The ocean is the biggest ecosystem on this earth, with so much biodiversity flourishing in our seas, but is facing one of the biggest threats of environmental sustainability. Our oceans produce more than half of the oxygen we breathe, and make up 97% of the world’s water. So why is it in so much danger?
Much of our ocean life is in danger due to human interference. Our oceans have been used as trash dumps and primary food sources, a large amount of our species endangered.
Overfishing is one of the most significant drivers to the declines of the fish populations. Today, over a third of our fisheries have pushed past their biological limits to fish, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. To make matters worse, ocean ecosystems are so endangered that it is bound to collapse, sending fisheries into collapse, and consumers into a food crisis. Another danger to overfishing is bycatch-- the capture of unwanted sea life while fishing for a different species. Because of the lack of government regulation of fisheries, we can push ourselves into posing a huge endangerment into ocean life, causing a loss of biodiversity and a scarcity of a sustainable food source.
In addition, overfishing is not the only factor towards marine life endangerment. Every year, billions of pounds of trash and other pollutants enter the ocean, destroying many marine habitats and and even affects animals’ mating rituals, which can have devastating consequences and wipe out an entire species. A private organization by the name or 4Ocean has been rising up to the marine pollution problem and clean out oceans and beaches in Florida, Bali, Haiti, and Guatemala. Still, one organization is not going to save our precious ocean ecosystems
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More changes need to be made without removing a sustainable food source, but avoid overfishing.
Where do we find a balance? How can we as humans undo the mistakes we have made?
Where do we find a balance? How can we as humans undo the mistakes we have made?
https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/ocean-coasts-education-resources/ocean-pollution
28 comments:
With our society becoming increasingly developed, our food taste has evolved thus increasing our palette and variation. The demand for fish is greatly risen which directly affects our oceans and its ecosystem and food webs. With the over harvesting of fishes throughout, it is really important to fix the problems we have created. Limiting our consumption of this luxury food to eating it once a month is the start of renormalizing the cycle. Also we could replenish what we have taken away from the ocean by putting in more fish and aquatic life for an equal balance. These practices could start to fix the ecosystem which we have disrupted. Another great contribution by humans to the unbalance of the ocean are the chemicals that we introduce by fertilization and pesticide. An easier and more effective solution is to prevent this runoff. So in the end there are many ways that we can go about solving the issue we created.
Although a more seafood based diet is better than a red meat alternative, there is still damage being done to the environment. Fishing for a certain type or species of fish causes harm to the entire ecosystem as niches and roles in the food web are diminished. Even NGOs and charities like 4Ocean are under fire for misusing the money the have received through donations. If people give money to reputable and trustworthy charities, their money might be used for the stated cause, but I think it is more positively environmental impactful to make changes to one’s lifestyle and choices. If people were to switch to a vegetarian diet of reduce their consumption of seafood, that change in of itself decreases the number of fish being killed. Another lifestyle change that people could implement is the avoidance of chemical pesticides and fertilizers when gardening or less consumption of food that is grown with such chemicals. Although this may not completely erase the tons of chemicals in the ocean, it prevent more from seeping into waterways and harming the environment. We always see the harmful effects of pollution and overfishing through social media or advertisements, but rarely do anything about it. Rather than simply swapping our plastic straw for metal ones, people should strive to make more changes to their lifestyle to help stop further environmental damage.
Coming from someone who really likes fish and seafood, I can understand the temptation to overharvest from the ocean. After all, we can’t see or count all the life below the surface. But as you’ve highlighted, it’s important to harvest sustainably from such a big and vital habitat for our earth. Human interference has done a number on the oceans, from fishing industries, to pollutants and oil spills, and rising waters with global warming. I think a good way to protect the often ambiguous water habitats would be to create international wildlife parks fixed on coordinates, in places like coral reefs, seabeds, and some areas of open ocean. The oceans are big areas, and preserving areas in a similar way to national parks could potentially maintain biodiversity. Great topic!
I don’t find it surprising that our oceans are facing one of the biggest threats. This is because it isn’t as easy for us to see the damages that we have caused on ocean habitats when compared to terrestrial ones. The fact that oceans are so vast and our knowledge about them is fairly limited could have also played a role. However, I think that it is vital that we spread awareness about the issue to make major improvements because, as stated in this blog, our oceans make up the biggest ecosystem on the planet. When people realize how extensively the ocean has been harmed, they will be more likely to comply with regulations (that can be implemented by governments to support our oceans). In addition, people can be restricted to only fish in certain areas or catch only certain species of fish. This would help support endangered species of fish and other ocean life to regain their population numbers. Even though something as small as not throwing your trash away in waterways could make a difference, I think that it would be difficult to get a lot of people to cooperate in order to make substantial improvements.
