'Shocking' state of seas threatens mass extinction

[Rochellita]

Overfishing and pollution putting fish, sharks and whales in extreme danger – with extinction 'inevitable', study finds

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2 ... ion-threat

[vegan hal]

uggh. so fucking sad. it's unreal to me how people in general just have no regard for the sea and realise the impact it has for EVERYONE!

[Alistar]

Yeah incredibly sad. Hear of times just a 100yrs ago around our coast, when sea life was so plentifull it was everywhere, and in huge numbers. Like a desert now in comparison

Have established a few sea sanctuaries in NZ over the last 30yrs where no one is allowed to take any fish etc and has just been unbelievable to even the scientists, biologists just how much life has come back into these areas. So much more of the coastline should be preserved in this way instead of just a tiny percentage. They actually help as a nursery to help re populate other areas of the now depleted coast.

Goat Island and the Poor Knights spring to mind and are probably the most well known ones. Remember going snorkling as a young boy back in the 80's at "Goat Island".

http://www.seafriends.org.nz/issues/res/gi/index.htm

Think we were about the only ones there back then though! Fish were so tame and everywhere. Fantastic experience

[Johnstuff]

Yeah the situation is soooooo bad. If "out of sight out of mind" works on land it works 10 times 'better' in the sea.

It's such a bad situation, they way we've destroyed an environment we don't even live in. There's all kinds of really stupid selfish people fishing to death the ecosystem that life on earth depends on.

Most of our oxygen comes from the ocean, so lets wipe out the dominant predator (sharks) and see what happens, that's a great idea.

I just hope humankind can wipe itself out before we do much more damage, we must be some kind of evolutonary mistake, for all our intelligence we are so stupid.

[Sid Delicious]

NZ is probablt just as bad as other countries regarding fishing policies such as allowing bottom trawling etc. On a positive note though, the increase in Marine Reserves over the last few decades has had a massive effect. A few years ago a friend went snorkelling at Raoul Island (population about 6-10 people depending on time of year) in the Kermedec Island group. I don't think there has ever been commercial fishing there as it is 1000km north east of the North Island. He was about 3 metres off shore when he lost his sense of direction due to the huge number of fish around him. He then got repeatedly head-butted by a gropper, a fish about 2 metres long.
I was swimming at an inner-city beach a few months ago when a pod of about 5-6 orca came along the beach about 50 metres from shore. They are now becoming a regular sight along the coast of Wellington, as are dolphins, seals, penguins and southern right whales, most of which were noted for their complete absence a few decades ago. So all is not doom and gloom here thankfully.

[honfour]

"I wish the Guardian would not publish articles like this without writing some useful tips at the end on WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!! Please writers, don't stir us up, get us revving and not point us in the right direction. Give us addresses for petitions, groups that lobby, acts that contribute to lessen the burden."

Haha, I agree with this comment even if the answers are transparent. But "Stop eating so much damn fish!" and "Stop throwing !@#$ into the ocean!" never seemed the popular opinions

Regardless, even if all oceanic life enters an irredeemable phase of extinction, we can still do what we can do to help and I'll do my best.

[Asleep on a sunbeam]

of our oxygen comes from the ocean

Are you sure about that?
Every biologist I've veer spoken to has told me most of it comes from plant life on land, and a tiny percentage of oxygen comes from the oxygen from plant lift in the ocean. I've never heard the claim that most of it does .

[kallefs]

http://www.ehow.com/about_5444580_plant ... xygen.html

This was just the first post on google, I am sure there are more reliable sites if you search a bit

When I was little I was force fed the idea that the rainforests were the lungs of the earth and I guess I wasn't the only one.

[offense74]

It's "funny" how people try to attempt to micro-manage the ocean life by choosing which type of fish to eat. In the meanwhile I'm raising my hand going "Hey, I have a solution for this". Noone ever listens to the 110kg protein-deficient vegan...

[Johnstuff]

of our oxygen comes from the ocean

Are you sure about that?
Every biologist I've veer spoken to has told me most of it comes from plant life on land, and a tiny percentage of oxygen comes from the oxygen from plant lift in the ocean. I've never heard the claim that most of it does .

Pretty sure, well David Attenborough said it in Blue Planet and Kallefs' link seems to confirm it. Doesn't really matter though, we're doing a pretty good job of destroying land life too