Collapsing Seas

COLLAPSING SEAS Oceans cover 71% of our planet's surface and make up 95% of all the space available to life. Threats to the Oceans Overfishing Whaling Factory Fishing Global Warming Overfishing depletes stocks of fish beyond their ability to recover, disrupting the ecosystem and eliminating a valuable source of food and Each year, the Japanese government slaughters 850 minke whales. This year, they have announced plans to expand their "research" to kill 50 endangered humpback whales, and 50 endangered fin whales, in addition to their usual minke slaughter. Giant factory ships are using state-of-the-art equipment to locate and literally vaccuum entire schools of fish out of Climate change is warming the oceans and making them more acidic. This will create vast dead zones as plankton and corals - the primary producers for nearly all marine life - struggle to survive under increasingly inhospitable conditions. the water. income. Pollution Fish Farming Bycatch Pirate Fishing Aquaculture (farming fish and shellfish) is often called the future of the seafood industry. But shrimp farming is perhaps the most destructive, unsustainable and unjust fishery in the world. Every year, fishing nets kill up to 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises around the world. Fishing nets pose the greatest threat to the survival of many species. Armed and masked, scouring the oceans, stealing food from hungry families - modern day pirates are a far cry from the glamour of Hollywood movies. But they are a multi billion-dollar reality for many Pollution can poison marine life and decimate entire marine environments. Vast quantities of solid and chemical waste from human activities are continually dumped and leach into the oceans. communities that can least afford to be robbed. Global Decline of Tuna Remetes for Overfishing: Populations Fish Caught Per 100 Hooks Set (Global Averages) I Putting pressure on governments to limit Predicted extinction of Atlantic bluefin tuna fishing subsidies 2012 I Establishing and expanding Marine Protected Areas (MPAS) 7.9 I Better monitoring and policing of the fish trade 4.4 1 Consumers choosing to buy sustainably-sourced seafood 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 Lost or discarded fishing nets, called "ghost nets," entangles fish, marine mammals, and sea birds, preventing them from feeding or causing them to drown. As many as 20,000 northern fur seals may die each year from becoming entangled in netting. Coral Reef Destruction There are 109 countries with coral reefs. Reefs in 90 of them are being damaged by cruise ship anchors and sewage, by tourists breaking off chunks of coral, and by commercial harvesting for sale to tourists. One study of a cruise ship anchor dropped in a coral reef for one day found an area about half the size of a football field completely destroyed, and half again as much covered by rubble that died later. It was estimated that coral recovery would take fifty years. The Ocean vs. The Deadly Trio According to trends analysed by a panel of expert scientists, ocean life is "at high risk of entering a phase of extinction of marine species unprecedented in human history". CO Global Warming Ocean Acidification Anoxia or lack of oxygen ...are all in existence in the ocean today. Scientific research has shown that the presence of these factors indicate that after already having gone through five "massive extinction events", life on earth may yet go through another. SOURCES: http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/campaigns/oceans/threats/ http://saveourseas.com/threats/overfishing http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/0CEAN_PLANET/HTML/'education_threats.html https://frontierintothewild.wordpress.com/201/06/21/the-ocean-vs-the-deadly-trio/ Infographic Presented By: ReuseThisBag.com" designed by Samantha Sanders Created By: oBizMedia.com