I don't think it is possible for humans to "undo" the mistakes we have made. However, it is possible for us to put our collective effort into preventing further damage to the environment and preserving the ocean ecosystems. Fortunately, with the advancement of technology achieving these goals are far more energy and time efficient. Several companies, such as The Ocean Cleanup, have already built robots, like the Interceptor, that can autonomously clean plastic from the ocean and trash from the rivers. The only factor that seems to be holding us back in the success of these efforts is money. Without proper funding and donations from the people it becomes hard, and sometimes impossible, for companies to continue to build different methods of protecting this planet. Therefore, I believe that the least we can do to contribute to this cause is donate to the companies that are dedicated to cleaning up the planet and making it habitable for the future generations.
In order to avoid further damage to our oceans we can do a few things, cleanup the plastic and micro plastics in the ocean, prevent overfishing, and be careful with chemicals we allow into the ocean. Countries around the world should make it a priority to remove the plastics from the coastline and surrounding waters, and implement robots and machines that can filter the water for micro plastics. Furthermore, we should invest in cleaning out the continents of trash that have accumulated in certain areas of our oceans. To prevent overfishing, we can purchase from fish farms instead. The fish may not taste quite as good, but it would remove some demand from fishing in the ocean. Governments should also implement and strictly enforce regulations and seasons for fishing for certain animals. We should eat seafood seasonally to give them time for their numbers to return. Finally, as individuals we should be careful of the chemicals we allow to enter the water. Some sunscreens contain a chemical that interferes with hormones in fish and can cause them to change sex interfering with their mating seasons. We should only use ocean safe sunscreens to prevent damage to fish populations. Doing these things will not reverse the damage that has been done, but I will be a step forward in restoring them.
I think it is fairly easy to believe that oceans are in danger as people pollute them with relative ease. People on cruises just kinda throw their trash into the ocean occasionally, and I think some people have no regard for the oceans. As for overfishing, I think a diet based on alternates to seafood would be good, because, quite frankly, seafood sucks. Realistically, it is going to be very hard to undo the mistakes humans have made to the ocean. They are already pretty messed up and the only thing we can do now is prevent further damage. A change in diet from pescatarian to vegetarian may prove important to saving the fish. Additionally, there can be crews that go out and pick up plastic waste from the ocean and attempt to clean up. This would be the first step in undoing the damage done by humans, but without awareness to the problems of polluting, not much can be done to undo our mistakes.
I find this very unfortunate because people have grown accustomed to throwing trash into the ocean without knowing the devastating effects their actions have on aquatic ecosystems. I feel like people don’t understand how important the ocean is for the environment and changes must be made to make people more aware of this issue. In addition to this, governments should take overfishing more seriously and place more laws and regulations to help preserve ocean biodiversity. More money should be invested to cleaning the trash from the ocean so that ocean-friendly organizations could effectively preserve and save ocean ecosystems. Overfishing could also be resolved by making seafood more seasonal so that people aren’t fishing year round. Another solution would be to establish more fish farms so that a specific species of fish could be sold in markets rather than accidentally catching other ocean species that fishers don’t need.
This global problems affects all, but hits especially hard on those communities that rely on the sea to survive. As a result of mass fishing and pollution, developing countries along coasts have experienced a rapid decline in native species that once thrived in the region. Within this problem are a myriad of other issues: a few of which are invasive species, and ocean acidification. By addressing these problems, we can slowly gain ground against this issue. Lion-fish and Zebra Mussels are great examples of invasive species that cause havoc in foreign ecosystems. Once introduced these species have ample resources, and few natural predators, causing their populations to multiply. In turn, this greatly decreases the biodiversity of the ecosystem. Ocean acidification is the declining Ph levels of the sea in response to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide. As carbon emissions rise, this acidification destroys life in coral reefs, making many niches inhabitable. Unfortunately, this problem will only worsen in the future. By tackling these smaller interconnected issues, we can take a smaller approach to solving a widespread problem.
I honestly believe that it’s because of the ocean’s size that many people pollute it without a second thought. Humans live on land, and very few have experienced the vastness of our planet’s oceans. Because the ocean is out of sight, its also out of our mind. People need to be educated about the profound benefits our largest aquatic ecosystem provides us with. One way to protect biodiversity in the oceans would be to preserve coral reefs and seashore habitats from fisheries and run-off pollution. Cleaning up the trash circulating in oceanic gyres is another idea, and many companies have already begun funding innovations to help with this. We could also place restrictions on littering in the oceans by cruise boarders and houseboat occupants. If anything, we should donate money to the companies dedicated to protecting the ocean and its inhabitants so we can enjoy its benefits far into the future.
