Happy World Oceans Day. By now we are all familiar with Earth Day, but what about the oceans?
The original Earth Day was inspired by founder Gaylord Nelson, former U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, after witnessing the devastation of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. In that era of protests against War and social Injustice, millions rallied across the US to the first Earth Day to demand change. Rivers burning, mountains clear-cut and vanishing species enraged our citizens and they gathered en masse across the nation and demanded change. This public demonstration of love for Nature led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts.
Forty years later the rivers are cleaner, millions of acres have been established as national parks and wilderness areas and over all the air quality has improved.
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But what about the other 71 % of the planet? Over half our oxygen comes from the ocean. Ocean fish feed millions and the beauty and complexity of marine life leave us in awe. Yet today our whales and seals have been hunted to a genetic bottleneck. 90% of large pelagic shark species are going extinct from overfishing and sharks are disappearing from the oceans for their fins. Even the wolves of the sea, the Bluefin Tuna are being fished to the vanishing point for sushi.
New oil wells are being considered along our coast while nuclear power plants hum along our shorelines vulnerable to Tsunami and earthquakes.
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Recent die offs of forage fish and marine mammals in Southern California; emaciated and sickly sea lions along the coast; vanishing salmon and stranded leopard sharks in the San Francisco Bay are all bellwethers reminding us that the ocean is sick. While a thousand other insults are being inflicted on Mother Ocean, where is our outrage?
The Ocean needs our love.
Its time to motivate change and let our leaders know that marine life and ecosystem are worth protecting, and they need our protection now. This summer celebrate World Oceans Day with groups across our ocean planet and help us activate change. Join us celebrating all marine life, especially sharks, and help us motivate people to protect the ocean and ocean life we love every day.
Shark Stewards is dedicated to protecting sharks and ecosystems through education, activism and adventure media. We promote sustainable fishing policy and marine ecosystem management and fight the shark fin trade. Join us celebrating in Fairfax at the Ecofest and in Sausalito at the Low Tide Club June 8. Learn more at www.sharkstewards.org
About
World Oceans Day, which had been unofficially celebrated every June 8 since its original proposal in 1992 by Canada at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, it was officially recognized by the United Nations in 2008. Since then WOD has been coordinated internationally by The Ocean Project and the World Ocean Network with greater success and global participation each year. Oceans Day is an opportunity every year to honor the world's ocean, to celebrate the all marine life.
