Our oceans needs care. There are many threats endangering the ocean caused by the human race taking the big beautiful blue for granted. Species of tuna, swordfish, halibut, cod and flounder, have dramatically decreased by results of overfishing, and that’s not even the start of it…
Discarded plastics in the ocean have formed a toxic ‘plastic soup’ that is gathering in 5 massive ocean areas around the world. When the plastic breaks down it is eaten by fish, and in turn is eaten by us.
In addition to that, there are 405 dead zones in the ocean at the moment. Dead zones are where there is little or no oxygen due to excessive nitrogen pollution from human activities. Fertilizer for crops, more predominantly, corn, is a massive nitrogen polluter, also sewage and large industrial emissions.
However, there is a reverse to the creation of dead zones…
In places such as the North Sea and Black Sea, where there are two of the biggest dead zones in the world, there have been massive government cleanups; reducing emissions, sewage, capping fertilizer usage, which has resulted in the dead zones to shrink! (The same has also been done with the Hudson River and San Francisco Bay.)
This is a fantastic development, but still doesn’t fix the problem of the remaining 405. We need to keep trying harder. If we keep going the way we are and taking advantage of Mother Nature’s greatness, in 40 years, many current seafood species will be wiped out. We need to take more care…
What can yacht crew do to make a difference?
While travelling the ocean, we must take extra care of what we do on our journey. Look after the ocean and the ocean will look after you.
There are many steps that you can take to ensure you have a safe time on the water and also to protect marine life and the ocean…
Things so simple such as, being careful where you drop anchor, try not to anchor next to large corals, this can ensure no damage to your anchor and chain, and also the corals fragile ecosystem - damaged coral can take years to recover or may never fully recover to its original state.
Look out for marine life when sailing, go slowly when approaching them or where they are known to be present. Take extra care near shorelines and beaches. Take all litter with you and responsibly dispose of it onshore. Try not to scrub hulls near reefs and be careful what products you use, products with ingredients such as phosphate and chlorine are toxic for the ocean and marine life. Be aware of any engine leaks, inspect fuel lines for cracks and lose connections regularly and do not over-fill the fuel tank.
Ocean conservation groups
There are hundreds of ocean conservation groups all over the world, which is fantastic news for the oceans they are helping.
Oceanswatch is a fantastic organization set up to contact people who are sailing the oceans already and invest their time in some marine conservation projects. Their aim is to contact remote islands of developing countries and provide environmental education in these places to save their reefs, sea life and generally to take care of the ocean they way they should be.
A charity that
bluewater supports, is
EcoCrew, who have been established since 2010. They collaborate with the superyacht community to redistribute unwanted items such as; clothes, shoes, duvets, cushions, dry food etc. and give to needy communities by providing them with this free service.
This year at GSF (
Global Superyacht Forum) in Amsterdam, Alexandra Cousteau spoke out, from the organisation
Oceana. The vision is to make our oceans more eco friendly and aim to make policy victories in countries that govern sectors of the world’s marine life. Oceana was founded in 2001 and has offices all over the world - it is the largest international organization, which is solely focused on ocean conservation.
“I admire Oceana’s effectiveness,” said Alexandra. “In order to protect our oceans we need action that produces tangible results and that’s what Oceana does. I’ve travelled the globe exploring our oceans and I’ve learned from the world’s best, so I know what’s at stake. I trust in Oceana’s ability to protect the oceans and I’m thrilled to do my part to help it keep winning.”
For more information or ideas on how to do your bit for the environment as a yachtie, please feel free to contact:
oceana.org/en/news-media/press-center/press-releases/alexandra-cousteau-joins-oceana
