10 Solutions to Save the Ocean

Many of us struggle with an awareness that the world’s oceans are threatened but often wonder what we, as individuals, can do. The oceans are vast, mysterious and complex. Even those who study them will never run out of new discoveries or understanding. But there are actions that make a difference.

Conservation Magazine has compiled an article of essays from some of the brightest marine researchers, teachers and experts:

• Martín Hall, Chief Scientist of the Dolphin Tuna Program at the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission
• Daniel Pauly, Director of the University of British Columbia Fisheries Centre and Project Leader of The Sea Around Us
• David Conover, Dean of the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University
• Amanda Vincent, Canada Research Chair in Marine Conservation at the University of British Columbia Fisheries Centre and Director of Project Seahorse
• Kimberly Davis Deputy Director of the World Wildlife Fund’s Marine Conservation Program
• Carl Safina, president and cofounder of the Blue Ocean Institute
• George Sugihara, Professor of Biological Oceanography at The Scripps Institution of Oceanography
• Ussif Rashid Sumaila, Director of the Fisheries Economics Research Unit at the University of British Columbia Fisheries Centre
• Amanda Vincent, Canada Research Chair in Marine Conservation at the University of British Columbia Fisheries Centre and Director of Project Seahorse
• Tundi Agardy, Executive Director of Sound Seas

In Ten Solutions to Save the Ocean Conservation editor Sarah Simpson says:

Saving the world’s oceans is going to take more than passionate declarations. So we asked a select group of innovative thinkers to go out on a limb. What string should we pull to give marine conservation a decided edge? Here are their answers.

The short list goes like this…

1. Eat lower on the marine food web and tap into a bountiful supply of protein
2. Elevate the role of small-scale fishers in the world market
3. Alter harvest strategies to account for evolutionary change
4. Invest in microcredit schemes for women in poor coastal communities to curtail overfishing
5. Tap into the firsthand expertise and ingenuity of fishermen and backyard inventors
6. Simple modifications to fishing gear save thousands of turtles and seabirds each year
7. Create new markets that reward careful fishing
8. Eliminate fuel subsidies to reduce destructive bottom trawling on the high seas
9. Text messaging is changing the face of marine conservation
10. Move toward wholesale zoning of the oceans—rather than piecemeal protection schemes

But it’s the article and essays that bring meaning to the actions and policies. It is one of the best proactive-approach writings on the state of the oceans today and how each of us can make a difference. Get the full read here 10 Solutions to Save the Ocean.