DEEP CONCERNS

An alarming number of problems face the marine world today. Most of them, of course, man-made. But if we can cause the problems, we can remedy them too.

It's just going to take some combined and concerted effort - from everyday people who have a conscience and the integrity to play their part in the correction of these issues, before it is all too late.

You can help change the way the world regards our oceans and encourage friends, family and colleagues to change their behavior towards protecting the marine environment. You just have to have the inclination and the passion to voice your opinion. And, even then, it won't change overnight.
But then take inspiration from the dedicated individuals and their supporters who made us realise that lions, elephant, rhinos, tigers and gorillas were worth saving. It can be done.
Together we can do the same for the ocean.

LONGLINING

One of the major contributors to overfishing of fish stocks around the globe is longlining, an indiscriminate fishing practice that can involve a boat spooling out as many as 81 miles of line with up to 40,000 baited hooks. Anchored to the seabed at one end, the line is set at a predetermined depth using sophisticated computers, depth sounders and satellite information and then left for up to 24 hours.

Whilst primarily targeting many valuable species of large tuna and swordfish, this fishing gear is responsible for the unintended death of seabirds, sea turtles, sharks, dolphins, sea lions, marlin and sailfish. Research shows that the catch rate for target species is as little as two in every 100 hooks set. Even then, this fishing technique can not discriminate between size and species.

As a result some shark populations have been decimated by 90% and longlines are responsible for the estimated deaths of 40,000 sea turtles and 180,000 seabirds every year.

Longlines can also be set vertically, with a target catch of tuna, swordfish, cod and patagonian toothfish. Unfortunately the same rules apply.

TRAWLING

There are many different variations on trawling techniques and the type of equipment used but as fish stocks continue to decline, fishermen have developed more sophisticated gear that now threatens the very structure of the ocean floor whilst indiscriminately catching everything in its wake.

The most common technique used today is the 'otter' trawl. It encompasses steel doors designed to drag along the seafloor, keeping the mouth of the net open. Each door is attached to the fishing boat by long bridles. The spread between trawl doors can extend to 650 feet. To keep the base of the net on the seabed the footrope is often fixed with heavy, destructive rolling disks and metal or rubber bobbins that enable the gear to bounce over the seafloor. An average flatfish bottom trawl vessel can catch approximately 15 tons of fish in a single haul.

To access previously difficult habits trawlers now utilise rock-hopper gear to keep the nets from snagging on boulder fields, deep sea coral reefs and rocky pinnacles. Painfully simple, the rock-hopper gear consists of taut steel chains, the length of the trawl net, punctuated by aircraft tyres that 'bounce' over the terrain.

With a combined weight of several hundred pounds, rock-hoppers leave a devastating trail carved into the ocean floor, an area now reported to be twice the size of Europe, removing habitats that have been breeding grounds and refuges for up to 10,000 years.

SEASICKNESS - MARINE POLLUTION ON THE RISE

For most of us, marine pollution is a phantom menace that we don't see, know or hear about unless, of course, an oil tanker spectacularly discharges its cargo into the ocean on prime time television.
Yet everyday, sewage, oil, chemicals, agricultural pesticides and plastic items enter the seas unchecked to cause untold havoc on the aquatic environment.

Instead of respect and awe for the ocean, industry, commerce and individuals the world over continue to regard the enormity of the seas as a suitable hiding place for its waste products.
Daily, 300 million of gallons of sewage - often untreated - are discharged into British coastal waters introducing harmful bacteria and viruses that can cause diseases.

Annually, approximately 706 million gallons of oil enters the oceans from a variety of sources including offshore drilling and oil exploration (37 million gallons), oil tanker accidents (62 million gallons), natural seeps (92 million gallons), industry and transport bi-products (137 million gallons) plus ship maintenance and bilge cleaning (363 million gallons).
But, incredibly, nearly half of all oil pollution in the ocean (343 million gallons) makes its way into the oceans from the urban environment through vehicle ownership and maintenance.

Chemicals from industrial waste and fallout can kill and cause distorted growth in shellfish and reproductive deficiencies in marine life. The most problematic waste includes heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium plus man-made chemicals including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Whilst PCBs are now banned, they still enter the environment from historical use. Poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are another source of marine toxic pollution and typically originate from oil pollution and burning wood and coal.

These PAHs are responsible for causing genetic chromosomal aberrations in many marine creatures.
Agricultural sewage, fertilisers and pesticides also contribute to higher levels of marine pollution reaching the oceans through run-offs to rivers. Farming chemicals are designed to kill pests and increase the productivity of the land. They have no place in the ocean where, combined with sewage, causes massive nutrient loading in the ocean's ecosystem. High levels of nutrient loading prompts algae blooms, leading to lower levels of dissolved oxygen. In turn, this depletion of oxygen causes the death of many marine organisms.


Marine debris is yet another daunting illustration of corporations' and individual's lack of respect for the aquatic world. Rubbish is jettisoned from boats all over the world with a horrific accumulative effect. Almost completely un-policed, millions of tonnes of sewage and rubbish is discarded into the sea directly from massive cruise liners, fishing vessels and recreational boaters.

Yet the cruise liners remain amongst the worst culprits. According to Ocean Conservancy, an average sized cruise liner can produce around 30,000 gallons of sewage per day. In addition, 255,000 gallons of 'grey' water from laundries, showers, sinks and dishwashers are also likely to be dumped at sea on a daily basis. Other discharges include 37,000 gallons of oily bilge water and 15 gallons of toxic waste from services such as dry-cleaning and photo-processing.

Alarmingly, the cruise line industry forecasts that by 2010 there will be around 500 cruise ships carrying more than 15 million passengers to vulnerable marine areas in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the waters of the Arctic and Antarctica and the North Sea.

Back on land, household pollution of the oceans is on the increase and painfully difficult to monitor. Yet a simple rule applies. If it is flushed or rinsed away, it reaches the ocean. Without stretching the imagination, it is easy to cite detergents (soap and shampoo, washing powder, cleaning products) along with DIY substances like paint and paint strippers plus cooking oils and grease and sanitary products as items that all get flushed or put down the drain.