Op-Ed: To save the Earth, think like a ‘blue water’ sailor
The ocean does not discriminate, whether we are looking at the largest ocean or the smallest.
As a recent article by the Times highlighted, the ocean is getting bigger. According to the United Nations, the world’s oceans have risen by an estimated 35 percent since the last peak in 1985 and are projected to continue to rise.
As we face these challenges, it often makes sense to take more than one perspective when thinking about the oceans. As a New Yorker once said – it’s a big ocean.
To the blue water sailor, and the one who works with water to save the lives of humans and animals in the world’s oceans, it makes sense to be concerned and to be inspired to act. So, here’s a few things that I recommend to consider:
1) The ocean does not discriminate
While there are big differences between some of the ocean’s creatures, it is still a big ocean that deserves our attention.
According to the United Nations, one of the most concerning global threats to ocean life is unsustainable fishing practices, which can result in the over-exploitation of marine species. For example, the over-fishing of bluefin tuna, a type of fish that is considered “fin of the food web” that depends on the ocean for survival, can threaten these species’ survival by destroying the species’ spawning grounds and preventing them from reproducing.
The Atlantic bluefin tuna has declined by about two-thirds since the early 1980s, leading to declines in the species’ numbers and a loss of their food chain. The over-fishing of bluefin tuna has been blamed for the near extinction of the Atlantic bluefin tuna, which now numbers fewer than 1,000 individuals.
In an effort to reduce the over-fishing of bluefin tuna, the United States has worked with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to develop a bluefin tuna conservation plan. The plan aims to reduce the pressure from over-fishing by promoting sustainable fishing practices and increasing the production of
