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| The Pacific as seen from the air en route to Vanuatu |
I doesn’t take much reading to discover that oceans are in trouble all over the world. Just trying to write a bit of a summary about the main issues seems to be taking forever, so I am going to do it in three parts. The first part will be about some of the threats to the marine environment itself, the second will be about some of the effects on marine life and the last one will be about things we could do. At the end of each post there will be some petitions related to topics raised. Links to source material and or further reading, will mostly be shown in orange
The Closing of the Commons
There was a time when everyone believed that the earth was flat and that if you ventured too far out to sea, you would fall off the edge. Then, as ocean -going technology improved and the Magellans of the world ventured ever farther from shore, most people eventually came to understand that the world was round and much larger than previously thought. This led to four centuries of relentless plunder.
A minor setback came in the early 1900’s when the whales which were being hunted for their oil almost became extinct, but at the same time, or because of it, the happy discovery was made that there were also large stores of oil under the ground and that electricity could be used for lighting. Other fish were still to be had. Garbage could still be thrown into the sea, along with untreated sewerage and industrial waste from ever growing cities. The catchcry of many local authorities, at least until the mid eighties was still “Dilution is the solution to pollution” until the cumulative effect of putting ever growing quantities of effluent into the sea became more and more obvious.
Since 1900 the world's population has also increased from 1.6 Billion to 7 Billion in 2011 and it is still growing. Instead of looking for spices and new territory to plunder, our modern day Magellans, the oceanographers and marine biologists, are scouring the seas for information. Not a few are wondering how on earth we are going to feed all these people while destroying the very foundation of the food supply upon which much of the world depends. They have also noticed that in the relentless quest for food or wealth or both, much else is being lost. However, just as there are probably still a few folks out there who believe that the earth is flat despite the evidence, there are also still far too many who think that the oceans' resources are infinite, that all development is good, that global warming is non -existent, and that science or God or Gaia will always save us from ourselves. I suppose some people still believe in the tooth fairy too.
Overfishing
While overfishing remains the biggest cause of fish decline and loss of other species and problems such as illegal whaling and poaching have already been mentioned in connection with respect to Antarctic waters,this is not the only reason our oceans are in decline. As population pressures mount and material expectations rise – better living standards, better food, more goods, more cars and televisions, there is also widespread and growing destruction of fish breeding grounds. Intensified industrial and agricultural activity also create more pollution as well as contributing to additional threats such as acidification and global warming. These issues will only be touched on briefly here as others have already written extensively on these topics
Until the 1950's fish such as tuna and cod were largely caught by line and hook, but since then more efficient techniques using nets which can be up to ten kilometres long, have been used instead. See fir example driftnets, longlines, trawls and even explosives. Sophisticated technology such as sonar, satellite imagery and aerial spotting have also come into use, along with FADs - fish aggregating devices which cause more fish to collect in one place. A sad byproduct of these methods is a large amount of "bycatch," - 27,000 million tonnes of it annually or around 10% of the catch. These non-target species are usually killed and dumped back into the ocean to reserve space for economically valuable species. Unfortunately, bycatch does not just involve many other species such as dolphins, turtles and seabirds such as the albatross, but the young fish of the desired species, thereby leaving fewer to reproduce.
As their own fisheries have collapsed, many countries such as Japan, members of the European Union, the United States, Taiwan, China and Korea, have been sending their well-equipped commercial fleets to the Pacific which now accounts for around 60% of the global catch. In addition, illegal fishing - undocumented, unreported and unregulated, is believed to account for a further 46% of it. It is little wonder then that these fisheries too are collapsing at an alarming rate.
For a detailed discussion of this topic see the excellent article by Janet Larsen at the Earth Policy Institute This is from Plan B. 3.0 Mobilising to Save Civilization
"As fishing fleets expanded through the late 1980s and as fish-finding and harvesting technologies became more efficient, the world’s fishers have systematically gone after their catch at greater depths and in more remote waters. Over the past 50 years, the number of large predatory fish in the oceans has dropped by a startling 90 percent. Catches of many popular food fish such as cod, tuna, flounder, and hake have been cut in half despite a tripling in fishing effort. According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, the 4 million vessels scouring the world’s waters are at or exceeding the sustainable yields of three quarters of all oceanic fisheries."
With an estimated 90% of large predatory fish now gone from our oceans, many countries are turning to fish farming, yet this too contributes to destruction of the marine environment. As Janet Larsen explains
Janet Larsen
Of particular concern to the Animal Welfare Institute are the use of driftnetstrawls and Until the 1950's fish such as tuna and cod were largely caught by line and hook, but since then more efficient techniques using nets which can be up to ten kilometres long, have been used instead. Sophisticated technology such as sonar, satellite imagery and aerial spotting have also come into use, along with FADs - fish aggregating devices cause more fish to collect in one place. A sad by product of these methods is a large amount of "bycatch,-27,000 million tonnes of it annually, or around 10% of the catch. These non -target species are usually killed and dumped back into the ocean to reserve space for economically valuable species. Unfortunately, bycatch does not just involve many other species such as dolphins, turtles and seabirds such as the albatross, but the young fish of the desired species, thereby leaving fewer to reproduce.
Fish Farming
With an estimated 90% of large predatory fish now gone from our oceans, many countries are turning to fish farming, yet this too contributes to destruction of the marine environment. As Janet Larsen explains:
Aquaculture won't alleviate pressure on wild fish if it is not done wisely.The construction of near-shore fish farms frequently requires the razing of sensitive wetlands.These farms also harbor diseases and concentrate fish wastes that can lead to harmful algal blooms and low-oxygen dead zones. Making matters worse, farmed carnivorous fish can eat several times their weight in wild fish, which only adds to pressure on such resources. Though salmon, trout, shrimp, and prawns currently account for just 9 percent of world aquacultural output, production of these carnivorous fish is doubling almost every eight years, rapidly increasing demand on wild stocks.”
