One third of the fish species in the world’s oceans are overfished and the natural habitats of the marine animals have largely disappeared. The oceans have warmed, are less oxygenated and their pollution has increased.
Although all hope may seem lost, it is by no means the case.
A study published in the scientific journal Nature suggests that the oceans and their wildlife are remarkably resilient, and that our efforts to protect the oceans have actually paid off.
The scientists conclude that it is possible to get the world’s oceans back on track by 2050.
Hundreds of positive indicators
“We have several methods at our disposal that could allow us to create healthy oceans for our grandchildren, and we also have the tools and equipment needed to do this,” writes the paper’s lead author, Carlos Duarte, a professor of marine biology. .
He, together with a team of scientists from ten countries, has been conducting research in the area in order to gain an overview of the state of the world’s oceans, and they found hundreds of positive indicators.
The marine scientists pointed out that the pressure from commercial fishing is less than before. The percentage of sustainable fishing increased from 60% in 2000 to 68% in 2012.
The percentage of marine animals in danger of extinction has also decreased from 18% in 2000 to 11.4% in 2019.
It can also be noted that half of the marine mammals are actually on the move and in this regard it is sufficient to mention that the humpback population has increased to 40,000 animals from counting only a few hundred animals in 1968. The humpback migrates between Antarctica and Australia depending on the season.
Conservation and management is crucial
In 2000, less than one percent of the world’s oceans were protected, but today this applies to about eight percent of them. Scientists agree that such actions are crucial for the marine animals.
If we stop killing life in the sea, it actually comes back to us, because it has amazing resilience.
For taste, the solution should be obvious. We need to take action now and increasingly implement the strategies that have worked so well over the past few decades:
Control fishing, protect endangered species, reduce marine pollution, protect more and larger areas of the ocean, and most importantly, control global warming.
Such actions would cost between 1,200 and 2,400 billion Icelandic ISK annually, but scientists are convinced that such investments would bring us back ten times the amount.
By securing the marine environment, we would also be securing the livelihood of billions.
