Thanksgiving Revisited

Last week I recounted several of the things we have to be grateful for in the ocean and the maritime environment. While some may consider these accomplishments mere footnotes to be buried in a year of frantic activity, I urge you to regard them as important stepping stones to a better future not just for the ocean and the mariners who sail upon them, but for all of us. Why? Because the future of every soul on this planet depends on a healthy ocean and its fragile ecosystems.

With this in mind, I urge you to visit several of the sites below and learn more about the organizations that champion a better ocean. You don’t even have to join them though that would be better. At least by visiting them, you’ll learn a few things you can do to help make Mother Ocean a healthier and safer place for its children and the eight billion children of this planet.

… Greenpeace at www.greenpeace.org uses peaceful protests and communication to expose environmental problems and promote solutions.

… Coral Reef Alliance at http://coral.org/ promotes the health of coral reefs around the globe.

… Cousteau Society at http://www.cousteau.org/ is all about helping people understand and care for seas and rivers worldwide.

… Marine Conservation Institute at http://www.marine-conservation.org targets key ecosystems around the world and advocates for them.

… Wild Oceans at http://wildoceans.org seeks to curb overfishing and restore depleted fish populations. If you’re a weekend fisherman, you owe them a lot.

… SeaKeepers at http://www.seakeepers.org energizes the yachting community to protect the world’s oceans. Their motto is: “Research, Educate, Protect, and Restore.”

… The Ocean Project at http://theoceanproject.org partners with aquariums, zoos, and museums to promote ocean conservation.

… Waterkeeper Alliance at http://waterkeeper.org helps protect rivers, lakes, and coastal waterways worldwide. Like to swim in clean water? Check them out.

… Project Aware at http://www.projectaware.org/  is all about divers protecting the ocean. Their main focus is on sharks in peril and marine debris.

… Marine Stewardship Council at https://msc.org/ promotes sustainable fishing; their aim is an ocean teeming with life.

… Sailors for the Sea at http://sailorsforthesea.org helps the sailing and boating community heal the ocean.

Ten Disturbing Things You Should Know about the Sea and What You Can Do about it

  June 08 is World Ocean Day. Soon many of us will be gearing up for a nice vacation at our favorite beach or looking forward to a relaxing weekend at the shore, but June’s also a good time to reflect on what the sea means to us and what we can do to make it healthier. Here are a few things to consider over the next few days.

1. Fourteen billion pounds of garbage ends up in the ocean every year. How much of that is yours? Recycling really does make a difference.

2. Most of the protein humans consume comes from fish. What happens when pollution makes fish so sick they become inedible? And what becomes of us when we over fish and our oceans are void of life? It’s a problem we really can solve.

3. Plastic in our oceans accounts for the deaths of more than a million sea birds and 100,000 sea mammals. Do you really want to be part of that problem?

4. Deaths from shark bites average about seven to ten a year worldwide. In the U.S. alone, deaths from bee stings number around 53. Lightning kills about 9o people. Don’t believe the hype created by Hollywood movies.

5. Because of the similarities between coral and human bones, coral is being used to repair bones. Kill off the coral reefs and you’re killing off a lot more than one of Mother Ocean’s precious nurseries, nurseries that harbor thousands of fish vital to our food chain.