The Oceans.

Over 40% of the world’s oceans are heavily impacted by human activities with few areas—if any—left unaffected by anthropogenic factors. This means we humans (and what we deem civilization) have played a major role in the despoiling of the waters of the earth.

It’s not some unstoppable force of nature or preordained theology that 90% of the large fish are already gone. Human decisions have led us to where we are now and new human decisions are needed to forge a more logical and compassionate path. After all, 80% of all life on earth is found in the oceans and its where over half our oxygen is created.

The relentless quest for corporate profit has blinded us to the plight of the deep blue sea and how it impacts all forms of life. To follow is but a small sampling of what human culture has done and is doing to our beautiful—and essential—oceans:

We can begin this discussion with the ever-increasing ocean acidification. The carbon dioxide (CO2) that results from the burning of fossil fuels dissolves in the ocean and decreases the pH. Consider this:

• Roughly 25% of all CO2 emissions are absorbed by oceans
• Before humans began burning coal and oil, ocean pH had been relatively stable for 20 million years
• Over the last 250 years, oceans have absorbed 530 billion tons of CO2, which has resulted in a 30% in ocean acidity

The myriad deleterious impacts of acidification include the reduction of a mineral called carbonate, which forms the shells and skeletons of many shellfish and corals. As pH levels drop, shells literally dissolve. This effect also slows the building of coral reefs and some believe the tipping point for such reefs could be less then 40 years away. Often called “rainforests of the sea,” coral reefs are home to a quarter of all marine fish species and their presence buttresses coastal regions from strong waves and storms.

Those forms of ocean life still somehow able to manage the increasing acidity are not exactly in the clear—thanks to bottom trawling. This is the highly non-selective fishing method of dragging immense nets along the ocean floor. Think of it as the sea-based version of forest clear cutting. Called “arguably the single most destructive human action for the world’s oceans,” trawling often leaves a trail that can be seen from space.

Trawling is a major component in overfishing (or what I call “fishing”). Since large-scale industrial fishing methods was introduced in the 1950s, 90% of the large fish—e.g. tuna, swordfish, marlin, cod, halibut, skate, and flounder—are gone.

In addition, estimates range as high as 50 to 100 million sharks killed each year—sometimes as unintended ‘bycatch’, other times more specifically when untold millions of sharks are targeted each year for their fins.

This practice involves catching sharks, cutting off their fins while they are alive, and tossing the maimed fish back into the ocean (often still alive). The fins are dried and used in shark fin soup. To make this even more despicable, the shark fins don’t add flavor to the soup. They are added solely for texture.

More than 200 million years before the dinosaurs, there were sharks. Do we really want to be part of the species that wiped them out?

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