“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
—Jane Goodall
A diverse and thriving Atlantic ocean ecosystem is critical to a healthy planet. It is also critical to the sustainability of human dependence on natural ocean resources. Top threats to ocean health are over fishing, ocean and coastal pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change. As the human population continues to grow, it is imperative that we adjust to the needs of our resources that are becoming both more important and more limited.
Ocean Ecosystem Protections, Sustainable Fisheries, and Protections for Forage Species
Photo credit - NOAA
Oceans cover approximately 71 percent of Earth’s surface and contain 97 percent of Earth’s water. They constitute over 90 percent of the habitable space on Earth, and are home to over 80 percent of all living organisms - 250,000 known species with an estimated 1.7 million more that are unknown. Consequently, resilient and thriving ocean ecosystems, and marine biodiversity are vital to the overall wellbeing of our planet.
Oceans are also essential to the wellbeing of humanity They provide 50 percent of the oxygen we breathe and absorb over 30 percent of the human-produced carbon emissions. Earth’s oceans provide global “natural capital” valued at $70 trillion annually, contribute $2.3 trillion in global market goods and services annually, and support livelihoods for approximately 3 billion people with marine fisheries alone providing approximately 57 million. Earth’s current population is predicted to increase from 8 billion to close to 10 billion to 2050, increasing humanity’s reliance on the oceans and the life therein.
The cornerstones Ecosystem-based fisheries management, abundant forage species, and protected fish habitat are the cornerstones of a healthy marine ecosystem and thriving and sustainable fisheries.
Overfishing
Industrial trawler - Photo Credit
Overfishing is one of the biggest threats to our oceans today. It is both a national and a global concern that impacts the balance and health of the marine ecosystems and undermines the reliability of an essential global food source. Additionally coastal communities depend on health ocean ecosystems to support tourism, restaurants, recreational and commercial fishermen, and associated retail. The number of overfished global fish stocks has tripled since 1970. There are many factors contributing to overfishing. Improved fishing technology changes the level of impact significantly. New technology like echo-sounders, advanced GPS, and fishfinders increased fishing efficiency, boats are bigger and faster than they were decades ago allowing for boats to take more fish in one haul, and onboard reduction and refrigeration allow large boats to stay at sea for longer periods of time. Bycatch (the catch and discard of unwanted species that have no commercial value) contributes to the decline of many ocean species, impacts predatory-prey dynamics, and can impede rebuilding of compromised fish stock.
Endangered Species and Marine Mammals
Photo credit - NOAA
The North Atlantic right whale is one of the most endangered marine mammals in the world, with less than 400 individuals and 100 breeding females remaining in the population. The main causes of death and sub-lethal harm are entanglement in fishing gear and ship strikes. In addition, these whales rely on close communication with their young to keep them alive. They are subjected to an almost constant barrage of ocean noise from ships and seismic testing.