The world’s oceans cover more than 70 percent of our planet’s surface and the rich web of life they support is the result of hundreds of millions of years of evolution.

Our earliest settlers depended on the ocean to sustain life on “the rock” and we have relied on the ocean for commerce and transport, and now at the beginning of the Twenty-first Century, our fate is as tied to the oceans as ever.

The Director of the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI), Wendy Tucker explains that we all rely on fish for a significant portion of our protein needs, and more than $500 billion of the world’s economy is tied to ocean-based industries such as coastal tourism and shipping.

Perhaps most important, she says, this vast mass of water acts to help regulate the global climate and to ensure that a constant flow of vital nutrients are cycled throughout the biosphere.

“But all is not well in the sea!” Ms Tucker warns. “Increased pressures from over-fishing, habitat destruction, pollution and the introduction of invasive alien species have combined in recent decades to threaten the diversity of life in estuaries, coastal waters and oceans.”

Global warming, a new threat is also being felt across the globe and the impact could be devastating for marine life.

The world is getting warmer. 1998 was the hottest year since accurate records began in the 1840s, and ten of the hottest years have occurred during the last 15 years.

Ms Tucker explains, by examining growth rings from trees and ice cores drilled in Antarctica, scientists have determined that the past decade was the warmest in more than four centuries, and the current rate of warming is probably unprecedented in at least 10,000 years.

She says in 1992, more than 2,500 scientists comprising of an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded, warming is caused at least in part by emissions of greenhouse gases from fossil fuel use.

“As the world warms, the outlook for marine life looks bleak unless we can turn down the heat by reducing concentrations of the main greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, in the atmosphere,” she adds.

Ms Tucker points out, Bermuda was discovered, settled and developed through the assistance of the sea, so we have a special connection to the vast expanse that surrounds us and World Oceans Day is a time to remember the life-giving role of oceans worldwide.

This international celebration, declared in 1992 at the United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, has grown from a ripple into a tidal wave of awareness about ocean health.

Ms Tucker says protection of our oceans starts with all of us and suggests the following ways we can all help to save the ocean — one step at a time:

[bul] Comply with the fish pot ban — Participate in the success of helping our local fish populations make a comeback.

[bul] Comply with Lobster Season — September through March. Licensed Divers may take no more than two lobsters per person per day. You can help maintain a healthy lobster population in Bermuda for now and the future.

[bul] Respect Bermuda’s Marine Conservation Areas — Protecting fish breeding areas is essential to maintaining our local fish populations. Be a part of making it a continued success.

[bul] Abide by Bermuda’s year round seasonal bag limits on fish - This is a good way to ensure plenty of fish for the future.

[bul] Respect the ocean by not using it as a garbage dump - Biodegradation (time it takes to break down) is longer than you think! Do you know that aluminium cans last for 200 years before being degraded? And a six-pack plastic holder takes up to 400 years. Disposable diapers for 450 years. You can help by recycling and using proper waste disposal methods.

[bul] Preserve our coral reefs — by not removing, damaging, or touching the corals. You can help protect this “home” and food source for a large variety of marine organisms. (Remember to watch where you drop your anchor).

[bul] Value all of Bermuda’s Protected Species — including sea turtles, marine mammals, and shells. By not hurting, harassing, or collecting them, do your part in protecting their breeding and help sustain the ocean’s food chain.

[bul] Support Billfish Populations — by tagging and releasing when sport fishing. Be a data provider for scientists conducting research worldwide to help understand billfish migration and populations.

[bul] Protect our endemic marine life — by not releasing exotic marine life. Help by not introducing exotic marine life (from home aquariums) into local waters, which may destroy local food chains.

[bul] And finally, monitor the type of seafood you eat. Ms Tucker suggests each person collect a Sea Watch Card — available for free from BUEI — to help each of us learn which seafood we can eat to assist in sustaining our oceans.

“It’s up to each one of us to help ensure that our ocean is protected and conserved now and for future generations. World Ocean Day allows us to,” Ms Tucker concluded.

‘All is not well in the sea’