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Plenty of fish in the sea: Is it really true?
The underlying problem facing ocean conservation is not simply illegal fishing or overexploitation, but maladroit ocean governance.
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Colorful fish and vegetables can be purchased in Bali's Ubud market. (Shutterstock/File)
T
he Ocean Conference, which was held in Malta from Oct. 5 to 6 called for an immediate and concerted effort to nurture the deteriorated marine environment. It highlighted several priority topics, such as protected marine areas, climate change, sustainable fisheries, marine pollution, sustainable blue economy and maritime security.
The current condition of the world’s oceans is a testament to decades of inaction. Although significant and growing attention to ocean degradation has been noted, whether humankind can stop it from continuing is another question.
The oceans have fallen victim to the self-destructive behaviors of humankind. Humans believe that oceans have a never ceasing ability for self-healing. Such complacency has encouraged them to act as they please, regardless of the inevitabilities of climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions have made ocean temperatures warmer, so far by 0.7 degrees Celsius, which has damaged corals and the migration cycles of marine life.
The Paris Agreement appears to be the single best hope for changing this behaviour, with its rigorous call to limit the global temperature rise to under 2 degrees Celsius, however, it will not be able to reverse the already risen sea-level or recover the already bleached coral reefs. Ocean debris will outnumber fish by weight by 2050, according to Ellen McArthur Foundation research. Plastics will be ground to smithereens and inadvertently consumed by fish and humans. That is inconceivable.
