|
What you can do:
|
Each day scientists are learning more and more about the negative impact mankind is having on our marine ecosystems. The time is now for all of us – businesses and consumers – to act more responsibly. For most of us, the ocean is a mysterious place; its inhabitants live out of sight beneath the waves. But it is not a convenient dumping ground for our waste. Or an endless source of food to be harvested without consequence. The health and condition of the seas has a direct effect on our lives, from polluted rivers and streams to decimated fish populations to even affecting global weather patterns.
Marine ecosystems are amazingly complex. They constitute an enormous aquatic jigsaw puzzle – with each interlocking piece having a particular place, a purpose or role as it were. If any one piece is removed then the picture begins to lose form and shape. Lose enough pieces and it eventually makes no sense at all.
But there are steps we can all take that are easy and can have a very positive effect. Here are just a few:
|
|
Support sustainable seafood: The over-fishing of commercially viable seafood is reaching a very serious “tipping point” where entire populations have been predicted to potentially collapse within a matter of years. When you go to the market or to a restaurant, be sure to ask if the fish you are buying is part of a sustainable population – a population that is being properly managed so that it is either not being fished beyond its ability to reproduce or that is being successfully grown (aqua-farmed). If you’re not sure, your local zoo or aquarium can provide helpful information. And, of course, there is the Internet.
|
|
No more shark fin soup! Today the number of sharks being killed ranges from 10 million to as high as 100 million. No one is exactly sure because many sharks are caught illegally or as accidental bi-catch and discarded. But the demand for shark fin soup in Asian cultures extracts some of the greatest damage with sharks having their fins cut off and the body thrown back into the sea alive to face a slow, agonizing death. Although demonized for centuries, sharks serve a very important role as predators helping to keep the populations of their prey healthy and in proper number. Without sharks, marine ecosystems can be thrown out of balance with disastrous results.
|
|
Give a hoot. Don’t pollute: Many of us in the United States grew up hearing that slogan but it applies to the oceans as well as the land and air. And it’s so easy to do! The storm drains of most coastal cities ultimately empty right into the ocean, so anything tossed into the street – from plastic bags to styrofoam cups to motor oil – can end up at sea. Trash left on the beach can be swept away with the incoming tide. Not only can trash or carelessly discarded chemicals pollute and poison the waters but non-biodegradable trash can float for thousands of miles, attracting fish or seabirds who, thinking it’s an easy meal, can consume items that fatally block their digestive systems. It’s so easy – put trash in its proper place!
|
|
Learn and Become Involved: Every day, dedicated scientists and conservationists are learning more and more about the intricacies of our natural world. Much of what they discover is available in books, magazines, and newspapers. There are also informative television programs and DVDs. And then there is the power of the Internet. With all of these informational resources at our fingertips, there’s hardly any excuse for not becoming knowledgeable about the environmental challenges facing us. But sometimes with knowledge can come a sense of feeling overwhelmed. And that’s why we all need to become activists, being involved in some degree or another. You don’t have to try to do it all; pick an area of interest or concern and find out what you can do to help. Maybe it’s participating in a beach cleanup day, or volunteering at an aquarium or marine mammal rescue clinic, or maybe just writing your state or federal politicians on important issues. If we all just do something positive to save our seas, it will definitely have an impact.
|
|
To learn more about marine conservation issues, click on the RTSea Blog.
|
|
|
Back to top
|
|
Organizations:
|
|
There are many recognized organizations involved in research, conservation, or political action. Some focus on local issues while others are more international in scope. Many could benefit from your support either monetarily or otherwise. Here are just a few with a brief description and links to their respective web sites:
|
|
General Wildlife Conservation:
|
World Wildlife Federation (WWF) www.worldwildlife.org
One of the largest organization involved in education, research, and political action on behalf of all wildlife issues.
|
WildAid www.wildaid.org
Focuses awareness to reduce demand and put an end to the illegal trade in endangered wildlife species.
Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) www.cites.org
Organization that oversees adherence to international treaties protecting endangered animal and plant species.
Earthtrust www.earthtrust.org
Proactive worldwide organization protecting both aquatic and land species from exploitation.
Marine Conservation and Education:
InMER (Integrated Marine Education and Research Expeditions)www.inmer.org
Dedicated to communicating conservation and the supporting science to policymakers and the public.
Save Our Seas www.saveourseas.org
Hawai’i-based organization utilizing education and research to preserve/restore the world’s oceans.
The Ocean Conservancy www.oceanconservancy.org
Focuses on political action to protect sealife, promote Marine Protected Areas, and restore sustainable fisheries.
National Coalition for Marine Conservation (NCMC) www.savethefish.org
Public advocacy group dedicated to conserving ocean fish and their environment.
Aquarium of the Pacific www.aquariumofpacific.org
Based in Long Beach, CA, aquarium dedicated to education and awareness of Pacific Ocean marine ecosystems.
Great White Shark Conservation and Research:
PRBO Conservation Science www.prbo.org/cms/index.php?mid=158
Promotes research and protection of great white sharks around the Farallon Islands, CA.
UC Davis Biotelemetry Laboratory www.wfcb.ucdavis.edu/www.faculty/Pete
Renown biologist, Peter Klimley PhD. studies sharks and other pelagics with telemetry tagging research.
Tagging of Pacific Pelagics (TOPP) www.toppcensus.org
Involved in satellite tagging and tracking of migratory patterns of white sharks and other pelagics.
Pfleger Institute of Environmental Research www.pier.org
Research group based in Oceanside, CA that studies a wide range of Pacific Ocean sealife.
White Shark Conservation, Education and Exploration Society www.whiteshark.co.za
Organization dedicated to studying and protecting white sharks in and around South Africa.
|
|
Back to top
|
|