CalOceans News

California's oceans are too big to fail

Carl Safina and Sylvia Earle are no strangers to the benefits of marine protected areas.  Dr. Earle won the TED prize for her work to protect the planet's "blue heart," and her goal is to see a worldwide network of marine protected areas to keep the world's oceans healthy and sustainable.  

Both ocean experts worry about the effects of climate change, overfishing, pollution, and habitat destruction on sea life.  And now, Safina and Earle are calling for a bailout plan for the ocean.  At a recent event, they had conservationists repeat, "the oceans are too big to fail."

That's certainly true in California.  The coast and ocean are our most iconic attraction.  According to the National Ocean Economics Program 2009 report, they drive $22 billion dollars in revenue and 350,000 jobs each year.  And the lion's share of that--three quarters of the revenue, and over half the jobs--come from tourism and recreation.

In order to keep those industries thriving, we have to protect the iconic ocean places and wildlife people come to enjoy.  If our oceans are too big to fail, then the Marine Life Protection Act is a wise investment indeed for California.

• Tags:
• ocean economy
• coastal tourism
• california economy
• Marine Life Protection Act
• marine conservation