CalOceans News

Our troubled oceans--you have to see it to believe it

Following up on last week’s post on the need to give the ocean its fair share of the Earth Day attention, CalOceans would like to share this TIME magazine article that presents a theory on why ocean health never gets adequate attention. Whether you’re talking about funding for conservation, or marine protected areas (which account for a scant 0.8% of the world’s ocean), the deep blue sea that covers 70% of the planet gets short shrift.

The cause, suggests TIME’s Bryan Walsh, is that we can’t see the degradation human activity is causing to the ocean. In the words of Jean-Michel Cousteau: “Because we’re visual creatures and we can’t see what’s going on, we don’t relate.”

We have fished out an estimated 90% of the major commercial fish species. Commercial fishing trawlers rake the sea floor, destroying habitat. Pollution flows unchecked.

Fortunately, and as the article points out, MPAs can “make a significant difference in ocean health.” They give sea life a break from human influence and a chance to recover. It’s good to receive a reminder that here in California, we’re on the right track with the Marine Life Protection Act, which will result in a network of MPAs along the full length of the coast.

• Tags:
• marine conservation
• Marine Protected Areas
• earth day