An indefinite ban on the fishing of sea cucumbers is creating quite a ruckus in Mexico.  Although sea cucumbers are barely consumed in Mexico, high demand in China fueled overfishing of the sea cucumbers in Yucatán waters and has greatly depleted the sea cucumber population in the area.  Overfishing in Asian and Pacific waters has already decimated the sea cucumber populations in these regions.

Since 2009, of the 20,000 tons of sea cucumbers available, only an estimated 1,900 tons of these marine animals are left according the secretary of rural development in Quintana Roo State, Felipe Cervera.¹  In order to give the sea cucumber populations a chance to recover, an indefinite ban on sea cucumber fishing was issued in Mexico.  The ban was meant to be beneficial and allow the Mexican waters’ ecosystems a chance to recover, but because of the lack of enforcement, the ban is actually having the reverse effect.

Fishing of the sea cucumbers continues to occur in high numbers in Mexico and the sea cucumber black market is thriving.  Many of the fishermen in Mexico have no other means to earn a living, so they continue to fish the depleted sea cucumber populations and sell them to middlemen who transport the sea cucumbers to China.  One pound of sea cucumbers can sell for as much as $300.¹

Illegally fishing of the sea cucumbers is also a dangerous business.  Fisherman often admit that some competitors will shoot at others to get their own share of the sea cucumbers though most of these incidents go unreported to the police since the fisherman are breaking the law, and many are also distrustful of the authorities who they believe unfairly target groups when enforcing the ban.¹

Fishermen have another risk when fishing for these precious sea animals, the bends.  The fisherman dive 50 feet into the water using only a mask and an old hose for oxygen to harvest these bottom dwellers.¹  Nitrogen and other gases from the air dissolve in the water of a diver’s body, and if the diver rises too quickly to the surface, the decrease in pressure causes the dissolved gases to come out of solution as bubbles.²  Decompression sickness, also known as the bends, can be fatal.  In fact, around 30 fishermen have died because of decompression sickness in Celestún since 2009 while trying to collect the sea cucumbers.¹

Obviously, the sea cucumber ban had the good intention of restoring sea cucumbers’ numbers and providing a healthier ecosystem for the Yucatán waters.  Because authorities have not properly enforced the ban, fishing of the sea cucumbers continues to occur illegally.  The Mexican authorities must step up enforcement of the ban if they want to save both sea cucumber and human lives.  Sea cucumbers need a chance to restore their population numbers if they are to survive in Yucatán waters and be around in the future as a revenue source for fisherman.  However, this ban took away fisherman’s revenue source without providing them with an alternative to earn a living.  The Mexican government as well
as NGOs should help out these fishermen by providing training in other careers, so that these fishermen can feed their families and not have to revert to the dangerous and illegal sea cucumber fishing.  Doing so, protects both sea cucumbers and humans alike.

¹ http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/20/world/americas/quest-for-illegal-gain-at-the-sea-bottom-divides-fishing-communities.html?ref=endangeredandextinctspecies

² http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/outdoor-activities/water-sports/question1011.htm

It seems you can’t turn on the news or open a newspaper without hearing some story or reading some article concerned about the environment.  With the higher cost of gasoline, the near constant warnings of environmentalists about the dangers of the melting caps, and the various international agreements concerning greenhouse gas emissions, it seems like we are flooded with messages spelling the impending doom of the Earth.  The constant stream of media attention is enough to make anyone a cynic.

I personally find myself rolling my eyes when some fanatic environmentalist preaches about the dangerous course we are heading down if we continue our practices.  But aside from all their prophesying, don’t they have a point?  As humans who share this planet with millions of different living things isn’t our current treatment of the planet selfish, irresponsible, and harmful to all creatures including ourselves?

The goal of this blog is not to have another environmentalist blog to condemn and attack other countries or big business who are refusing to cut down pollution or support green technologies.  Instead, the goal of this blog is to inform, present the arguments with the facts, and give an accurate representation of the situation.

So when did I become such a proponent for all things green?  I can only trace my enthusiasm back to second grade when I attended zoo camp for the first time.  Learning about the different endangered species in the zoo was both fascinating and heart breaking.  How could human be responsible for putting these animals in danger because of our infringement of their habits and poaching?

Specifically in this blog, I plan to focus on the ramifications of destroying the rain forests and other animal habits, the consequences for humans and animals alike.  Human rely on the rainforest to help stabilize the climate of the Earth, absorb carbon dioxide preventing it from being released into the atmosphere, give off oxygen, and as a source for medicine.

Human depend on the environment for survival.  What will happen if our depletion of the rainforest continues?  How can we reverse the pattern and ensure the protection our of Earth’s precious ecosystems?  I will focus this blog not only on bringing attention to current environmental issues, but the steps that are being taken to protect the environment and steps that need to be taken to ensure that the Earth continues to be the safe home to millions of species for the years to come.