Dying Ocean
The Deterioration of Our Sea Life
The ocean is dying, in the sense that animal life overall is losing strength and faltering. Centuries of human fishing is the major cause, not only of diminished human fisheries, but also of generalized breakdown patterns that are increasingly apparent today, from starving fish, whales and seabirds, to bursts of runaway growth of algae and bacteria, seen as “red tides” and “dead zones.”
Our removal of so many active, living sea animals has unexpectedly impaired the very nutrient cycling engine of the marine ecosystem itself, because every living, moving sea creature always helped to stabilize and energize the whole system. The incredible bulk of marine animal life that existed a few centuries ago is now gone. And by its removal the ocean web itself has been injured, virtually gutted by fishing. According to accepted scientific theory, that was never supposed to happen. But it has, and the evidence is everywhere.
The Decline of Ocean Life
The best way to describe the change in my lifetime is a decline in everything. There has been a major decline in large ocean animals, including fish; this much is fairly well known. Plants and animals that once flourished now tend to be smaller, fine and fuzzy – lower energy things, that are more efficient and adapted for low nutrient feeding.
What does this mean? It means there has been a slow-down in overall productivity and energy flow into the ocean, which means photosynthesis and carbon dioxide uptake by the ocean has also slowed over time. Do all these signs today mean humans have actually damaged the ability of the ocean to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by fishing and whaling? That is my conclusion, although it is not generally accepted.
When I look at the seaweed, the large traditional weeds appear under-fertilized, like they’re not getting enough nitrogen. That helps tell the tale. I try to read everything the DFO scientists and others publish on this area, and I have been watching for the ocean biochemistry to change. And in fact, it has changed.
If you dig through DFO’s biochemical papers and observations, you will find in Atlantic Canada that the nitrate (a very significant part of the natural fertility of the sea) has decreased throughout the water column, not just on the top layer. And that is an ominous sign. A decline in bottom water nitrate is a clear indication of a loss of plant growth potential, even using the standard interpretation of how these things work.
Fertilization of the Ocean
Fertilization of the ocean is definitely a major key to removing more carbon from the atmosphere – the ocean is the biggest thing on the planet capable of taking in carbon. Fertility of the ocean is crucial, and, although science has been slow to acknowledge it, living fish, whales, seals and seabirds all naturally speed up the fertility of the ocean, essentially by their very active movement. The web of marine animals has always been self-fertilizing!
This realization shows us that the ‘sea animal deficit’ we have caused has inevitably caused a natural ‘ocean fertility deficit’. If we now leave marine animals alone, the ocean animal web will have a natural tendency to repair itself. Maximizing the living presence sea animals on the planet, including as many as possible of the larger types, will produce the best result, ocean-fertility wise. The safest way for humans to get the ocean to lock more carbon away will therefore be to stop all fishing, whaling and seal hunting. The idea is politically unpopular, to say the least, but it would help turn the ocean around.
Life is now precarious for large sea animals in general. Beyond food shortages, microbes are becoming more dominant in the environment, raising threats to animals from toxic algae blooms, dead zones and rising infectious diseases. These changes have the potential to take down some of the larger animals quickly. I do not expect to see a long, slow, gradual disappearance for some of these species; whales and seals, for instance, might just crash.
Ocean animals as a group should be given free rein to try to pull themselves back from the brink of human-induced annihilation, and to re-charge the fertility of the sea. This will also be key to long term human survival.
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Comments
As much as I love sushi, i do find it very worrisome the quantity of fish in fish markets, the quantity of marine life that is killed for consumption, and the general lack of knowledge and application of marine conservation.
When eating meat, it's really a no-win situation, as by avoiding red meat, i end up eating some fish and vice-versa, all too aware of the overfishing problems, particularly having been to asian markets like Seoul and Saigon, the amount of (sea) animals used for food is staggering.
I also visited some polynesian islands where the respect for the ocean is deeply rooted, and I think that's what we need to bring into our modern world, a closeness to the ocean like the one you've developed.
