World Oceans Day

Today is World Oceans Day. This year's celebration is particularly poignant for those of us in the U.S. because the news about the oil spill in the Gulf keeps getting worse - Jane Lubchenco announced today that oil had been found 1 mile down. But I don't think citizens of any country could look at these photos and not feel profound sadness and anger. Yet we shouldn't spend too long stewing. What can you do? The Ocean Project has a few suggestions.

Another suggestion that might be more time-consuming but is potentially just as useful: let your representatives know that you support responsible ocean policies. For far too long, ocean policies have been heavily influenced by people who profit when oceans are destroyed but don't have to deal with the consequences of degradation. Here are a few things that are sometimes considered "controversial" that you can tell your government you support: precautionary fisheries management and closure of depleted fisheries (many fisheries remain open, just with lower catches, even in the face of sharp stock declines); the creation of marine protected areas (MPAs are proven to have benefits for marine areas, and can lead to HIGHER fish catches in surrounding, unprotected areas); and stringent restrictions on what humans can put into the oceans, whether it's waste from ships or offshore oil rigs. The oceans belong to you, too, and you have a right to have a say in their management.

Oceans: A Participant Guide

If you've seen the movie Oceans but want more information, you should definitely check out the companion book, which includes essays from a wide variety of people - celebrities, scientists, activists - who care about the health of the ocean. The book offers a mix of personal reminiscences, overviews of environmental problems affecting the oceans, and calls to action. Contributors include Pierce Brosnan, Paul Watson, Jane Lubchenco, Alexandra Cousteau, Sylvia Earle and Carl Safina. Though the book presents a picture of the oceans that is at times depressing, its contributors remain upbeat and offer solutions. The book is especially good for introducing novices to the main environmental issues that are harming ocean health.

Earth Day and the ocean

Although it's April Fools' Day, the following post is a serious one. This year is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, and The Nature Conservancy wants to remind everyone that the earth includes the ocean. As Sylvia Earle is fond of saying, based on size this is really Planet Ocean. If we ruin the oceans, we ruin ourselves. Here are some tips from TNC about what you can do:

1. Use Reusable Bags http://earthday.nature.org/reuse/

a. Hundreds of thousands of marine animals die every year from ingesting plastic bags http://bit.ly/cCww8r

2. Eat Sustainably http://earthday.nature.org/sustain/

a. You eat fish even when you don’t: 36% of world's fisheries catch is used to feed farm animals http://bit.ly/asiJjO

3. Green Your Gardening http://earthday.nature.org/garden/

a. Plant native species – they require less fertilizer, which can seep into oceans! http://bit.ly/aSwOhb

4. Adopt A Coral Reef http://adopt.nature.org/coralreef/bahamas/

a. 70% of all Earth’s coral reefs will be destroyed by 2050, act now! http://bit.ly/bs7Sp4

5. See Oceans, Save Oceans http://nature.org/disney

a. See OCEANS (4/22-4/28) & a portion of ticket sales benefits Conservancy’s work on coral reefs http://bit.ly/cYENDQ

You can also follow their Twitter to learn more.

I'd also like to add that if you're in the U.S., you should contact your representative and senator and let them know that you support strong national and international policies to reduce ocean pollution, end overfishing, end subsidies for fishing (sustainable or not), and create marine protected areas. Personal action is great, but until we dismantle the systems that make it profitable to abuse our oceans it'll be difficult to make any progress. You should also let President Obama know that you absolutely oppose the plan to allow for a resumption in commercial whaling. Go here to tell him to tell the US IWC Commissioner to stand up for the whales at the June IWC meeting!

End of the Line

I've been reading The End of the Line by Charles Clover, about the problem of overfishing. It was made into a movie last year. It's nothing many of us who work on ocean issues don't know already; nevertheless, it provides some information I had never heard before (especially information about historical fish catches), and provides a useful overview of the state of the world's oceans and how they got that way. Highly recommended. There is a great collection of videos related to the movie up at Babelgum, like this one about MPAs. Since Netflix doesn't have the DVD of the documentary yet, you can check these out in the meantime!

Wear blue tomorrow!

If you live in the U.S., consider wearing something blue tomorrow to show your support for the National Ocean Policy the Obama Administration is developing. The policy has shown promise in that it adopts the principle of ecosystem-based management, although ASOC has found that the policy doesn't address how the administration will incorporate these national goals into its policies on Antarctica. Nevertheless, the broader goal of creating a unified policy for the ocean makes tremendous sense and is broadly supported by the ocean conservation community.

NPR Series on the Oceans

NPR is doing a series on Oceans at Risk this week on All Things Considered. Check out their first story, on how to "zone" the oceans. Though they've focused on US waters, the questions still apply to the Southern Ocean. It's widely acknowledged now by most people that the oceans may need more active management - the question is actually putting sometimes unpopular restrictions in place. Getting all stakeholders to agree on a way forward, whether it's in Massachusetts or in the Weddell Sea, is often a monumental challenge.