Oceans

Not only do I feel empowered to help save our oceans, I feel Obligated. And I believe everyone should feel the same way. If you don't do something you are contributing to the death of our oceans and to the death of this earth.

The Ocean takes up 2/3 of this earth and 80% of life comes from the oceans. The Ocean is the heart of this earth, it is the pulse that keeps us all alive. With out it there would be nothing.

Scientist have report over 400 dead zones in the ocean. That equals roughly 95,000 sq miles. That is roughly the size of New Zealand. That is an astonishing amount.
And this is just the beginning can you imagine how many have not been discovered. A dead zone is an area of ocean that has little to no oxygen for most marine life.

What causes dead zone?
Pollution! Fertilizers that are being washed into the oceans. This is just a small part in the depletion of our oceans.

Man has become so greedy that we are rapidly killing the oceans. Here are some facts on the over consumption of the oceans by man.
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* Over 100,000,000 million sharks are killed each year just for there fins. In some coastal towns the population of sharks has depleted so much so that they are killing small sharks that have not even hit a mature breeding age.

Most of these sharks are caught illegally using long lines. Not only are they killing sharks at a rapid rate, but turtles, sailfish,etc... and even birds
are being killed in these long lines. So much is being wasted! After the sharks fins are cut of they are thrown back in the ocean to die a slow and painful death.

People who consume shark fin soup believe that sharks do not get sick or get any diseases. And by consuming it they to will have good health and be less likely to get cancer or any other terminal disease. This is very far from the truth. Sharks get sick just like any other fish and yes they even get cancer.

Sharks are a huge part of the oceans. Most sharks have been around for 65 million years. Its amazing what man can do to sharks in a remarkably short amount of time.

Please take the time to watch Sharkwater.

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*Japan kills roughly 23,000 cetaceans a year. Ever since the award winning documentary "The Cove" came out no one really new about what was happening there.
A group of fishermen (BASTARDS) kill roughly over 2000 Dolphins a year in the cove.
Some of these species includes:
BOTTLENOSE
STRIPED
SPOTTED
RISSO


In the Cove Dolphins are also ripped from there family to live a miserable life of slavery, performing for food just for our entertainment. They do not belong in captivity.

Japan also hunts Dall's Porpoises. It is the largest hunt of any whale, dolphin or porpoise species in the world.
15,000 Dall’s porpoises are killed each year in a hand harpoon hunt that has been repeatedly described by the IWC’s Scientific Committee as “clearly unsustainable”.

Dolphins are Highly intelligent, self aware and sentient beings. They are know to save the lives of humans and have extended nothing but friendship towards man. They deserve respect.

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*Blue fin Tuna in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea are nearing extinction. Because of over fishing. A quota of 32,000 tons has been set for blue fin tune in the Atlantic, But it is believed that that quota has been violated buy at least 50%.

•Overfishing with hi-tech commercial fishing fleets and rampant illegal fishing will make the blue fin populations vanish from Mediterranean waters. They are in great danger.
•The blue fin tuna fishing were traditionally caught with traps. Currently, purse seines are used instead and then the fish are transferred to tuna farms in cages to be fattened up.
•They are caught with purse seines, long lines, troll lines, and trap nets. Sometimes harpoons, hand lines, pole-and-line, and nets.

Because of some of these fishing methods a lot of Bycatch is thrown back to sea.
The term “bycatch” is usually used for fish caught unintentionally in a fishery while intending to catch other fish. Again a lot of waste being thrown back.

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Seal Hunt

Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. The hunt is currently practiced in five countries: Canada, where most of the world's seal hunting takes place, as well as Namibia, the Danish region Greenland, Norway. Canada's largest market for seals is Norway.

Baby Seals roughly 12-14 are killed for the fur coats.
90% of sealers on the ice floes of the Front (east of Newfoundland), where the majority of the hunt occurs, use firearms.[29]
A hakapikAn older and more traditional method of killing seals is with a hakapik: a heavy wooden club with a hammer head and metal hook on the end.
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The Faroe Islands:

Whaling in the Faroe Islands has been practiced since about the time of the first Norse settlements on the islands. It is regulated by Faroese authorities but not by the International Whaling Commission as there are disagreements about the Commission's competency for small cetaceans. Around 950 Long-finned Pilot Whales are killed annually, mainly during the summer. The hunt is called The Grind.

Boats drive in huge pods of pilot whales close to the waters edge. Men standing by waiting for them to be close enough run into the water and start stabbing, slashing and brutally killing them.
Most Faroese consider the hunt an important part of their culture and history. Animal-rights groups criticize the hunt as being cruel and unnecessary. As of the end of November 2008 the chief medical officers of the Faroe Islands have recommended that pilot whales no longer be considered fit for human consumption because of the levels of toxins in the whales.
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Many of these practice are considered tradition. Well I say screw tradition. Tradition can no longer be an excuse, not when the future of our ocean is at stake. We all must come together and start living sustainable lives.


This is all just the beginning of how we are killing our oceans. In my eyes these practices are inhumane and unsustainable.
We can only change this by having Knowledge of it and educating those who do these horrendous things. Laws need to be made to protect our oceans.