We humans love to do things in excess, and sooner or later, we'll end up driving our species into the ground. I'm always perplexed by those who insist on continuing status quo and ignoring/hiding the signs the earth is giving us: it just doesn't make sense NOT to worry about oceanic changes because if we don't change our practices now, there won't be a fishery left to manage and profit from.
Thanks for the story, Debbie - it's sad, scary, and hopeful all at the same time.
There's a huge demand for seafood...especially since common knowledge or myth, touts seafood as the best kind of meat to eat, the question is, would we be able to curb our fish and meat consumption if it meant saving the world? Can we make that mental connection?
I've tried cutting back on eating meat and seafood, it's not easy...i'd go one day vegetarian, and the next day I felt like i ate 3x as much meat haha...sigh.
This just reminds me of something a psychic said to my friend recently. She said to not look for houses to buy in the NYC area. She said to look for higher ground to buy b/c in the next 20-30 years, people are going to be looking to move to higher ground. She also said there was going to be a return to nature, b/c the world is going to be so mad at what they did to the planet, that a call to return to nature is going to be on everyone's minds. So people need to invest in the planet, like solar, wind and hydroelectricity as their means for energy.
It's interesting b/c I've been following the whole 2012 phenomena that ancient cultures have been predicting as being the end to civilization. I also look at what some psychics (Edgar Cayce, for example) have said about how the ancient civilization of Atlantis disappeared. Now that I think about it, our civilization is in the same dire straits as Atlantis was before it was destroyed and the new era began.
Sometimes you just have to read the signs. They're everywhere. I am in full support in a return to nature, where we respect the planet we live on, b/c without it's good health, our health fails.
Some people say they thought Live Earth was a waste. I say, IT WASN'T. It was a serious wake-up call to our planet that we need to do something. We have to take our own individual actions and work as a community to start nursing the world back to health. If they don't consider Live Earth as something good for the planet, then wait until parts of the Earth like NYC is under water. Sometimes people are just idiots and would rather have the catastrophe occur before they'll believe there is a dire need to make a change.
Turn on the History Channel and The National Geographic Channel...they are telling us every single day that at the rate we are going, mother nature is going to start striking back ferociously. A friend of mine had mentioned that the sweep of tornadoes that recently struck the south and midwest came at an unusual time. I have to agree, b/c it happened in January and February. Tornado watches normally begin in March. That is another HUGE sign.
I've been considering becoming a raw foodist for a few months now. I've been trying to get myself into the mindset and making slow, but steady changes to my lifestyle to incorporate it into my life. It's the strictest of all forms of veganism.
Also, for those of you who like fish...did you know that fish absorb into their bodies the water they swim in? If the water has toxins in it, guess what??? So will the fish! If you can't even drink the water out of the faucet, why are you so willing to eat fish that came from a body of water that is dirtier than the water you drink? Who is to say that the fish didn't swim through some sewage as well before it hit your plate???
Even being vegan can be harsh, b/c you never know if pesticides or chemicals touched the produce. You also don't know if it was injected with hormones either.
These are the problems with mankind trying to manipulate nature. It just ends up hurting us in the end.
I think what Debbie said was key: if we want to continue eating fish, we need to a develop sustainable aquaculture - the way we're doing it now is NOT sustainable, but it could be.
That's really interesting Michelle - and I think when you envision the "apocalypse" (without all the doomsday connotations), you think it happens in a split second, but it will more likely happen gradually, almost imperceptibly if you aren't looking...
From a philosophical point of view, I think as human beings, particularly westerners have a bit of a perverted outlook - "i've got one life to live, i'm going to do whatever the heck I want", then some people who have kids think, I have to leave them a good legacy, and that promotes change.
Deep down inside, I don't think we connect with the continuity of life, whether it's our own or that of the planet's, in turn we consume for our own pleasure, and ignore the consequences - i'm as guilty as the next person, and i'm glad to see a slow cultural change, especially in the younger generations it seems to be part and parcel of them growing up, recycling and such...
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