Assignment 16 – Dilni Abeyrathne

A Slice of Waves

          Imagine the rolling waves and glossy waters of a brilliant azure sea, stretching as far as the eye can see and filled with darting fish, grand mammals, and the bright splashes of coral reefs. Now imagine the same scene, but with listless, glassy waves and completely devoid of the bustling life that it previously nurtured.

          A dead ocean.

          That reality is closer than it appears. The oceans are dying, faster than we could ever imagine. Much of this destruction is caused by damage-ridden over-fishing. As billions of people depend on fish and seafood for survival, several fishing industries are on the watch for potential catches of profit (Danson and D’Orso 78). This vicious competition leads to over-fishing, which subsequently causes severe depletion of fish in the oceans. However, the act of fishing itself is not the sole issue, rather being the method of industrial fishing. Much of industrial fishing is done by immense ocean trawlers, who use several methods to catch their prize, including dragging weighted nets across the ocean bottom. These harmful practices utterly destroy the ocean’s habitat, most especially coral reefs. Coral reefs are delicate structures formed by millions of years’ worth of polyps that bind together. As per this delicacy, the trawlers’ sweeping ocean floor nets tear through these delicate formations, unbinding those millions of years of polyps and killing the reefs.

How may this relate to marine life destruction? Well, coral reefs are quite similar to the bustling city centers of humans, as they host several hundred species of marine life, ranging from pufferfish to Hawksbill sea turtles. Nearly all of these species depend on coral reefs to survive, and when those reefs are destroyed, many of those species suffer displacement and possible extinction (Arthus-Bertrand and Pitiot, Planet Ocean). And in killing the reefs, marine life takes a massive blow. While only covering about one percent of the world’s oceans, coral reefs provide refuge for more than a quarter of all species (Danson and D’Orso 60). Without them, a myriad of marine species will be displaced or go extinct. As such, the destruction of these delicate structures provides no end of negative repercussions to the world as we know it.

However, the destruction of coral reefs is not the only damage done to the marine environment by overfishing. Overfishing is immensely harmful to the population of marine life and their chances of survival. Though fishing is essential for the survival of the human race, overfishing stretches the ocean beyond its limits. According to Planet Ocean, a documentary about the dreadful state of our oceans, over 90 million tons of fish are fished every year and over 80% of fish species are considered exploited or over-exploited. This exploitation of fish for our own selfish needs returns nothing positive to the ocean. Done by immense fishing industries, fish are exploited for the profit they provide, and the bigger the fish, the bigger the profit. With the alluring sense of profit in front of them, fishing industries do all they can to make successful and large catches. This in turn absolutely destroys marine life. With over-fishing running rampant, several species of big fish, including Bluefin tuna, shark, swordfish, marlin, and king mackerel have suffered drastic drops in their population. Any more and they will soon be extinct.

In addition to the suffering of marine life, humankind takes a hit as well. According to the One World One Ocean campaign, an organization devoted to saving the Earth’s oceans, around 50 to 70 percent of our oxygen comes from the ocean, which is more than the world’s rainforests combined. Human survival depends on oxygen and without the oceans to provide more than half the world’s supply, the future of humankind and this planet is in great peril. And it is beginning to become increasingly apparent. As of the present, the oceans are riddled with around 405 “dead zones”, regions with little to no oxygen due to nitrogen pollution and fertilizer runoff, and these dead zones double every decade (oneworldoneocean.com). Without oxygen in these areas, marine life cannot survive, and in turn, the future of humankind is in danger, as the rapid increasing of dead zones will soon result in an ocean deprived of oxygen. With the source of much of the oxygen supply gone, the effects would be devastating.

And yet, some flaunt this issue of marine conservation. Why run around and attempt to save an ocean that looks not too worse for wear? After all, the oceans are a major source of valuable resources that can still be utilized. Millions of people depend on marine life for survival and as it goes, the oceans are still populated by marine life essential to human survival. If the ocean has so many resources and valuables, it does not make sense to suddenly deny the acquisition of those resources. In addition, those resources are of valuable profit to the immense fishing industries of the world. Without the ocean’s vast basin of fish and other profit-bearing resources, these industries would not find much success. As such, it makes sense to acquire these resources before they become depleted, a condition that seems years away from happening.

They are wrong.

The oceans’ chances of survival are waning every year we stay unmoving and unseeing. Though it seems as if the oceans have an indefinite supply of fish and other resources, the truth is that one day, if nothing is done to address the exploitation of these resources, the ocean will truly become dead and our survival and the planet’s survival will take a turn for the worse. This startling scenario is beautifully illustrated in popular artist Michael Jackson’s Earth Song, which laments a future where the ocean and the world have finally broken from over-exploitation and human greed. Oceans devoid of life and life devoid of happiness represents the stark reality that may be awaiting the Earth in the near future. However, that reality can be over turned. According to oceanographer Sylvia Earle, the ocean is on the edge of the knife and our actions over the next decade will determine the future of the oceans and their diverse marine life (oneworldoneocean.com).

So, in light of this era for change, what can we do? Certainly, we cannot mitigate the stress on the oceans instantaneously, but we can contribute even a little to marine conservation, and every little bit adds up quickly. It can be seen that over-fishing, among other unsustainable practices, is destroying the ocean and its marine life. Although the fishing industry is immense and a single fell blow would be quite impossible, one can still help by supporting sustainable acquisition of oceanic resources, such as sustainable fishing. Instead of purchasing fish that may be caught in unsustainable ways, I encourage the purchase fish that are caught sustainably. It stands to reason that without the support of the consumers, those unsustainable and damaging fishing industries will lose their rate of success and profit. With unsustainable fishing industries out of the way, the oceans and marine life will be released from the suffocating hand of over-fishing, thereby increasing their chances of survival, and ours as well. If we make changes now, the future of the oceans, marine life, and ourselves will undecidedly be less bleak.

As Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said, “The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself,” (brainyquote.com). Now, the time has come to heed that advice.       

                                                     

Works Cited                                                              

Abraham, John. “New study confirms the oceans are warming rapidly.” The                     Guardian, 26 June 2017, www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-                            consensus-97-per-cent/2017/jun/26/new-study-confirms-the-oceans-are-                        warming-rapidly. Accessed 29 June 2017.

Danson, Ted, and Michael D’Orso. Oceana: Our Endangered Oceans and What                      We Can Do to Save Them. Rodale, 2011.

“Destroys Quotes.” BrainyQuote, https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/destroys.                      Accessed 10 Dec. 2017.

Jackson, Michael. “Michael Jackson – Earth Song (Official Video).” YouTube,                        uploaded by michaeljacksonVEVO, 2 Oct. 2009, www.youtube.com/                              watch?v=XAi3VTSdTxU.

Planet Ocean. Directed by Yann Arthus-Bertrand and Michael Pitiot,                                        performances by Sharon Mann, Omega SA and France Televisions, 2012.  

“Why the Ocean?” One World One Ocean, http://www.oneworldoneocean.com/                      pages/why-the-ocean. Accessed 29 June 2017.