Reflective Post

Reflective Post

I chose to do my blog on oceans because it is something that fascinates me. There isn’t anything about this topic that bores me, so I decided to write about things that affect the oceans negatively to bring awareness to the potential danger and damage that humans put on the seas. My research discussions took me on both an intellectual and an emotional journey. It was a little difficult focusing on the things that damage something you love. It was an intellectual journey because I was able to report my topics in a way that would teach people about how human indifference is the oceans biggest enemy, and how we are responsible for its damage. I wanted to bring awareness to invoke change. This non-traditional format allowed me to include my own personal feelings into the research. Traditional formats don’t allow you to do that. I really enjoyed constructing this blog.

Bluefin Tuna Overfishing

About a month ago I stated watching a new show on the National Geographic Channel called “Wicked Tuna”. It’s a reality show that follows different tuna fishermen out of the fishing town of Glouster, Massachusetts. These men tuna fish for a living only using rod and reel. Most days some of them catch one a day and others can go days without catching any at all. Their livelihood can depend on a single fish. I love seeing huge fish, so I thought this was right up my alley. While watching the show I learned that the Bluefin tuna they catch in that area have to be at least 73 inches long in order for them to keep and sell them. This gives the fish a chance to grow up and spawn. I learned that this regulation is in place because the Bluefin tuna is on the brink of extinction due to overfishing. Even though this show focuses on the trill of the hunt, it made me want to dig deeper into the plight of this amazing fish.

The Bluefin tuna can reach a weight up to 1,500 pounds and can be up to 13 feet long, making it a giant among fishes. The Bluefin is among the fastest of all fishes, capable of speeds up to 55 miles per hour and able to migrate across entire oceans. While most of the 20,000 fish species are cold-blooded, possessing a body temperature that is the same as the water they swim in, the Bluefin tuna is one of the few warm-blooded fish. It is the premier choice for sushi and has become the most desirable food fish in the world. That is why it is probably the most endangered of all large fish species. Heedless overfishing is steadily pushing the Bluefin toward extinction, and the species may soon disappear unless entrepreneurial fish farmers can learn how to breed the tuna in captivity (Ellis, 2008).

The Japanese sushi and sashimi markets have intensified Bluefin tuna fishing around the world. Bluefin tuna are known as the “cocaine of the seas” because of the astronomical prices it fetches as a luxury sushi. At one time, researchers believed that there were two separate populations of North Atlantic Bluefin, one that bred in the Gulf of Mexico and stayed in the Western Atlantic and another that spawned in the Mediterranean and foraged in the eastern part of the ocean (Ellis, 2008). The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, which is a regulatory body established in 1960, based its catch quotas for the Bluefin on this two-population concept(Ellis, 2008) . They set strict limits in the western Atlantic (where Bluefin were becoming scarce as early as the 1070s) while allowing much larger catches in the eastern Atlantic. But what they failed to realize at the time is that individual Bluefin can migrate across the ocean, and the foraging grounds of the two populations overlap. So because the ICCAT has failed to stop overfishing in the eastern Atlantic, Bluefin tuna stocks have collapsed throughout the ocean.



Things are worst in the Mediterranean. Employing ideas and technology developed in South Australia, fishers corral schools of half-grown tuna and tow them in floating pens to marine ranches where they are fed and fattened until they can be killed and shipped to Japan. There are rules banning fleets from taking undersize tuna out of the Mediterranean, but none that prevent catching immature tuna and fattening them in floating pens. Every country on the Mediterranean, except Israel, takes advantage of this loophole and maintains tuna ranches offshore (Ellis, 2008). They are catching half-grown tuna by the hundreds of thousands. If you had to design a way to guarantee the decimation of a breeding population, this would be it: catch the fish before they are old enough to breed and keep them penned up until they are killed. The tuna ranches, once seen as a solution to the problem are only making it worse.

But even if lower fishing quotas were in place, the Bluefin would still be endangered. The tuna fishery is rife with illegal, unregulated fleets that ignore quotas, restrictions, boundaries, and any other rules and regulations that might threaten their catch (Ellis, 2008). The Japanese market which devours about 60,000 tons of Bluefin every year, or more than three quarters of the global catch, is only too eager to buy the tuna, regardless of where or how it is caught(Ellis, 2008). They bring in thousands of illegal tuna every year and falsify their records.

As the tuna populations continue to fall, the Japanese demand is increasing; fewer tuna will mean higher prices, and higher prices will mean intensified fishing. Intensified fishing will, of course result in fewer tuna. It seems like an inevitable lose-lose situation for the Bluefin tuna. It appears that the only hope for the Bluefin is captive breeding. Captive breeding of the Bluefin could save the species, but the effort will be challenging. Research groups in Japan and Europe have bred the tuna in laboratories, and now an Australian company is attempting to perform the feat on a commercial scale (Ellis, 2008).

