Protecting oceans

Here are some ideas to consider to help protect our oceans. 

• Eat only sustainably harvested fish and shellfish.  Some fish farms are operated in a sustainable manner and others are not, so farmed fish are not always a better option.  Do a bit of research to find sustainable sources for your seafood.  The Monterey Bay Aquarium has excellent information on sustainably harvested fish and shellfish.  https://www.seafoodwatch.org/
• Choose nontoxic chemicals, because toxic chemicals harm habitat and creatures in waterways, and can bioaccumulate in the food chain. 
• Choose sunscreen that is not harmful to corals and other aquatic life.   Key ingredients to avoid are Oxybenzone and Octinoxate. Additionally, look out for Benzophenone-1, Benzophenone-8, OD-PABA, 4-Methylbenzylidene camphor, 3-Benzylidene camphor, and Octocrylene.
• Don’t litter.  Litter may get washed or blown into waterways, where it threatens habitats and the creatures who live there.   Both freshwater and saltwater areas require this protection.
• Visit oceans, lakes, rivers and streams responsibly.  Habitat can be destroyed by careless visitors, and it can take decades or centuries to recover.  Many things can damage habitats, including standing on coral reefs, disturbing bottom sediments, overfishing, and allowing chemicals to enter the waterways. 
• Reduce your use of single-use plastics and microplastics.  Much has been written on the dangers of plastic in the oceans, so I won’t repeat it here.
• Overfertilizing may result in surface water runoff carrying excess fertilizer into waterways and the ocean.  If too large a quantity of the nutrients in fertilizer reaches the waterways and oceans, oxygen depletion and algal blooms can result, killing marine life. 
• As I mentioned in my last post, reduce your carbon footprint.  Rising carbon levels in the atmosphere are harming the oceans and the creatures that live there.