The oceans constitute three quarters of the world’s surface and 99% of the habitable space of our planet in volume, yet they are the least protected areas on Earth. Although the oceans may be “out of sight, out of mind”, they are not out of trouble. Quite the opposite in fact. The world’s oceans face a grave situation. Overharvesting, destructive fishing techniques, unsustainable consumption habits, illegal fishing, lack of education, weak governance, plastic & chemical pollution, and maritime traffic are all taking their toll on marine life. In just fifty years, the numbers of large, predatory fish such as sharks, tuna, salmon and swordfish have declined by over 90%.
If we continue exploiting oceanic resources at the current rhythm, the crisis in store for us will be worldwide.
A renowned study by Boris Worm et al, 2006 has shown that all commercial fisheries as we know them today will have collapsed by 2048 if fishing pressure remains unchanged. For deep-sea fish, which are slow-growing and long-lived, the collapse is expected to occur by 2025. That’s tomorrow!
The retroaction loop of our acts (man playing wizard with nature and ending up being the first victim along with the whole biosphere) has been widely accepted thanks to Al Gore’s campaign about climate change. Unfortunately, as vital and as central to life on Earth as the oceans are, they do not have the voice of such a powerful advocate.
We are losing 1% of species every year and our planet is going through the worst life crisis and the fastest mass extinction that it has ever experienced. This is due to overharvesting of resources, habitat destruction and degradation of ecosystems. Not to climate change. Yet.
All crises are important and should be addressed with the same level of mobilization, but what good will the fight against climate change be if by the time it pays off, planet Earth is a contaminated pit devoid of life?
If we don't address all crises simultaneously, we might win a battle, but we will lose the war. Let's make sure we win the war.
