Sea conservation -- help save our seas!

save our seas
Once it was thought that the Earth had seven great seas. Now we know there is but one World Ocean and, without it, life would not exist on our planet. The seas are connected to every form of life here on earth. All life came from the sea, including us humans.

Our very bodies are mostly water. In this way we are all connected by the sea. We are all affected by the sea, just as we, in turn, affect the sea.

We must protect the ocean and all of its adjoining ecosystems. It is the only way to save ourselves.

The steady destruction of the seas

To fish or not to fish

save our seas Fish from the seas are the largest source of wild or domestic protein in the world. However, the methods used by commercial fishing operations to "harvest" fish generally involve bottom trawling to collect fish and shellfish. The destruction causes by bottom trawling is similar to the damage caused when clear cutting old-growth forests. This is not only a huge disturbance to the ocean floor, but it is also the largest disturbance to the biosphere.

Is farmed seafood better than wild-caught, though? Keep in mind that farmed seafood mostly consumes GMO feed such as corn and soy rather than the nutrient appropriate foods of their native environments. This not only affects their health during their lifetimes, but it reduces their nutritional content when we humans consume them.

Furthermore, those fish such as tuna and salmon who by nature eat other fish require fish to be caught for their diets when they are farmed. Fish farmers are rapidly fishing out the food supply in the wild to feed their farmed fish. Not only that, but like feedlot livestock, antibiotics are added to their farm water to control the spread of disease. Pick your poison if you choose to eat commercial seafood.

Better yet, don't eat fish or shellfish unless you fish for it yourself or you can go down to the local dock when the local fisherman are coming in at the end of the day. Choose your supper from what is locally available, then cook it fresh at home. Eat fresh local fish, or not at all.

Note: If you fish, practice catch and release fishing if you don't need them for dinner. Take photos, not fish.

save our seas Oil, oil everywhere

The largest amount of oil entering the seas from human activity is from industrial waste and automobiles. Once there, the oil spreads via wave action, which has a huge impact on sea ecosystems. A single unchecked spill can and will destroy an entire ecosystem by coating all animals and coastlines with oil that will never wash away on its own.

Do we humans really have the resources to keep cleaning up corporate messes every time there is an oil spill?

Safe, or just safe enough?

There are no federal requirements for notifying beach goers when water-quality standards are violated. It is completely up to local officials to test the water and determine whether the level of contamination is safe enough to keep the beaches open. Do you trust your local officials to assume responsibility if they choose merely "safe enough" rather than truly "safe" -- or if they leave beachgoers to decide for themselves?

save our seas Buy it antique, or not at all

The most common forms of damage to coral reefs are caused by tourists taking samples and by commercial harvesting for sale to tourists. Similar damage occurs to shellfish because humans desire their beautiful shells. The damage is long since done in the case of antique shells, but leave shells found at the beach where they belong.

If you need another reason to go green at home

New household cleaning, gardening, cosmetic, medicinal, and automotive products are created each year. Most of these will seep into the groundwater as a pollutant after improper disposal. Furthermore, fertilizer runoff into the seas causes oxygen depletion in the form of red tides, which in turn creates "dead zones" in the seas. This kills not only all fish and shellfish, but also any plant life in the area. Compare older underwater photos from the 1940s and 1950s to modern underwater photography to see the damage this causes. These undersea deserts are tragic to see.

Noted sea conservation individuals and organizations

Wyland Foundation : Wyland foundation website. In addition to Wyland's fine art work, he is a noted conservationist who is focused on marine conservation (naturally). He founded the Wyland Foundation specifically to promote awareness of the need for conservation.
Deep Sea Conservation Coalition
American Shore & Beach Preservation Association