The oil volcano spurred my interest in finding out what the major issues are for our Oceans.
Here's a TED video from Jeremy Jackson, he's the Ritter Professor of Oceanography and Director of the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Painting pictures of changing marine environments, particularly coral reefs and the Isthmus of Panama, Jackson's research captures the extreme environmental decline of the oceans that has accelerated in the past 200 years.
Jackson's current work focuses on the future of the world’s oceans, given overfishing, habitat destruction and ocean warming, which have fundamentally changed marine ecosystems and led to "the rise of slime." Although Jackson's work describes grim circumstances, even garnering him the nickname Dr. Doom, he believes that successful management and conservation strategies can renew the ocean’s health.
The TED talk is on the flip
The oil slick is one of many problems affecting the oceans. We have already done a huge amount of damage to our fisheries. The oil volcano is icing under the cake!
The part that troubles me the most is the trawling on the continental shelf's. We are destroying habitats for new sea life and thus the basis for feed stocks by strip mining the shallows.
We really need to re-think our interdependence with the oceans.
What percentage of the world relies on the sea for food?
Think about that?
Here is a direct link to his TED talk.