left,
join one or all of these organizations and participate in their activities and
actions aimed at changing the way our government does business. These folks know
how to get the job done and are in the front lines.
Check out
Shifting Baselines for more truth about Ocean Decline
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