The EARTH & Questions on Sustainability continues. But.. till when?

THE EYE-POPPING CLAIMS IN THE DOCUMENTARY SEASPIRACY

Seaspiracy claims that fishing takes 2.7 trillion fish from oceans globally each year. If this rate of fishing continues, the oceans will be “virtually empty” by 2048, according to marine biologist Dr Sylvia Alice Earle.

the greatest threats to our oceans are not from plastic straws- which make up about 0.03% of plastic entering our oceans- but fishing nets. Taking into account that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is 1.5 million sq km in size. Which accounts for 46% of fishing nets in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Marine protected area means, that area is not allowed for fishing. By 2030, many countries commit to protect 30% of world oceans from fishing. But the real issue is 90% of marine protected area still allow fishing. Presently, only 5% of the world's oceans are marine protected and THAT IS PATHETIC.

The documentary found that fish contain heavy metals, mercury, dioxins, plastic compounds, hexachlorobenzenes and PCBs, making even reducing your intake of fish still dangerous to your health. Further, the contaminants found in fish often outweigh the benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids.

38% of global mangrove deforestation is caused by shrimp farming

Six out of seven species of sea turtle are either threatened or endangered due to fishing

93% of all carbon is stored in the ocean; according to the documentary, per acre, marine plants can store up to 20 times more carbon than land-based forests. However, warming ocean temperatures are causing the ocean to lose its ability to absorb carbon, which will have devastating impacts on the climate- losing just 1% of the oceans’ carbon stores is the equivalent to releasing emissions from 97 million cars.

The equivalent of a garbage truckload of plastic is dumped in the sea EVERY MINUTE. This has resulted in there being over 150 million tons of plastic already floating in the sea. 

Scientists predict that 90% of the world’s coral reefs WILL DIE by 2050. This is due to coral bleaching from rising temperatures. Fish play a vital role in keeping coral reefs alive and thriving; when they excrete into the water, they feed the reefs. 

The documentary says that each year, over 300 000 whales and dolphins are killed as a result of by-catch. Additionally, while 1 000 sea turtle deaths each year are caused by plastic, in the US alone, 250 000 sea turtles are captured, injured or killed each year by fishing vessels. This type of fishing is actually more dangerous than oil spills. Callum Roberts, professor of Marine Conservation at the University of Exeter, says, “the fishing industry in the Gulf of Mexico destroys more animals in a day than the Deepwater Horizon oil spill did in months.” Finally, the methods used by commercial fishing vessels are destroying more than just fish. Methods such as bottom crawling are destroying the ocean floor. The film says that bottom crawling decimates around 3.9 billion acres of seabed each year.

Switching fish farming as an alternative to wild fishing is NOT ANY BETTER for the environment or our health; the film found that a single salmon farm in Scotland produces as much waste as a town of up to 20 000 people each year. Health-wise, farmed fish aren’t much better for us either; farmed fish can get anaemia, lice, infectious diseases, chlamydia and heart disease.

Slavery is rife in the fishing industry. Oftentimes, commercial fishing involves forced labour. In the film, Steve Trent of the Environmental Justice Foundation says that “slavery at sea is a massive problem.” Former slaves in the industry shared tales of abuse and murder. The filmmakers draw a comparison between the number of dead American soldiers from the five year Iraq war to the number of dead fish workers over the same five years – 4 500 compared to a reported 360 000. Captain Hammarstedt from Sea Shepherd says, “It's the same criminal groups behind drug trafficking and human trafficking.”

Seaspiracy outlines that it’s not just fish that are affected by commercial fishing. Each year, as many as 50 million sharks are caught as bycatch, as well as whales and dolphins. These animals, as well as sharks, are essential for fertilising phytoplankton, which is important for absorbing carbon dioxide. The film says that phytoplankton absorbs FOUR TIMES as much as the Amazon rainforest