Before I was vegan I occasionally ate fish, otherwise known as a Pescetarian, and never even gave a second thought to where those fish came from. In recent years, I have been enlightened about human beings impact on the oceans. I am not sure if, at the time, I was uninformed or simply wanted to remain ignorant to the facts.
One of the reasons I started this blog was to share what I have learned and continue to learn in the hopes that this information can help educate more people on the practices in animal agriculture and human disregard that are killing our planet.
Let’s talk oceans. Oceans cover 70% of the earth’s surface, which is, in hand, responsible for providing 70% of the oxygen we breathe. Without oxygen, well let’s just say no one would be reading my blog. In addition our oceans absorb 30% of all greenhouse gases that we produce. Not only do oceans help clear our air, give us oxygen and regulate climate, but also they are home to wildlife that provides life saving medicines and feeds millions of people globally.
Why worry? The answer is simple because we are basically strangling the life out of our oceans. In 2014 there were over 400 dead zones discovered in our oceans. These areas are no longer capable of sustaining life forms because they contain little or no oxygen that is a result of nitrogen pollution. The sources of nitrogen pollution come from factors including runoff from sewage treatment plants, animal feedlots, and dangerous chemically-laden fertilizer runoff from crops and waste byproducts from cities.
What this means is that too much nitrogen in the oceans causes algae to grow at more rapid rates than the ecosystems can handle. Too much algae doesn’t let the sun through and deprives fish of necessary nutrients. In addition the fish are exposed to elevated toxins and growth of bacteria that either leads to sick fish, which oftentimes make it onto a plate, or dead fish.
Take into consideration, that in a recent report, the amount of dead zones in our oceans are set to double every ten years and, if nothing is done to start to reverse the cycle in 40 years our oceans will be more dead than alive.
When we also take a moment to digest the fact that our oceans are absorbing 30% of the planet’s greenhouse gases, which are escalating at an alarming rate, they are absorbing more methane, carbon dioxide and other chemicals which is making the waters become more acidic and seriously effecting the lifecycle and well being of marine animals.
Add in the continuing escalation of temperatures, due to climate change, and the other factors lead to a deadly combination that puts all of the coral reefs at risk, which are necessary to support 25% of the ocean’s marine life.
Overfishing is another issue threatening ocean animals. Commercial fishing companies remove more fish than intended, which is 50% higher than initially documented. With the use of commercial fishing trawlers, unintended bystanders including dolphins, sharks, small whales and stingrays get caught in the nets and up to 40% of them die.
When you consider all of these factors, and if present day practices continue, it is estimated that our oceans could be fishless by the year 2048.
Also, watch for my upcoming blog post on plastics, another malady threatening our oceans and our lives.
