Today is #WorldOceansDay In 2014, it was estimated that around 405 âdead zonesâ exist in our worldâs seas. These âdead zonesâ are areas within an ocean where little to no oxygen exists â usually due to fertilizer run-off & nitrogen pollution â rendering that area incapable of sustaining life. #AnimalAgriculture has been strongly implicated in this phenomenon. Chemical & pesticide run-off from#dairy farms has been linked to the appearance of dangerous algal blooms in local waterways & lakes which deprive the surrounding #water of oxygen, killing off its #fish & wildlife. This is repeated on a larger scale in oceanic dead zones. The amount of dead zones is set to double every 10 years, with the prospect that the #oceans will be more dead than alive in 45 years time. The oceans take in some 30% of the greenhouse gases we produce. As the planetâs oceans have been absorbing larger amounts of these gases, their Ph level has dropped, becoming more acidic. This is a serious threat to the survival of #marineanimals. Untargeted marine animal species, such as #sharks, small #whales, #dolphins, & rays, frequently end up entangled in commercial fishing trawlersâ nets as âbycatchâ & usually face death as a result. Around 40% of a typical fishing fleetâs catch is made up of these animals, while 80% of the oceansâ fish stocks are fully- or partially exploited. Our oceans could be empty of fish by the year 2048. #Plastic pollution is, perhaps, the most grave threat currently being faced by the ocean & its many forms of life. The human addiction to convenience is threatening 700 marine species with #extinction. 270,000 tons of plastic debris cover the surface of our oceans. The most seemingly innocuous piece of plastic, can do untold damage to a marine animal. An ever-growing amount of marine animals have starved/suffocated to death after swallowing or becoming entangled in our trash, even the largest, most majestic animals such as #spermwhales. onegreenplanet.orgÂ