Our oceans need all the help they can get. We are the cause of these problems, thus it is up to us to try to fix them as best we can. There needs to be more laws and regulations regarding fishing and overfishing, and these laws need to be enforced. Plastic and other trash floating in the ocean should be cleaned up and removed. It should not be the norm that throwing trash in the ocean is acceptable. People need to stop seeing the ocean as a waste bucket, and instead see it for what it truly is, the basis of our very existence. If the earth did not have an ocean, it would be vastly different than the earth we know today. We need to do our best to protect it, otherwise we will end up dooming ourselves and take every other living thing on this planet down with us.
A general solution to the pollution in the ocean is to clean up the plastics and reduce chemical pollution in bodies of water. Tighter government regulations on chemical usage should be applied near coastal regions. However, the ocean is so expansive that minor operations to help clean it up would have no major effect on the environment. Working with organizations that assist ocean clean up on a larger scale may help the issue of pollution in our oceans. To prevent the issue of overfishing, people should consider decreasing the amount of seafood in their diet. Since this sacrifice is not an action that many are willing to take, a possible solution to overfishing is purchasing fish from fish farms instead. This could relieve some of the economic pressure to fish from the ocean.
To help protect the valuable ecosystem that is our oceans, we should focus on preventing overfishing, and finding alternative fishing methods to eliminate bycatch. With better developed fishing technologies and regulation on fishing practices and distribution, we could help maintain valuable biodiversity from these animals that the ecosystem relies upon. Certainly, organizations like 4Ocean are helping with ocean cleanup, but as you mentioned, one organization can only do so much. The creation of more organizations like this, or the use of automatic cleaning robots like we read about in a previous post would be extremely beneficial to the environment by removing the massive trash heaps in the ocean.
This is quite the issue. It is quite disappointing that many people do not understand the consequences of irresponsible littering. I feel that the very first step that should be taken is educating the public on the effects that even the smallest actions can have. Governments can also regulate water pollution by enforcing laws and providing more appropriate means of disposing garbage. To create immediate change, humans can clean the oceans by picking up the plastics and taking out the chemicals. Although this method will not entirely fix the biome, it can certainly help. Furthermore, I believe that there need to be more organizations that are doing the jobs to preserve the ocean such as educating and cleaning.
The ocean is a supremely important source for humans, plants, and animals alike. It’s sad that humanity has destroyed such large portions of it and led to the loss of so many species. I don’t know that there will ever be a way to “undo” the mistakes we have made, but we can definitely work to combat any possible future mistakes. Even as light has been shed on this issue, governments fail to take proper stands and propose regulations that could help this diverse habitat. Pollution and overharvesting is hardly something we as individuals can fix-- although we can take small actions like picking up after ourselves and others at the beach and consuming less seafood-- it is large scale action that must take place to help save our oceans.
Our oceans need to be protected from pollution and other negative environmental effects. We need to take action before the oceans get worse. We can vote for representatives that care about the environment and want to take action in saving it with the best plan. We can also cut down on seafood or only eat sustainably harvested seafood. We need to use reusable items instead of hazardous materials and plastic. We need to properly dispose of the hazardous materials that way they do not end up in the oceans. Decreasing the amount of fertilizers we use can also help keep our oceans safe and clean. To start this movement we need to get the word out. We can make flyers about the consequences that are affecting the ocean and start picking up trash near beaches and disposing of it properly.
Despite how big the ocean is, marine life is very much at risk, and I believe your article helps highlight the main issues regarding the threat humans pose upon ocean life. I want to say that there should be better regulation and more laws on pollution and over-fishing, but I feel like that would only solve part of the problem. I also want to have more organizations out there to dedicate themselves in cleaning up the trash that pollution provides, but again, this effort might not be enough because of how vast the ocean is. However, the solutions listed above might slow down the spread of this threat and should be taken in effect. I think that unless humans start to use dramatically less resources (which unfortunately might not happen anytime soon), the threat on marine life will continue to persist.
It is evident that as time progresses, the risk posed to marine life becomes increasingly pressing. I believe that in regard to the issue of pollution, there should be more laws regulating the disposal of waste into oceans. I've also seen videos of machines that clear up trash floating in the ocean. Although these machines may not be able to clear up garbage that has sunk to ocean floors, I think they are still worth investing in. I also think that the fishing industry should have stricter regulations on it. Although the issue of pollution and overfishing is a large scale issue, even small actions taken by individuals, such as picking up after ourselves and participating in clean up events, can make a difference.
