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Topic Du Jour: The Oceans




I'm worried about the health of the oceans. Are you? I'm specifically worried about the problem of bycatch -- the killing of sea creatures that are not the target species during the fishing process. Shrimp trawlers drag the entire ocean floor with their nets, devastating entire ecosytems. Longlines -- up to 40 mile long monofilament fishing lines with thousands of hooks -- are meant to catch swordfish and tuna. But both methods mean the deaths of literally millions of sharks, along with hundreds of thousands of whales, dolphins, porpoises, sea turtles, and sea birds -- plus smaller, less glamorous fish.

Check out these stats just on turtles from World Wildlife Foundation:

"Researchers estimate that as many as 200,000 loggerheads and 50,000 leatherbacks are caught annually by commercial long-line tuna, swordfish, and other fisheries. In the eastern Pacific alone, leatherbacks have declined more than 90 per cent in the last 20 years, with populations of 90,000 nesting females in the 1980s dropping to some 2,000 today."


What can you do to help?

1. Pony Up. I just gave $50 to The Ocean Conservancy who advocates for healthy oceans by working with congressmembers and the fishing community -- they have a decent rating on Charity Navigator. The World Wildlife Foundation and Greenpeace are active in this area as well.

2. Eat ocean-friendly fish. I found this great link that tells you which fish are associated with environmentally questionable fishing practices, and which aren't. Maybe you'll find a tasty new favorite dish!

3. Volunteer. In 2001 I worked in a turtle camp for three weeks protecting sea turtle eggs from poachers and releasing baby turtles back to the ocean. What's a better use of your time than that? There are many opportunities to assist turtles in fabulous beachside locations around the world.
 

What can you do right now to help the environment? Drop a line to save some of nature's BioGems. 

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