A group of top U.S. marine scientists urged the incoming Obama administration and members of the U.S. Congress to implement a "bailout" for the oceans.
Mankind has damaged the oceans so
badly that many marine species will
collapse and even become extinct within the next few decades, the international ocean conservation group Oceana said in a release. However,
if the U.S., in cooperation with other nations, acts immediately, we
can prevent further extinctions and ecological disruptions.
"We’ve been borrowing against the future for far too long, and the oceans can’t lend us any more. We must act responsibly and live within our means," said Dr. Michael Hirshfield, chief scientist and senior vice president, North America, Oceana. Just as our terrestrial economic bubble depended on lax oversight and wishful thinking, we have resisted managing the ocean for long term sustainability rather than short term profit, warned the scientists.
"The good news is this bailout can be affordable if we act fast," said Dr. Jeremy Jackson, director of the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, Scripps Institution of Oceanography. "We need to limit rather than expand human activities such as fishing," added Jackson. To underscore his point, a new peer-reviewed study of overfishing, published December 10, 2008 by scientific journal PLoS ONE, found that the "total catch per capita from large marine ecosystems is at least twice the value estimated to ensure fishing at moderate sustainable levels" into the future.
The marine scientists identified the worst human threats to ocean life as destructive overfishing, climate change (including ocean acidification) and other forms of pollution.
Synergistic Effects
Together, overfishing, pollution and climate change act synergistically to degrade ocean ecosystems much more than any one factor acting alone. The collective damage is especially apparent in the mass mortality of reef corals and the rise of dead zones in estuaries and coastal seas. Thus, achieving real progress will require addressing all problems simultaneously.
"We need a statement from the new Administration that the U.S. is ready to bail out the oceans to protect marine biodiversity and related economic opportunity worldwide. Policymakers at all levels of government should support managing the oceans to protect the long term health of ocean ecosystems. Achieving this goal soon will provide long-term economic benefits," said Dr. Hirshfield.
Ocean recommended that U.S. leaders should do the following:
- Require responsible fishing, including an end to overfishing, a commitment to rebuilding depleted fish populations and an end to bycatch of protected and endangered species such as dolphins and sea turtles.
- Clean up agricultural practices and require advanced pollution controls on sewage treatment plants.
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions immediately, with a target of a 25 to 40% reduction below 1990 levels by 2020 and an 80 to 95% reduction by the year 2050.
"If we enact these policy changes soon, we can restore the health of ocean ecosystems enough to allow us all to live off the interest from our investment, instead of wiping out our common bank account," said Dr. Hirshfield.
Although the facts about the accelerating decline of the oceans have become clear, the sheer scale of the oceans encourages a belief that they are infinitely resilient. What can be done to raise awareness about the state of our oceans? Please share your comments.
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