Human Impacts: Part 3. Climate Change

Hey everyone! Today we have the last post in our Human Impacts on Fish trilogy - Climate change.
There are so many things you can do to improve climate change, like walking or biking instead of driving, eating more organic and local foods, being energy efficient and much more! Please enjoy todays post, and then go out and use your knowledge to make the world better, even if it's only a small improvement.

Lastly, climate change is a very negative factor not only for humans but for fish as well. Climate change has four main impacts on fish. (www.edf.org) First, many species depend on temperatures as a cue for reproduction. If these temperatures change as drastically as they are predicted to, the breeding patterns of these species may be disrupted. For example, atlantic salmon and steelhead trout need sanctuary and protection and not extreme temperature changes in order to survive. Secondly, sudden warm temperatures are a source for coral bleaching. Coral may not be a fish, but it definitely affects sea life. As the coral whitens, shrinks, starves, and dies because of the warmth, the fish who were supported by these coral reefs are likely to migrate or die from the loss of their habitat. The third climate impact is ocean acidification. Since the start of the Industrial Revolution in 1790, the ocean has absorbed 30%, around 150 billion tons, of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by people. Acidification is causing a significant drop in the oceans pH, and although for many years the water diluted the effect of our extreme overuse of carbon, the oceans are beginning to show the impact. The last factor of climate change is positive feedback loops. These loops are made when something created from global warming then makes the warming worse, hence making the impact more significant, and the cycle goes around again. Ice caps in the arctic are the best example of this. The white ice once reflected the heat reaching earth, and now that the heat is increasing, the ice is melting, making the earth even warmer, even faster. This loop can go on forever, getting even worse each time. Almost all climate change is a result of every single human on earth overusing carbon. I do it, you do it, everyone on this earth has in some way impacted marine life through climate change, and there are so many things that people like me can do to stop it.

I love reading articles relating to whales, fish and other undersea issues. In November, I started a blog to help me document my journey in marine science, as well as to share with others how we impact and can protect underwater ecosystems. In Baja, I met naturalists who are dedicated to learning more about environments and ecosystems of certain ocean life, and I also met some environmental lawyers who became role models for me, taking action for what they believed in, and saving and protecting endangered animals.

Last year, my class at school was lucky enough to be able to headstart two blandings turtles, and it was the first time I could take all that I had learned about marine biology and put it to good use. It was my turn to learn more about the ecosystems of turtles, and then take action to teach others and help to save an endangered species that I really cared about. I researched the turtles, and shared what I had learned with my class. I made a presentation about the turtles, including how big they are, how old they live to be, why they are endangered, and how we can help them. I cleaned their tank during my study halls, and spent many recesses feeding them. I grew very close to them, and setting them free at the end of year was a sad moment, but more importantly, a happy moment, because I knew that I had done my part to help the blandings turtle population - I had saved two turtles from the high possibility of an early death. This year we have two new turtles, and as my passion for marine biology grows, I really enjoy the moments I can spend learning more about this endangered species, as well as helping to protect and preserve them.

I have learned a lot about whales and turtles, but I look forward to being able to learn about other fish and how they are endangered and how to save them. Our earth is the only planet that houses life and in order to keep species from going extinct, we all have to care about the welfare of sea life. I hope to help these undersea creatures by learning about their plight and doing what I can do to save them. I want my actions to have a positive effect on the ecosystem humans and fish share, and I think that participating in the MBIT program will help me to achieve that.

Human Impacts: Part 2. Pollution

Happy Valentines Day everyone! This is part two of our trilogy of human impact on fish. A whole lot on pollution! Todays post is fairly short, but pollution is a big problem! Remember, you can help! Recycle, compost, make sure all of your garbage gets used as many times as possible before it goes to a landfill - all your extra pink paper hearts can be recycled, or better yet, save them for next year!

Another negative impact on the environments in which fish live is pollution. Did you know that each year about fourteen billion pounds of trash are deposited into the ocean? You may think that this isn’t your fault, but every single person, including me, who has ever put something into a trash can contributes to this pollution. Even if you don’t mean for it to, your garbage is probably floating in the middle of the ocean right now, along side mine. The creatures amidst all this pollution are dying from choking, internal blockage, and injuries sustained from plastic, fishing wire, and other kinds of litter, as well as oil and other toxins. Pollution in our oceans mainly consists of plastic, pesticides and herbicides, oil, sewage, and other garbage. This fall, I read an article in the Boston Globe entitled ‘Chasing Bayla,’ about one scientist’s dedication to save a right whale who had been entangled in polypropylene rope. Bayla was cut and injured, yet she still worked against the scientists’ tireless efforts to save her. Reading this, I was thinking to myself, ‘What would I do if I saw a whale entangled in rope? How could I help it?’ This article was very sad and forced me to think about the reality of pollution, and what I could do to help.

