Are Humans Slowly Killing Marine Life?

Our+oceans+are+home+to+a+diverse+animal+population+that+is+being+threatened+by+the+actions+of+man.+

http://www.hdwallpapersact.com/marine-life/

Our oceans are home to a diverse animal population that is being threatened by the actions of man.

Natalie De La Rosa, Staff Writer
Nov 8, 2015

Organizations like the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) brought up the dilemma that the ocean’s wildlife has decreased by half over the the course of a few decades. Not many people put much thought into the health of the ocean; over fishing and water pollution have a large impact on the sea and unfortunately, humans are to blame.

An example of trawling.
http://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/overfishing
Trawling is a major threat to marine life.

Human life relies on the ocean for several reasons, like for recreation and food. To supply the demand of seafood, fishermen harvest thousands of fish at a time, leading to overfishing. But it isn’t just simply throwing a rod into the water that is affecting the marine life. Rather, commercial fishing methods like  dredging and trawling are significant contributors to the decrease in fish populations. These new methods of fishing makes a fisherman’s world much simpler, but put marine life at risk. Dredging and trawling can catch over 200 fish and other animals like dolphins and turtles, all at once which accelerates the declination of the marine life population.

“There is a decrease in marine life with the over fishing. Limitations are efficient, but not every country has opted [for] the same limitations and humans have an interdependence of life; the more we reduce the fish population, we reduce other species,” biology teacher Mr. Martinez said.

Pollution has also contributed to the decrease in marine life, 80% of oceanic pollution comes from land. Waste products like, sewage and toxic chemicals are thrown into the ocean sweeping marine life away.

Dead fish result from ocean pollution.
http://tinyurl.com/o8hpohm
Many animals, like these fish, succumb to the pollutants humans dump into the ocean.
A look into what the ocean looks like in some places.
http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/photos/ocean-pollution/
The amount of pollution in some parts of the ocean is unbelievable.

“It’s time for humans to  come to realization of the decrease in marine life, take action and to preserve life in the ocean,” sophomore Jesse Kluck said

The ocean is fragile and several of its species are already on the verge of extinction; it’s time for humans to stop exploiting the ocean for its resources, and embrace all it has to offer. To get involved and take action in preventing the depletion of the ocean environment, you can join Gables Earth, a club that helps raise awareness about conservation and the environment; meetings are held every second Tuesday of the month, so don’t miss out!