Reasons Why Humans Impact the Ocean
Humans regard the oceans as inexhaustible supplies of food, a great source of transport and as a dumping ground.
Unsustainable Fishing
The ocean is not able to support us with our growing population rate and growing appetite for fish. Fish need time to repopulate the ocean and we are fishing at a rate which cannot support the food web. Take the above food web for example. If we take away one species from the food web- eg the tuna- and there's too many squid, lantern fish, amphipods etc. for the food web to cope with. There would be no food for the sharks or martin. If you take one factor away, the whole system could collapse. This just shows how delicate and fragile the marine food web is.
Inadequate Protection
Although the ocean covers 70% of the Earth's surface, only 0.6% of it has been protected and even worse, most of the protected ocean is only protected by name. We need to protect more of the oceans because it's the only place that can hold the staggering numbers of unique species to our oceans.
Tourists and Developers
The beach is a place where tourists from other countries go to soak in the sun and sights. However, our beaches and coastlines are a popular place to live. The coasts are being turned into tourism destinations with hotels and housing being built, ruining the natural and unique beauty.
Shipping
The seas are the highways across water in which we we transport all kinds of goods- including ourselves. Pollution from these vessels, including oil spills, ship groundings, anchor damage, dumping of rubbish and ballast water, are destroying the oceans.
Seafloor Mining
Resources such as oil, gas and mineral are found deep beneath the seafloor and mining for these resources is destroying the habitats for many species.
Pollution
Pollutants including sewage, garbage, fertilizers and pesticides are deliberately dumped and enter from water run-off into our oceans. This harms the entire food web and ourselves.
Fish Farming
Even though fish farming may seem like the answer to fixing the food chain, the farming of these fish are causing damage to the wild fish. Through the pollution the farms emit, escaped fish, increased parasite loads and need to catch the wild fish as feed, fish farming is becoming dangerous to the oceans.
Climate Change
Coral bleaching and rising sea levels along with global warming, are destroying the ocean from the inside out. There needs to be actions taken to reduce pressures of marine habitats that are being destroyed by the rising water temperatures and levels.
The ocean is not able to support us with our growing population rate and growing appetite for fish. Fish need time to repopulate the ocean and we are fishing at a rate which cannot support the food web. Take the above food web for example. If we take away one species from the food web- eg the tuna- and there's too many squid, lantern fish, amphipods etc. for the food web to cope with. There would be no food for the sharks or martin. If you take one factor away, the whole system could collapse. This just shows how delicate and fragile the marine food web is.
Inadequate Protection
Although the ocean covers 70% of the Earth's surface, only 0.6% of it has been protected and even worse, most of the protected ocean is only protected by name. We need to protect more of the oceans because it's the only place that can hold the staggering numbers of unique species to our oceans.
Tourists and Developers
The beach is a place where tourists from other countries go to soak in the sun and sights. However, our beaches and coastlines are a popular place to live. The coasts are being turned into tourism destinations with hotels and housing being built, ruining the natural and unique beauty.
Shipping
The seas are the highways across water in which we we transport all kinds of goods- including ourselves. Pollution from these vessels, including oil spills, ship groundings, anchor damage, dumping of rubbish and ballast water, are destroying the oceans.
Seafloor Mining
Resources such as oil, gas and mineral are found deep beneath the seafloor and mining for these resources is destroying the habitats for many species.
Pollution
Pollutants including sewage, garbage, fertilizers and pesticides are deliberately dumped and enter from water run-off into our oceans. This harms the entire food web and ourselves.
Fish Farming
Even though fish farming may seem like the answer to fixing the food chain, the farming of these fish are causing damage to the wild fish. Through the pollution the farms emit, escaped fish, increased parasite loads and need to catch the wild fish as feed, fish farming is becoming dangerous to the oceans.
Climate Change
Coral bleaching and rising sea levels along with global warming, are destroying the ocean from the inside out. There needs to be actions taken to reduce pressures of marine habitats that are being destroyed by the rising water temperatures and levels.