Today, seven species of sea turtle deem the ocean as their home. These gentle creatures have thrived on earth since the dinosaurs roamed the lands (some 110 million years ago); yet in recent years, six of the seven species have become critically endangered or vulnerable to endangerment (wwf 2016). This result is in direct correlation with the negative impact human beings have inflicted, and continue to inflict, upon the planet. It’s no coincidence that the population of sea turtles has plummeted as the human population has risen, for along with the expansion of humans comes the expansion of consumerism, which is ultimately the root of devastation for the sea turtles. Human beings could substantially reduce their negative impact on these innocent
Ocean dead zones, caused by the runoff of livestock feces, are large areas in the water where oxygen levels have been exhausted due to nitrogen contamination, or livestock waste. These dead zones are commonly found along the warm, coastal regions, such as the Gulf of Mexico, where sea turtles make their homes. As dead zones expand the sea turtles and other sea life present suffocate due to the lack of oxygen in the water. The widespread implementation of a plant-based (vegan) diet would help put an end to the spillage of 335 million tons of manure into our waterways (Macklin 2015), saving thousands of turtles and allowing them to replenish their population along with bringing an end to the poisoning of the oceans. Furthermore, the sea turtles are in danger of being killed and discarded by commercial fishermen. “Bycatch” is defined as the untargeted ocean life caught during commercial fishing; “sustainable” commercial fishing practices are known to catch anywhere from five to twenty pounds of bycatch for every pound of the desired species. Each year, hundreds of thousands of endangered turtles account for a portion of the untargeted species (Gunther 2010). With extinction already a grave possibility, these senseless practices are detrimental to the endangered turtle
This beautiful world, and all of the creatures who inhabit it, are suffering at the expense of one species, ours. Sea turtles are merely a harbinger for the impending doom that shall come to the oceans should we continue to meander along our destructive pathway. People could live in harmony with the earth, if only they were to set aside selfish desires and conveniences. Embracing an environmentally-friendly, sea turtle-friendly lifestyle is not difficult, in fact, it’s quite simple. The challenge is the initial plunge, the first breath taken within conscious
Throughout the animal kingdom, adaptations take place continuously and even the smallest of changes can leave a significant impact. Examples can be seen within any plant or animal. One example would include sea turtles, specifically, the Loggerhead Turtles. These turtles are native to the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans as well as the Mediterranean Sea (Deurmit L 2007). They thrive in either temperate or tropical climates and can live in a myriad of biomes (Deurmit L 2007). These biomes include the pelagic, reef, coastal, and brackish water (Deurmit L 2007). Loggerhead turtles are omnivores and can eat anything from insects to aquatic crustaceans, to macro algae (Deurmit L 2007). According to Deurmit (2007) Caretta caretta is classified into Animalia Kingdom, Chordata Phylum, Vertebrata Subphylum, Reptilian Class, Testudines’ Order,
According to the article “Factory Farming Versus Environment and Society,” animal dung can be used as manure, however, “far too much of it is produced in factory farming… Lethal quantities of ammonia, potassium, hydrogen sulfide or other damaging chemical substances penetrate to ground waters and rivers with rain, thus poisoning them” (Fiut & Urbaniak 4). Animal manure contains toxic chemicals that polluted our water resources. The issue with having animals confined in a tight, restrictive environment is that animal feces leak through the cages and poison various water resources. Not to mention, it also makes the environment that produces our meat and dairy very unsanitary and more likely to increase the risk of transmitted diseases not only from animal to animal but to people who consume the meat as well. Moreover, when the feces contaminates the water, it affects the aquatic environment. In the article, Louis A. Helfrich, Richard J. Neves, and James Parkhurst stated, “nearly 20 percent of our freshwater fishes, 45 percent of our mussels, 48 percent of our crayfishes, and 20 percent of our aquatic snails are imperiled. Of the 230 species of amphibians (90 frogs and toads, and 140 salamanders) that depend on aquatic habitats, 40 percent are disappearing and alarming numbers of individuals are missing limbs; such deformities have been documented in 44 states”(Helfrich, Neves & Parkhurst 1). The pollution caused by factory farms kills the aquatic animals resulting in the declining loss of aquatic biodiversity. When the animal waste leaks from Lagoons, it not only causes toxicity to water but it can also create “dead zones” which the creatures can’t survive in. The nitrogen ends up becoming gaseous turning into a colorless gas with a pungent smell. This creates problems in
The Chesapeake Bay plays host to an astonishing amount of plant and animal life, providing much of our fish intake for species that aren’t being overfished. For the species that are being overdrawn, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation is working to restore the populations, and it’s going well thus far. Another theme that is endangering the marine life populations as well as the health of the human population is the massive amount of polluti...