It would be good for the Bluefin tuna, and in the end, good for the consumer if tuna fishing was not practiced in such a remorseful manner, but such change would entail nothing less than a modification of the fundamentals of human nature. But there is a little light at the end of the tunnel. Some organizations have begun boycotted the sale of Bluefin tuna in some restaurants and stores, hopefully this type of progress will bring more awareness to this type of situation and keep it from happening to another species as well.

Works Cited

Ellis, R. (2008). The bluefin in peril. Scientific American, pp. 70-77. Retrieved April 27, 2012 from the Complete Academic Database.



Marine Oil Spills

I remember sitting in awe watching the underwater cameras that were filming the thousands of gallons of oil spilling into the ocean back in 2010 during the BP oil spill. The sight was horrific. I sat and thought about the ramifications that a catastrophe of this magnitude would have on the ocean and all the marine life in the area, not to mention the effect it would have on the food chain and fishermen who made a living in that area. I was angry with the human carelessness that had once again taken its toll on the seas.

A marine oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the ocean or coastal waters, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The marine environment is a key interrelated and complementary element that is crucial for the existence of the biodiversity, ecosystem and human life on this planet (Sinanaj & Xhelilaj, 2010). There are a number of factors which determine the precise nature and duration of a possible impact of an oil spill in a marine environment. The most significant factors are the category and quantity of oil and its behavior once spilled; the physical features of the affected region; weather conditions and seasons; the nature and the efficiency of the clean-up operation, the biological and economical characteristics of the area and their vulnerability to oil pollution (Sinanaj & Xhelilaj, 2010).

Oil pollution may severely impact the ecosystem and the biodiversity of the ocean and coastal areas resulting in possible danger to the marine life. The impact of an oil spill on marine life depends heavily on the physical and chemical characteristics of the particular oil and on the weathering process (Sinanaj & Xhelilaj, 2010). The toxic effect of oil on marine life depends on the length of exposure and the oil concentration in the ocean. Coral reefs are susceptible to oil spills because oil compounds can dissolve in water with exposes the corals to potentially toxic compounds. Adult fish, squid, shrimp, wild stocks of important marine animals and plants seldom suffer long-term damage from oil spill exposure.





The biggest impact is found on shorelines where animals and plants may be physically coated and smothered by oil or exposed directly to toxic components in the oil. Shellfish are more vulnerable that fish to oil spills because of their close association with contaminated sediments, this also goes for fish located in fisheries. Organisms such as plankton may also be seriously impacted by oil pollution. Studies have revealed toxic and lethal effects on them. Sea and shore birds such as shags, fulmars, kittiwakes, razorbills, and guillemots are generally the group of birds mostly at risk from oil spills since they are easily harmed by floating water (Sinanaj & Xhelilaj, 2010).

Birds that submerge for their food or which gather on the sea surface are especially at risk. Oil can blind an animal, leaving it defenseless. The ingestion of oil causes dehydration and impairs the digestion process. Animals can be poisoned and may die from oil entering the lungs or liver. The most common cause of contaminated bird’s death is from drowning, starvation and loss of body heat and it must be noted that great mortality occurs during most spills which sometimes have even caused the entire breeding colonies to be seriously depleted(Sinanaj & Xhelilaj, 2010). The majority of birds die without human intervention. Some studies have suggested that less than one percent of oil-soaked birds survive, even after cleaning.

Sea mammals such whales, dolphins, and seals in the open sea are threatened from oil spills as well. Since the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, which is the 5^th largest oil spill in the world, hundreds of dead dolphins and aborted dolphin babies have been found. Researchers say that the number of dolphins and whales killed by the disaster could be as much as 50 times higher than the bodies found. Not to mention the eyeless shrimp that fishermen have now been reporting that they have been catching. But marine mammals such as seal and otters that breed on the shorelines are more prone to be affected by the oil pollution. The most endangered mammal species are those which rely on fur to regulate their body temperature because if the fur becomes contaminated with oil, the mammal may die from hyperthermia or overheating.

The US consumes more oil than any other country in the world. For decades the US has focused on producing and importing more oil, instead of increasing efficiency, lowering consumption, and new technologies. Oil spills are only caused by human activity. This fact alone means that if we are going to drill into these habitats for oil than we can’t continue to be careless about it. More precautions have to be taken in order to ensure that our need for oil doesn’t encroach on the well-being of the marine life that inhabits the seas. This goes for every single country in the world. We as humans have to be more careful with our actions.

Works Cited

Sinanaj, S., & Xhelilaj, E. (2010). The behavior and effects of oil pollution into the marine environment and oceans. Journal of Maritime Studies, pp. 19-25. Retrieved April 25, 2012 from the Complete Academic Database.