In 2015, a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report has already showed the disturbing reality that fishes’ population in the oceans has declined by 49 percent between 1970 and 2012 alone.
Living Blue Planet Report, which was analyzed by the Zoological Society of London and issued an update on the ocean’s health, found that both local and commercial fish populations were also cut in half, while tropical reefs had been broken severely.
“Global climate is one of the major drivers causing the ocean to change more rapidly than at any point in millions of years,” WWF stated in a press release back in 2015. “These coincide with the growing decline of marine habitats, where the deforestation rate of mangroves exceeds even the loss of forests by 3-5 times; coral reefs could be lost [to temperature rises] across the globe by 2050; and almost one-third of all sea grasses have been lost.”
Mac Salvo of Global Research once reported that yes, natural causes are to blame, but so too are the “corporations of man; the effects of Fukushima, unleashing untold levels of radiation into the ocean and onto Pacific shores; the cumulative effect of modern chemicals and agricultural waste tainting the water and disrupting reproduction.”
Daily Mail added in its report that environmental issues were one of the major factors. This included pollution caused by chemicals dumped in the ocean that resulted to at least 20% of the wildlife deaths in 2018.
Though many factors are linked to the millions to billions of marine life deaths, Olaf Jensen from Rutgers University in New Jersey, believes it all boils down to the warming of waters.
“Fish populations can only tolerate so much warming, though,” Jensen said, according to a report by Science. “Many of the species that have benefited from warming so far are likely to start declining as temperatures continue to rise.”
According to a report by Science Alert, a website dedicated for scientific researchers, said that warmer water means less oxygen. This could impair the marine organisms’ bodily functions.
“If you’ve ever felt the oppression of a hot summer day, you’ve got an idea what we’re talking about,” reported David Nield for Science Alert.
“We recommend that fisheries managers eliminate overfishing, rebuild fisheries and account for climate change in fisheries management decisions,” Chris Free, a postdoctoral scientist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, told Rutgers.
Among other things, pollution and single-use plastic dumped in the ocean is partly to blame as well. Report by the Daily Mail said that more than 250,000 tons of plastic are found in the ocean. This harms and kills marine life, more than we thought it could.
Recently, in the Philippines, a young Cuvier beaked whale has just been found dead on the shores of Compostela Valley, with 40 kilograms of plastic found in its stomach, which ultimately led to the whale’s untimely death.
Here’s what you can do to save the ocean:
- Reduce energy consumption.
- Choose sustainable seafood choices
- Minimize using plastic-made products
- Do not purchase items that can contribute to the harming of marine life.
- Support organizations that protect the ocean
- Educate yourself about oceans and marine life!
