5 Easy Ways we can help save the oceans:
1) Simply reduce seafood in our diet or better yet, stop including seafood in our diet, (fish are full of mercury anyway and flaxseed oil is much healthier). If you can't stop eating seafood "cold turkey", learn which are best to choose .
2) Support organic farmers by choosing organic products. The run-off from agricultural land rich in pesticides and fertilizers is a major cause of the destruction of marine ecosystems worldwide.
3) Keep our Home Aquarium Ocean Friendly. Buy fish, algae and
corals that are captive raised. many tropical fish are catured through
the use of cyanide, which is sprayed in to coral caves and crevices to
stun fish - half or more of the fish die within hours of collection.
Many non-target fish are killed along with coral polyps, and the
coral's intricate ecosystem is permanently damaged. For every one fish in the
aquarium, hundreds die to get it there.
- Patronize aquarium shops that are environmentally aware. Hobby groups i.e. the Marine Aquarist Society(MAC), and advocacy groups such as Reef Protection International can help you locate them.
- Aquacultured species we can now purchase includes: clown fish, dottybacks, cardinalfish, gobies, batfish, seahorses and interesting invertebrates such as peppermint shrimp and snails. Get a pocket guide from Reef Protection International
- Ask about the origin of all fish that we purchase. If they are not captive bred by a company such as ORA, Inc, make sure they have MAC certification which assures they were sustainable captured.
- Never dump anything from our aquarium in to a storm drain, lake, river, bay or any other body of water because we could be introducing non-native species and/or microbes.
4) Do not buy decorative shells and corals, or any other products made with ocean species. In so doing, we are negatively inpacting marine ecosystems and contributing to their decline.
5) Recycle whenever possible and use LESS PLASTIC. Much of our trash ends up in the ocean, even if destined for the landfill. Plastic is the WORST offender. It floats for years, along with other debris in the major ocean current lines that stretch for hundreds of miles. These are areas where baby sea turtles spend the first years of their lives and many suffocate or starve to death from complications after ingesting plastic. Dolphins, whale sharks, sea birds and many other species of marine life also congregate here to feed, and they too, mistakenly consume our trash with lethal consequences.
**** What ends up in the storm drains eventually finds its way in to the oceans. Storm drains flush excess water from hurricanes and rainstorms in to nearby rivers and bays, or directly in to the ocean. Most people think that storm drains lead to their local water treatment plant - THEY DO NOT!!!
Most Importantly!!
REDUCE YOUR RUNOFF!!
Instead of paving your driveway, use gravel, crushed seashells or woodchips. If you still opt for a hard driveway, use widely spaced concrete slabs or bricks and fill the gaps with sand or grass.
Choose paving blocks called "permeable pavers," which look like ordinary cobblestones or bricks, but have channels that funnel water between the blocks, allowing it to percolate in to the ground.
