I've said it before and I'll say it again: oceans are out of sight, out of mind for many of us and are among the most abused ecosystems on the planet.
Because the majority of our waters are 'open' (meaning they don't below to any country and therefore aren't regulated and controlled by any national government) it has meant that almost anything goes.
Yes, there are protected areas and sanctuaries but much of the ocean's life is constantly moving and rarely are these protected areas 100% safe from illegal fishing, whaling, or dumping.
Add that to the ridiculous legal practices that are currently practiced around the world like using the oceans as a sewage dumping ground or just a regular garbage dump and it's a little wonder our oceans are in the state they're in.
Today's fishing practices are more destructive and unsustainable than they've ever been in history. For an update on common fishing practices that include long lining, bottom trawling, and sharking fining, check out Wake's website here.
This astonishingly abridged and short summary of how are oceans are endlessly abused and generally taken for granted leads me to my point: humankind is once again failing to see that destruction of the environment could likely lead to the destruction of ourselves.
I hate to sound like how Conservatives and Republicans paint us environmentalists as dooms dayers but I don't see how we can continue to expect to live the way we are with no consequences.
Oceans cover 71% of our earth and provide an estimated 50-70% of our oxygen supply. Phytoplankton uses photosynthesis, just like plants and trees do on land to take energy from the sun to convert Carbon Dioxide into Oxygen.
Phytoplankton support all ocean life: plants, fish, and even sharks and whales. National Geographic has a more detailed article on Phytoplankton here.
However, what happens when we start messing with oceans by depleting it of fish and changing the earth's temperature?
Well no one really knows, as my friend the biologist explains:
There is already a shift in heavily fished oceans away from fish biomass, replaced with other biomass. Jellyfish being an example in some situations. This is the response of the environment to an imbalance and it is always unclear what will happen long term. Often, you see a peak in say jellyfish after disturbance and a corresponding crash in their food source as the rising number of jellyfish eat more and more. Often their food crashes, they then crash also. All round bad situation. This could result in spikes and crashed in phytoplankton, as the whole food web gets messed up. Spikes mean more 02, but crashes mean less. It could imbalance the whole atmosphere, which has in the past been relatively stable.
I think one of the biggest problems is ocean acidification. Carbon Dioxide and water in the air form carbonic acid. More carbon dioxide= more carbonic acid. As oceans acidify, organisms cannot deal with the change. Many use compounds like calcium carbonate in their 'shells' which dissolves when exposed to acid. Phytoplankton can't deal with acids and also is the fastest assimilator of C02. So if they are removed by acid we're on a downward spiral with no fish, no phytoplankton, and no oxygen being produced.
Just like total Recall.
(His words not mine).
So when my friend orders tuna sushi and I say that in the next 50 years we likely won't have any fish left, she'll say "Might as well enjoy it now!". I also have to explain that it's very likely that without fish and healthy oceans we won't be around either.
**Another related article on how the recent BP oil spill is also affecting our oxygen supply can be found here.**
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