There is also noise pollution from things like SONAR affecting the undersea ecosystem. SONAR is a great resource for scientists, but is also very harmful to animals. The same scientists’ from the NRDC who traveled to Baja with me are now fighting against SONAR and other noise pollutants. They are currently working on a video documentary about the SONAR’s effects on whales to help raise the public awareness of this problem. I am so thankful I got to learn about the fight for these whales because it made me want to help too.

Human Impacts: Part 1. Overfishing

Hi guys! Today's post is going to be part of a trilogy of posts on the negative human impact on fish. This post focuses on the effects of overfishing. Enjoy!

Oceans occupy 71 percent of the Earth's surface. Deep in these blue waters, live a large variety of fish, both big and small, some of which haven’t even been discovered yet. The species that have been discovered, however, are not only under constant threat from bigger fish, but they are threatened by all humans, including me, and our actions. Fish are a part of our ecosystem, and although many scientists are trying to help the fish living in our oceans, my actions as well as other’s have an effect on these fish, both positive and negative.

All my life I have loved the water and, more recently, as a result of many of my experiences, ocean life has become a growing passion. Since I was very young, I have enjoyed collecting seashells and bringing them home with me to remind me of the water.  I spend part of my summers sailing in Cape Cod, and I love swimming in the ocean in the Northeast, as well as in California and Florida. Last year while traveling to Costa Rica, my family and I took a boat to Isla Tortuga to go snorkeling. This was the first time I was able to look underwater at a fish habitat, and I was fascinated by the bright colors and sounds of the fish, and I knew I wanted to learn even more about natural underwater environments and how to sustain them. This summer I am planning to spend two weeks studying at the Acadia Institute of Oceanography, which I hope will help me to learn even more about marine biology.

In 2012, I was fortunate enough to go to Baja California Sur with some environmentalists from the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). In 2000 they worked against Mitsubishi, a company that wanted to build a salt mine in a lagoon that grey whales are known to migrate to in the spring. Instead of allowing Mitsubishi to build the salt mine, the NRDC convinced the government of Mexico to protect this area where grey whales can continue to raise their calves year after year. On this trip I spent time on the water interacting with the whales as well as exploring mangrove and tidepool environments. Connecting with the whales was definitely one of the best parts of the trip. The overall experience, however, inspired me to learn more about whales, and marine science in general. I was able to go back to Laguna San Ignacio again last year, and I was even more convinced that something had to be done to save these beautiful creatures for future generations. Despite the fact that the lagoon was saved, there is still a lot that needs to be done to keep the grey whales and other animals from endangerment. This includes preventing climate change and pollution and also the depletion of fish in the oceans.

Overfishing is making a big impact on sea life, and anyone who eats fish is a part of the problem - even if they don’t know it. Oceans are being drained of fish all around the world, because the rate at which fish are being taken out of their habitat is unsustainable. As there is demand for fish on the table, fishing has become very popular. “One in every five people depend on fish as their primary source of protein” (saveourseas.com).  I really enjoy eating fish, but we need to let them replenish, so I try to space out my seafood meals. This summer, when I was in Norway, I saw how people who lived in coastal villages had figured out how to use sustainable fish farming to prevent the reduction of wild fish. Recently, scientists have begun to notice a major decrease in fish, and laws have been passed regulating areas, amounts, and types of fishing in an attempt to bring back these precious undersea populations. There are many coastal populations where fishing is a source of income, and when these laws are put into place, fishermen are forced to fish deeper into the sea for fish that are farther down on the food chain. This upsets the balance of underwater food chains. When I was in Mexico, I met a fisherwoman who spends three or four days at a time far out on the ocean in a panga boat, waiting to catch enough fish to pay her bills. She used to be able to catch enough fish in a day closer to shore, but now she is forced to spend nights in the middle of the ocean to catch these fish in order to support her family.

Check back next week for a whole lot on Pollution!