
Protecting our ocean is important, at the most basic level to sustain life on earth. OUR lives, not just those that live in or around the ocean.
There are plenty of obstacles and concerns when it comes to protecting this life sustaining ecosystem.
INCREASED ACIDIFICATION: current average pH 8:1. This is 30% more acidic than preindustrial times.
MARINE POLLUTION: 17 million metric tons in the ocean. Plastic is the most harmful.
COASTAL EUTROPHICATION: algal blooms and dead zones are causing crustacean walkouts. Yes, that's a "thing".
CORAL REEF DECLINE AND BLEACHING. The world is currently experiencing a global coral bleaching event, according to NOAA scientists. This is the fourth global event on record and the second in the last 10 years.
OVER-FISHING: about 1/3 global fish stock is overfished with 1 in 5 fish caught illegally, unreported or unregulated.
ABANDONED FISHING GEAR: Ghost nets - also known as abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG), are a growing concern for marine environments. Nets continue to capture and kill marine life long after they have been lost by fishermen, causing significant harm to ocean biodiversity and ecosystems.
HABITAT DESTRUCTION: According to NASA - mangroves have been threatened by deforestation for decades, as agriculture and aquaculture, urban development and harvesting have caused the loss of more than a quarter of mangrove forests in the past 50 years.
OCEAN WARMING: documented temperature increases 1.5 degrees F since 19th century.
LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY: The IUCN Red List now includes 150,388 species, of which 42,108 are threatened with extinction.
...and the list goes on. Nitrogen and Sulfur Oxides, Invasive Species, Deep Sea Mining, Noise Pollution, Dredging. Even this is not an exhaustive inventory.
It is, in a word:
OVERWHELMING!
DISHEARTENING
DISCOURAGING
TOO MUCH
We can feel like, "there's nothing I can do", "why bother" "it's too big of a problem for me to make any difference". We can't give up though. This is far too important. You can't change the world by yourself, and neither can I but together we can make a difference. Together we do! Small steps matter and we can focus on those.
Let's look at what we can do versus what we can't.
ALL OF US can become more conscious consumers.

If you're a scuba diver, you might specifically:
Respect the marine environment
Practice good buoyancy control
Bring a mesh bag on every dive, to collect trash
Make the more conscious, eco friendly gear choices you can
Dive ONLY with shops that have sustainable, responsible practices.
Let shops you don't choose know why you didn't
Participate in ecotourism
Opt for minimal packaging
Neither of these are exhaustive lists but they are a start.
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