In 2010, there was a huge oil spill near the Gulf of Mexico that we now know as the BP Oil Spill today. The Spill sent about 170 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The spill killed 11 men aboard the deep-water Horizon. The BP Oil Spill impacted the environment very negatively. There were different types of environmental impact as a result of the Oil Spill, but the two that grabbed my attention the most are the Polluted Air and the Contaminated Food Chain. The first impact that grabbed my attention was the Polluted Air. Because of the Oil Spill, the air around the surroundings neighborhoods was polluted. All the lightest chemicals in the oil that had spill evaporated within hours of the incidence forming air pollution particles. These particles that are in the air poses significant threats to the human health from being inhaled. The chemical found in the particles that was formed is known as Volatile, which has been known to cause respiratory irritation and central nervous system depression (Solomon & Janssen, 2010). The second impact that grabbed my attention was the contamination of the food chain, specifically the food chain of sea animals that lives near the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists found traces of oil in zooplanktons; this could only mean that the sea creature has had contact with the spilled oil. According to the Staff at Houston Business Journal (2012), “Baby fish and shrimp feed on the tiny, drifting zooplankton, and then introduce contamination and pollution to the larger sea creatures in the food web.” With these findings, it isn’t going to take long before the baby fishes become grown and caught by fishermen and before we know it, it’s on our dinner plate. And here we are eating fishes w...
Corals provide shelter for nearly one quarter of all known marine species. The reefs are home to over 4000 species of fish, 700 species of coral, and thousands of other forms of plant and animal life. Living coral reefs are the foundation of marine life, and this also means that they are essential for human life, but all over the world they are dead or dying because people are destroying them at a very fast rate. Already 10% have been lost, and there are predictions that 705 of all corals on the planet will be destroyed in 20 to 40 years unless people stop doing what they are doing now – i.e., pollution, sewage, erosion, cyanide fishing, bad tourism.
The Cove is a film of activism, a film meant to move the hearts of individuals who love and support the rights of mammalian sea-dwellers like that of whales, porpoises, and most importantly dolphins. Produced in 2009 by the Oceanic Preservation Society it offers a unique perspective, when compared with other activist documentaries. In The Cove the producer and co-founder of the Oceanic Preservation Society was actually personally involved in the filming efforts and worked directly with dolphin trainer Richard O’Barry in drawing light on the events occurring in a private cove in the city of Taiji, Japan. The documentary is, of course, very biased towards the topic, with obvious pro-animal rights leanings supported indirectly with a strong utilitarian basis. When analyzing documentaries such as this it is vitally important to take as objective a perspective as possible, though humanity tends to be innately prone to bias, and scrutinize through perspectives that have established ethical guidelines.
When fishers throw their nets, the turtles get caught in the nets causing damages to their body or drowning them. When juvenile loggerheads head to their foraging area in the water, they are highly exposed to bycatching, international longlines, and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) longline fisheries causing high mortality rates (Peckham et al. 2008). Though juveniles have a higher mortality rate due to bycatch, longlines and trade since they are still maturing, adults are easily exposed to these threats as
Recently, an uninhabited island in the South Pacific Ocean was found to be polluted with 38 million pieces of plastic that had been carried over by currents (Wang, “No one lives on this remote Pacific island”). The island, dubbed ‘trash island’, is home to diverse animal populations that have all been devastated by the pollution. On the beach, hundreds of birds were seen dead by reporters and scientists. When analyzed, the primary cause of death turned out to be consumption of plastic. When animals ingest plastic, it clogs their stomach and poisons their body with toxic chemicals. These toxic chemicals cause an array of issues, such as reproductive and endocrine problems. Eventually, this leads to death (Knoblauch, “The environmental toll of plastics”). But due to the nature of plastics, it can take hundreds or even thousands of years to completely degrade, meaning that as plastic pollution continues to build up, more places like ‘trash island’ will be discovered. According to conservation scientist Alex Bond, “…[The island] is just an indicator of what’s floating around out there” (Wang, “No one lives on this remote Pacific
These basking rocks, or even floating cork for younger turtles, are very important, they have to have a place to bask and get out of the water. Yet if you decide to keep it outside be sure to provide a place to bask, plenty of water, filters, and a covering so other predators can not harm or eat your turtle. Equipment will be different for indoors or outdoors. If you keep your turtle indoors be sure that it can occasionally get fresh air and sun light, but do not keep an aquarium next to a window! Also, make sure your aquarium or pond is clean, this is extremely important to maintain good health for the turtle and provides them with a clean habitat.