Warming Oceans
This just adds another layer of stress to an already stressed environment. The impact of development on tidal flats, estuaries and mangroves and the consequent destruction of fish breeding sites has also been mentioned in the previous post on Wetlands, so I will just mention two types of habitat now which are of special concern in this regard. Both are particularly sensitive and rich in biodiversity. The first is seagrass beds which are not only breeding grounds for fish, dugongs and turtles, but like krill in Antarctica, form the basis of the food chain. The second is the world’s coral reefs, most of which are endangered and threatened by activities such as tourism, mining and shipping.
A World Resources Institute report on coral reefs in the Caribbean notes that 35 percent of these reefs are threatened by sewage discharge, water-based sediment, and pollution from fertiliser and that 15 percent are threatened by pollution from cruise ship discharges. In economic terms, the Caribbean coral reefs supply goods and services worth at least $3.1 billion per year.
Australia’s own Barrier Reef,which runs for 2600 km. down the East Coast, has been described as one of the ‘seven wonders of the natural world.' Despite being inscribed in the World Heritage Register in 1981 it is also facing new threats. It was recently announced that coal mining and coal seam gas extraction are set to increase in the region by a factor of six meaning that shipping would vastly increase along with the risk of damage and accidents.
Now there are concerns that the Reef's World Heritage listing might be at risk. As naturalist Lionel Elmore has said:
The concerns about dredging are about the enormous quantities and where the spoil will be dumped, especially since dredging mobilises old wastes and given that the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority which manages the Reef has made dumping costs exceptionally cheap.
The direct economic value of tourism from the Reef is estimated to be around $5 billion a year, and Greenpeace has recently agitated to slow down this rapid expansion, saying that it will only hasten global warming when we should be doing more with renewable energy. This has been seen in some quarters as being tantamount to treasonous You can sign the Greenpeace petition here *
Meanwhile, inspectors from the World Heritage Commission are currently in Australia to determine if the Reef still deserves Heritage listing. A one degree rise in sea temperatures results in coral bleaching, while a mere two degrees will kill coral completely. Warming will also make oceans more acidic. This is bad news for "the one-quarter of marine life that depends on coral reefs for food and shelter, as well as all animals that depend on carbonate to build their shells and skeletons, like corals, pteropods, and shellfish like oysters, so here is a petition specifically about putting Acidification on the national agenda.
The next four petitions are specifically about Coral Reefs and some more general ones follow. Many of these relate to the creation of new marine reserves and the reason for that is this. Although oceans cover three quarters of the earth’s surface area, only 2% of this area is protected at present. More reserves especially in biologically rich areas are our best hope, in theory at least, of saving a little for the future. If you have not yet done so, don't forget to support reserves in Antarcticwaters either. Oh yes, and just because I have listed another country doesn't mean you shouldn't sign it, especially in the case of World Heritage Areas, since they technically belong to all of us. It just refers to the location of a site. Sometimes the people within those countries just don't have enough power to do it all themselves. The Arctic regions are also under threat, mostly from global warming with over 75% of the total area being lost over the last 30 years. Now oil drilling also threatens the remainder, so there is a petition about this as well.
AU Ask the Queensland Government to Protect the Coral Sea
AU Ask the Queensland Government to Ban Shark Nets and Drum Lines on the Gold Coast
AU Protect Dugong Habitat, Gladstone
Stop Drilling at Scott’s Reef in the Kimberley
USA Ask President Obama to pass the Coral Reef Conservation Act
NDONESIA Stop Mining on Bangka Island
KENYA – Stop the building of Kenya's second Port
MALAYSIA Create a Shark Sanctuary
MAURITIUS Stop Longline Fishing
MEXICO Create a Marine Reserve at Punta Colorada (In Spanish)
MEXICO Create a Marine Reserve at Punta Colorada
PERU Protect the biologically Rich Peruvian Coast
SPAIN Stop Fomenterra Seagrass Meadows being damaged by anchoring of boats This is another World Heritage site. Fomenterra is a small island off the coast of Spain
USA marine life protect="">/a>
USA Biscayne Marine Reserve near Florida
USA California – Protect Marine Life
USA North Cape Fear, Carolina development
USA Petition to Restore the Gulf Coast after the BHP Oil Spill
USA Ask the Obama administration not to drill in the Arctic Ocean
UN Ask the UN to Ban Driftnets
Greenpeace petition to stop Drilling in the Arctic
Update 2026:p>
*Some of the petitions and external links on this page date back to 2012 and may no longer be active or accessible. However, several of the issues highlighted here have since seen important progress — in some cases thanks to public pressure from campaigns like these. Notable outcomes include:
1. Australia’s Coral Sea Marine Park — established after years of advocacy.
2. The cancellation of the Kimberley gas hub at James Price Point — a major conservation win.
3. Protection of Bangka Island, Indonesia — mining permits were revoked in 2017.
4. Completion of California’s statewide network of Marine Protected Areas.
5. Strengthened anchoring restrictions to protect the seagrass meadows of Formentera, Spain.
6. Global UN framework banning high‑seas driftnets, though enforcement challenges remain.
Other campaigns listed here reflect ongoing or evolving issues, even if the original petitions are no longer available. A more detailed update will be added in a future “Oceans Revisited” review.
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