The ocean’s untouchable depths, unknown creatures and immense presence on Earth makes it seem impossible to harm. Although it may seem endless, the fragile ecosystem is starting to fall apart and humans are to blame. The ocean is considered home for about 1 million different species, but it is slowly deteriorating.

One huge contributor to marine animal endangerment is plastic pollution. The graph above depicts global plastic production from 1950 to 2015. In 2015, 350 million tonnes (about 386 million tons) were produced and this trend only continues to grow.

According to Our World in Data, in 2013, there was almost 270,000 tonnes (about 297,000 tons) of plastic in all of the oceans. This continues to increase exponentially, proportionally with total plastic production. The increase of plastic in the oceans has accumulated, creating ocean gyers.

There are five main ocean gyers (image above) which are slow moving whirlpools full of plastic debris. The plastics are mistaken for food, become entangled on animals or leach out toxic chemicals. Unlike oil pollution, which will degrade overtime, plastic almost never degrades and will continue to build up infinitely.

In addition to plastic pollution, ocean warming and acidification has led to the death of 50% of the ocean’s coral reefs in just the last 3 decades. These reefs provide shelter, food and life to nearly a quarter of all ocean animals. It is predicted that 90% of the coral reefs will die by 2050, and with it will be the extinction of many species.

Another contributing factor are major oil spills, such as the Deepwater Horizon Spill and Exxon Valdez Spill. When oil enters the ocean, it presents a great threat to all marine life. For birds, it coats their fur, eliminating their water repellent abilities. This then exposes them to the harsh elements of the environment, which they are not equipped to survive in. Sea turtle may mistake oil for food, which will then poison them. Whales and dolphins may inhale the oil which creates problems in their lungs.

The Deepwater Horizon Spill resulted in over 134 million gallons being released into the ocean, destroying the environment for many years to come. The spill is predicted to have killed around 82,000 birds, about 6,165 sea turtles and as many as 25,900 marine mammals. A bird covered in oil following the spill can be seen above.

Even 10 years later, the spill continues to harm marine life. The bottlenose dolphin (image above) in the Barataria Bay has seen a negative trend in life compared to other unaffected populations. The population in Barataria Bay has a 35% higher mortality rate, 46% higher failed pregnancy rate and 37% higher chance of having adverse health effects when compared to other populations. Similar trends can be seen in other marine species, especially sea turtles.

Other major contributors to ocean destruction and species endangerment include overfishing, dredging, sea water rising and ozone depletion. All of these human related threats will lead to the end of the many species we love and need for survival.

Now knowing the threats to marine animals, it is important to recognize what species are critically endangered, on their way to extinction. While we can not bring back the species we have lost, we can focus our efforts on changing our life style to save the ones that are still here with us. The IUCN Red List has deemed 300 marine species critically endangered, 554 species endangered and another 972 species vulnerable. With proper action, we can save many of these species.

The Hawksbill Turtle (image above) is critically endangered and is moving towards extinction. They exist in topical waters, feeding on sponges that live in coral reefs. As noted earlier, with 50% of the coral reefs gone, a main food source of the Hawksbill turtle,  has decreased immensely. They also are threatened by entanglement in nets, debris pollution and noise pollution.

They were hunted in large numbers for hundred of years for their shell, which led them nearly to extinction. The institution of the Convention of the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) and the law forbidding the trade of turtle shells saved this species from extinction. Even with this law, the population may have been depleted too much to recover, especially while facing other threats like the depletion of coral reefs.

Another species that is critically endangered is both the great hammerhead(image above) and scalloped hammerhead. They are extremely vulnerable to overfishing. They are sometimes accidentally caught, but are also purposefully caught for their valuable fins. More than 90% of hammerheads that are caught either intentionally or accidentally will die. This high mortality rate puts them at great risk for extinction.

The last species I will be highlighting is the Vaquita (image above), which are located in the Gulf of California. The Vaquita is a porpoise, which is a species that closely resembles a dolphin. They were discovered in 1958, and now just over half a century later, they are facing extinction.

Vaquitas are the most endangered marine animal in the world. Only 18 known, mature Vaquitas exist, making them nearly extinct. Vaquitas are threatened by fishing gillnets used by illegal fishing operations. The nets are set to catch Totoaboa (another endanger species), to harvest their swim bladder. Since the Vaquita inhabits the same area and are of similar size, they become entangled in the net, ultimately drowning.

At this point, the only chance this species has of survival is the complete end to gillnet fishing in the Gulf of California. However, this is unlikely because stopping all illegal fishing is nearly impossible.

These endangered species along with so many others are in the hands of humans now. If humans decide that these species are worth it, laws will be enacted and higher punishments will be enforced for transgressors. But, if humans decide it’s not worth the effort, these species will continue to decline into extinction.

If these species become extinct, we will see a chain reaction of unexpected decline. The intricate web linking all species together will be made apparent if these species continue to disappear. The course of humans, life and Earth will be changed forever as more species go towards extinction, unless we change our current track.

An interesting video pushing for conservation efforts for the ocean can be viewed here.

 

Sources

Fisheries, NOAA. “Hawksbill Turtle.” NOAA, www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/hawksbill-turtle.

Fisheries, NOAA. “Sea Turtles, Dolphins, and Whales – 10 Years after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.” NOAA, 16 Apr. 2020, www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/sea-turtles-dolphins-and-whales-10-years-after-deepwater-horizon-oil.

Fisheries, NOAA. “Vaquita.” NOAA, www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/vaquita.

“Great Hammerhead Shark.” Oceana, oceana.org/marine-life/sharks-rays/great-hammerhead-shark.

“The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.” IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, www.iucnredlist.org/.

Leung, Ka Ching. “How to Protect World’s Coral Reefs Before They Go Extinct: Earth.Org – Past: Present: Future.” Earth.Org – Past | Present | Future, 6 Aug. 2020, earth.org/how-to-protect-worlds-coral-reefs-before-they-go-extinct/#:~:text=But%2C%20the%20planet%20has%20already,them%20all%20is%20climate%20change.

“Oil Spills.” Oil Spills | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/ocean-coasts/oil-spills#:~:text=On%20April%2020%2C%202010%2C%20an,200%20Olympic%2Dsized%20swimming%20pools.

Raunek, et al. “11 Threats to Marine Environment You Must Know.” Marine Insight, 24 Dec. 2019, www.marineinsight.com/environment/11-threats-to-marine-environment-you-must-know/.

Ritchie, Hannah, and Max Roser. “Plastic Pollution.” Our World in Data, 1 Sept. 2018, ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution.

“The Seven Seas and the Five Gyres.” GARD, www.gard.no/web/updates/content/5613667/the-seven-seas-and-the-five-gyres.

“Vaquita.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund, www.worldwildlife.org/species/vaquita.