“On Broadway, in New York, there is a penny arcade which used to sell baby terrapins that were scrawled with bon mots in enamel paint, such as KISS ME BABY.”(Hoagland p.154) “They were as dry as a heap of old bones in the sun; nevertheless, they were creeping over one another gimpy, doing their best to escape.” (Hoagland p.154) “He drank thirstily but would not eat and had none of the hearty, accepting qualities of wood turtles.” (Hoagland p.155) “He was morose, paler in color, sleeker and more Oriental in the carved ridges and rings that formed his shell.” (Hoagland p.155) Take a gander at how a turtle begins its life. In the wake of deliver, generally to some degree close to the water, it gives off an impression of being adequately fundamental to twist over some sensible sand and start swimming off to begin a presence. Then again, young turtles are in convincing hazard from the most punctual beginning stage. In fact, even with a short detachment to cross and couple of impediments in the course, there are various predators and unforgiving parts to drive forward. A little rate of sea turtles makes it past most punctual stages. An obviously fundamental task has significantly more behind it. Strength isn't for the most part anticipated that would go into something. Every so often it is relied upon to persevere
Throughout the country one might find themselves seeing a plastic bag floating around or even stuck in a tree. This is a problem that most want to eliminate. A topic that Mangu-Ward writes about is the problem of plastic bags in marine life and other wildlife. For people the thought of animals dying angers them. These decisions that people are making currently are emotional decision as Mangu-Ward describes them. Many marine life animals have died from the cause of littering of the plastic bag. Mangu-Ward writes, “plastic bags make up 3.8 percent of beach litter”. Finding fish, turtles, and many more marine and wildlife animals with plastic bags either suck around their necks or in their throats is something that many do not like to see or hear. This evidence can also be supported when Mangu-Ward writes, “1 million birds and 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles die each year from eating or getting entangled in plastic”. Mangu-Ward is currently giving evidence that plastic bags are bad for the
"Ocean Pollution." MarineBio Conservation Society ~ Marine Biology, Ocean Life Conservation, Sea Creatures, Biodiversity, Research... Web. 19 May 2014.
Oceans are such so vast that people underestimate the impact their actions —seeming so insignificant— have on them. Humans have by and large taken the oceans for granted; not considering how important a healthy ocean is to our survival. A popular mind-set is that the oceans are a bottomless supply of fish, natural resources, and an infinite waste dump. There are myriad reasons why the oceans should be saved and the most obvious one is marine life. With 71% of the Earth being covered by water, it is obvious that sea creatures are predominant form of life, making up 80% of the species of life on Earth. However, as important as marine life is, that is not the only reason why saving the oceans is crucial. The ocean floor provides natural resources such as, oil, natural gas, petroleum, minerals, medications, and ingredients for foods and products. The economic benefits of the oceans are huge and significant, as well. Fishing and fish products have provided employment to 38 million people and have generated about $124 billion in economic benefits. However, oceans are on the verge of crisis, marine life, natural resources, transportation, the economy, and important ingredients are at risk due to overfishing, pollution, and acidification. Thus, in this essay I will argue that, oceans are not impervious to human activity and threatening the health of the ocean threatens the health of humanity, since oceans key to our survival.
Did you know that more than 90 percent of all organisms that have ever lived on Earth are extinct? According to Pandey, the author of Humans Pushing Marine Life toward ‘Major Extinction’, nearly 10,000 species go extinct each year, and this rate is estimated to be 1,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate (1). Human beings are causing irreversible damage to the oceans and their wildlife, which is being led by two major reasons: Commercial fishing or over-fishing, which damaged the marine environment and caused a loss in the marine life diversity, and pollution, which is a primary way of the extinction causes that drastically modifies the marine life habitat. As a result of the commercial fishing and pollution, many of the marine species will start disappearing of the oceans. Briggs emphasizes that over-fishing “has induced population collapses in many species. So instead of having less than a hundred species at risk, as was the case some 30-40 years ago, there are now a thousand or more (10).”
Research from the University of California San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography said that species in the ocean consume a projected 12,000 to 24,000 tons of plastic every year in the Pacific Ocean (Nall, 2014). Pollution of recyclable materials in the oceans is one of the leading causes of why some marine species are nearing extinction. Many authors of articles and books analyzing this topic tend to agree that pollution of our oceans is a problem. The future of this problem is where their ideas tend to differ. The following four literature reviews attempt to demonstrate and support my belief that pollution is getting worse in the ocean and more marine life ecosystems are being affected, but there are things that we as humans can do to change this. Imagine a world where we didn’t have to constantly worry about the vicious cycle of humans affecting animals and then animals in turn affecting us through consumption.