Sadly, our oceans need more help than ever. Our marine life is at risk, and there’s not much being done about it. Overfishing, oil spills, and pollution have all contributed to our unhealthy oceans. I think a lot of the times, we forget how much damage we can do to the ocean, and how big of an impact the oceans make on our daily life. Unfortunately I don’t think there is a way to undo the problems we have created, but I think we can help prevent future issues. By creating law preventing the use of certain plastics or materials couod be beneficial to helping our oceans. Also creating programs to fix coral reefs would also improve our oceans drastically.
With the development of technology and our ever growing need to sustain the human population, the destruction of our ecosystem through overfishing and other factors is increasingly evident. To prevent this issue, stricter regulations need to be made. Regulations could include less fishing or only fishing in certain areas. As people, we can change our diets as well. We can choose to eat different foods besides fish. Meats could include chicken or beef. For the billions of trash in our ocean, we could choose carefully what we put into the trash. Also, we could advocate setting stricter regulations on waste.
Although I enjoy seafood, the toll it is taking on our oceans may be too much. Overfishing and pollution heavily damage ocean ecosystems, which are essential to our planet's sustainability. Although we might not be able to undo all of the damage, we can help restore the environment greatly. We could all change our habits, such as eating less seafood, thus reducing the need for overfishing. In addition, governments could place regulations on fishing of ceratin areas or species of fish, especially endangered ones. Furthermore, we could greatly reduce the trash problems by cutting down our use of plastics and non-reusable materials. If we want to improve our oceans, we'll all have to make a change.
I think there needs to be changes made to the diets of humans, naturally, as a means to prevent overpopulation from becoming an actual issue. It will be increasingly hard to fish in our oceans at the same, increasing rate, as now we face issues related to species going extinct or becoming endangered. The best way to undo some of the marine-related effects we have had is by preserving the coral reefs. Another way to help would be to institute limits on fishing, although in foreign countries that is not possible. Creating artificial food is the move, my dude.
As a fishing guy myself, I personally feel attacked while reading this. Though, as I realize the bigger picture, it comes to my senses that I should be looking at the bigger picture rather than just focusing in on personal wants. Certainly finishing in a different area would be beneficial to the fish that are becoming extinct in the ocean. Supposedly freshwater fishing could be a better alternative where catfish and perch are abundant and do not risk becoming extinct. Also, if we want to decrease the pollution in the water, we should all cut down on the usage of plastics and non-reusable materials. Industrial companies should also begin to find different things to use for containers instead of such heavy production of plastic.
Fish farms and fish hatcheries are a potential solution to avoid overfishing, but it may not be enough to supply the growing population. In regards to pollution, thankfully industries and scientists are working to create solutions to reduce or eliminate trash in the oceans. For example, scientists have created robots that can clean trash in the oceans. Additionally, raising awareness can help in the fight to reduce trash in the ocean. The big problem is the lack of restrictions in countries that are mainly undeveloped. By purchasing from fish farms and hatcheries, this may lead to a reduction in demand for fishing from oceans. While it may not be as natural, it’s a start to sustainably maintain ocean ecosystems.
While the ocean ecosystems are definitely in danger, steps are already being taken to better the situation which is great. This reminded me of Boyan Slat a “Boy Genius” with a plan to remove all plastic from oceans by 2050. In 2015, an ambitious inventor named Boyan Slat designed a device that promised to rid the ocean of litter by prompting it to clean itself. He was only 20 years old at the time. While its terrible that we polluted the ocean in the first place it is very reassuring to see the innovations and technology created for this purpose and the efforts being taken to clean it up.
I believe that finding and answer to this solution is indeed a difficult one. Overfishing is a very serious problem, but fish is also a main food source for a lot of people and it is huge in the market. I actually believe that the only way to find a solution are fish hatcheries where people tame their own fishes and grow them. If they do this, they will be able to eat the fish that they grow and still be able to have more fish. We also need to reduce the amount of trash in the ocean because that will just kill our fish without even us eating it.
I do believe overfishing is a serious problem and I have watched so many documentaries discussing the severity of its issues. However, I am a little conflicted as I do love my share of seafood, but documentaries such as The Cove note on the heartbreaking and inhuman abuse and slaughter of dolphins for their meat. Not only is their meat dangerous to humans due to the high levels of mercury, it is also hindering upon a species that is already in danger. I think a great way to help resolve this issues is to put a tighter hold on regulations and laws surrounding the overfishing, and have the nation’s in close proximity to the areas being hindered to hold a strong safeguard upon protecting the species in the environment. I also think that creating more reservoirs may protect the fish and allow them to thrive without human interference.
I agree that overfishing is a big problem in the world, and that we must stop it for the betterment of our world. One way we could help to alleviate this problem is by having lots of people doing small things to help out the oceans. The more people that participate, the better it is for the environment. Even small deeds like properly disposing a piece of litter every day would make a huge impact on the world if a large number of people do it.
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