Ocean Pollution: Mitigating the Impending Destruction of Ocean Life

Introduction

Millions of ocean species are soon to face mass extinction due to pollution. Pollution is everywhere we look, even the Ocean. All the trash that does not end up in the trash lands on the ground and eventually in the Ocean. Ocean life is on the verge of destruction by humans.

The Looming Threat to Ocean Life

Humans are dumping trash anywhere they feel like. Some of the trash lands on the shore of the Ocean brought in from the waves and tides; some descend, some are consumed by the ocean animals that confuse it for food, and some trash collects in ocean gyres (National et al. Administration). When it ends up in the Ocean, all the harmful chemicals are making the ocean and ocean life sick. Plastic poisons fish, birds, marine mammals, and sea turtles, wipe out habitats, and even changes animals’ mating routine, which can have a calamitous corollary and can erase an entire breed (Lonne).

What we don’t think about is all the chemicals that trash is made of are in the things we use every day. There are lots of fixes to saving the Ocean, but a major one is to pick up after ourselves. We as a community need to pay more attention to things around us and pick up after ourselves and others. Picking up a little piece of trash can save the Ocean from having more harmful trash in it. Humans just dump trash anywhere because we are too lazy and do not care. Humans do whatever they feel, like throwing trash not in its rightful place, and we just leave it on the ground and step over or around it.

Habitats all over the Ocean are being destroyed. The habitats are the home and safe place for ocean life. The habitats are plants like coral reefs, and when the pollution enters the Ocean, the chemicals destroy the plants, so without habitats, the animals have to go somewhere else or are being eaten by other animals. Habitat elimination and degeneration are among our most severe environmental catastrophes, causing animal extinctions and danger to many of the remainder of the wildlife around the world. It takes place anywhere in the Ocean and has lifelong or enduring effects.

Humans and nature can both be causes of ocean destruction and coastal habitats. Hurricanes and typhoons, storm surges, and tsunamis can cause colossal, though usually brief, interruptions in the circle of ocean plant and animal life. Human actions, nonetheless, are automatically more impactful and endless. Agriculture, industrial development, and urban sprawl are examples of artificial stresses that soon lead to decreased capacity and the capacity of habitats for marine life. Tourism brings lots of boaters, snorkelers, and scuba divers into direct contact with fragile wetlands and coastal ecosystems (thank you, Ocean). Stopping the pollution will help save the animal’s habitats and maybe even produce more of the species. Keeping the habitats from being destroyed helps us save the species from becoming extinct.

Overfishing: Disrupting the Balance

Humans are overfishing, causing less and less fish, but not just fish other species in the Ocean as well. A major problem of overfishing is the “open access” nature of fisheries. Because there are no or some property rights, there is an absence of incentive for fishers to put the fish back in the water. Illegal fishing reports for a predicted 20% of the earth’s catches and as much as 50% in some fisheries. The target fishing of top predators (such as billfish, sharks, and tuna) one day will disturb the food chain. This, in turn, has an influence on the rest of marine life, such as the heightened growth of algae, and is a risk to coral reef wellbeing (World et al.).

Yes, some people fish them and release them back into the Ocean, but others will keep them to cook and eat later. Fish fish are a major part of the ocean food chain; most of the species rely on the fish for their main source of food. So when humans come and overfish, taking away all the fish, there is less left for the animals of the Ocean. We could stop overfishing by only fishing at a certain time of the year and keep the fish then. But any other time, we fish to release them back into the Ocean when we get done. That way, we get to take some but also leave enough for ocean life.

Conclusion

Ocean life is on the verge of destruction by humans. We can stop the Ocean’s destruction of the Ocean by stopping so much pollution from entering the Ocean. Stopping the pollution can help save habitats, but we also need to think more about being careful underwater. We also have to stop the overfishing problem that we have, but we need to have the laws enforced.

References

1. Lonne, B. (n.d.). How does plastic pollution affect the ocean? Ocean Conservancy. https://oceanconservancy.org/blog/2018/08/10/plastic-pollution-affect-ocean/
2. Thank You Ocean. (n.d.). Coastal habitat destruction. http://www.thankyouocean.org/threats-to-our-ocean/coastal-habitat-destruction/
3. World Wildlife Fund. (n.d.). Overfishing. https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/overfishing