I like to think about our oceans' health. I hypothesize that if enough humans were informed as to the causes of our oceans' failing health, many of us would choose to work together and make small changes in our behavior that may allow our oceans' health to improve. Let's assume that the cause of our oceans' failing health is the result of three continuous simultaneous threats: 1. Global Warming, 2. Plastic Pollution and 3. Trawling or Over Fishing [as I see it they are one in the same judging the effectiveness of today's fishery management councils].
The small changes in behavior which are required to prove my hypothesis are 1. Eat less seafood, 2. Use less plastic, 3. Eat more locally grown healthful foods, and 4. Buy less manufactured goods/Create less waste.
The following is a list of proposed questions which I began to ask myself as I started piecing together the scientifically established causes of our oceans' declining seafood resources which I and countless other research professionals assume is a symptom of our oceans' greater problems.
When and where did trawling begin?
Who built the first trawler?
How much did they catch or earn as a result of it?
What happened next? What is done with the fish from trawling today?
Why do scientists suspect over-fishing to be a significant contributing factor to the decline of our ocean's health? If trawl fish wasn't available what would people be eating to replace it?
When and where was the first use of plastic to making an everyday container?
Who made it?
What was it used to package? Do we still use that product in the same package today?
How many were produced and at what savings to the manufacturer was gained?
How many more products are produced with plastic today?
What are our alternatives?
Why do scientists suspect plastic pollution to be a significant contribution to declining health of our oceans?
When and where did the world begin mass producing our food and consumer manufactured goods?
When and where were the first signs of global warming observed and reported?
Who first noticed there may be a connection between these two significant changes?
What did they do to prove the connection?
How much more do we know today about global warming than we did 20 years ago?
Why do scientists suspect global warming to be a factor in the decline of our oceans' health? How much sooner will global warming begin negatively impacting our quality of life if our oceans' health continues to decline?
This is no short order, is it? Being a tremendous fan of delicious and sustainable seafood, I find it difficult to eat less of it. Presently, I eat seafood twice each week and that is a significant reducing in consumption compared to my life as a harvester when often I ate seafood 4-5 times a week. My family consumes about a pound and a half each week; we may be able to reduce to one pound for the time being. Once the kids get bigger it will have to go back up. However, given the expense, once I am certain that my children have a sincere appreciation for the healthful benefits of sustainable seafood, I shall stop affording them their access.
Having already started learning how to use less plastic, I have been making small changes to my behavior for nearly 7 years to reduce the amount of plastic I use. The greatest challenges of plastic reduction for me are still laundry detergent containers, juice containers, toothbrushes, and trash bags. I am always interested in new small steps to reduce my plastic dependence.
It has been a pleasure to eat more healthful foods grown locally in season. I am still enjoying local squash, onion, root vegetables and my own back yard tomatoes. This behavioral change has reduced the amount of other meat proteins my family eats and reopened my eyes to the pleasures of gourmet cheeses in Philadelphia that I missed while living in Alaska. I have made an exception of sorts to graduating this behavioral change by accepting Mexico as a local food producer. Comments and criticisms are welcome as I don't quite understand the problem with this so long as I buy things not available to me locally and insist on highest quality.
There are countless other advocates of ocean recovery who are encouraging others around the world to make the same small changes to their behavior that I propose. I hereby make my personal oath to begin to change my behavior as an informed and active seafood consumer unafraid to assert my personal responsibility for our planet's health. The gradual change of my own irresponsible behavior as an adolescent into the responsible mother I am today took time and it is still ongoing. I wish anyone the best of luck if they strive to evolve and adapt. Other organisms in the past have evolved and adapted with success and I know we can too.
The small changes in behavior which are required to prove my hypothesis are 1. Eat less seafood, 2. Use less plastic, 3. Eat more locally grown healthful foods, and 4. Buy less manufactured goods/Create less waste.
The following is a list of proposed questions which I began to ask myself as I started piecing together the scientifically established causes of our oceans' declining seafood resources which I and countless other research professionals assume is a symptom of our oceans' greater problems.
When and where did trawling begin?
Who built the first trawler?
How much did they catch or earn as a result of it?
What happened next? What is done with the fish from trawling today?
Why do scientists suspect over-fishing to be a significant contributing factor to the decline of our ocean's health? If trawl fish wasn't available what would people be eating to replace it?
When and where was the first use of plastic to making an everyday container?
Who made it?
What was it used to package? Do we still use that product in the same package today?
How many were produced and at what savings to the manufacturer was gained?
How many more products are produced with plastic today?
What are our alternatives?
Why do scientists suspect plastic pollution to be a significant contribution to declining health of our oceans?
When and where did the world begin mass producing our food and consumer manufactured goods?
When and where were the first signs of global warming observed and reported?
Who first noticed there may be a connection between these two significant changes?
What did they do to prove the connection?
How much more do we know today about global warming than we did 20 years ago?
Why do scientists suspect global warming to be a factor in the decline of our oceans' health? How much sooner will global warming begin negatively impacting our quality of life if our oceans' health continues to decline?
This is no short order, is it? Being a tremendous fan of delicious and sustainable seafood, I find it difficult to eat less of it. Presently, I eat seafood twice each week and that is a significant reducing in consumption compared to my life as a harvester when often I ate seafood 4-5 times a week. My family consumes about a pound and a half each week; we may be able to reduce to one pound for the time being. Once the kids get bigger it will have to go back up. However, given the expense, once I am certain that my children have a sincere appreciation for the healthful benefits of sustainable seafood, I shall stop affording them their access.
Having already started learning how to use less plastic, I have been making small changes to my behavior for nearly 7 years to reduce the amount of plastic I use. The greatest challenges of plastic reduction for me are still laundry detergent containers, juice containers, toothbrushes, and trash bags. I am always interested in new small steps to reduce my plastic dependence.
It has been a pleasure to eat more healthful foods grown locally in season. I am still enjoying local squash, onion, root vegetables and my own back yard tomatoes. This behavioral change has reduced the amount of other meat proteins my family eats and reopened my eyes to the pleasures of gourmet cheeses in Philadelphia that I missed while living in Alaska. I have made an exception of sorts to graduating this behavioral change by accepting Mexico as a local food producer. Comments and criticisms are welcome as I don't quite understand the problem with this so long as I buy things not available to me locally and insist on highest quality.
There are countless other advocates of ocean recovery who are encouraging others around the world to make the same small changes to their behavior that I propose. I hereby make my personal oath to begin to change my behavior as an informed and active seafood consumer unafraid to assert my personal responsibility for our planet's health. The gradual change of my own irresponsible behavior as an adolescent into the responsible mother I am today took time and it is still ongoing. I wish anyone the best of luck if they strive to evolve and adapt. Other organisms in the past have evolved and adapted with success and I know we can too.
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