Current issue

Our group topic is “Environmental/Pollution in the Pacific Ocean” so I am searching about it during these days. Our group chooses to explore different reasons why there are more and more endangered sea life. These reasons must be from the environment which means the changes in nature like climate changes. Another meaning of “the environment” is including influences caused by human’s actions to sea life. In these aspects, I focus on one type of human’s actions —hunting.

The recent years, we have heard or watched many reports about the situation that there are more and more animals to be endangered even close to extinction. We also heard there are some trades in precious animals which are not allowed by the laws. Driven by huge interests, the hunting is hard to be controlled and eliminated.

Actually, at the beginning of the project, I met a problem. That is during the process that I search, I find that there is another word which is “overhunting”. The appearance of the word gave me a feeling that it seems that “hunting” is allowable. It will not cause any damage. While “overhunting” is the action that should be forbidden. I had thought about the question for a few days. However, as I have made my research deeper and watched more videos, I was aware of the important point that I focus and I knew about which word I would use.

We can hunt indeed. But what we should pay attention to is what we hunt. Sometimes, hunting can be a way to maintain the balance in nature just like wolves will catch and eat the weakest deer who run the most slowly. And for sea life in our topic, the same situation also exists. “Options for managing the sustainable use of green turtles: Perceptions of Hammond Islanders in Torres Strait.” said: “Strait Islanders to hunt green turtles is protected, the… hunt, just like I said, take what they need not over… indigenous Australians′ right to hunt” Also, in the ocean, big fish or big animals will eat smaller fish for food. And people living near the sea need to hunt fish or other common life like sea urchin so that they can have food to eat and have products to sell to support their life. The animals are hunted are all those need to be eliminated by nature. It will not cause any great damage to the balance of the environment. But overhunting means hunting a large amount of sea life regardless of the balance of the environment. That not only can cause the life hunted to be endangered but also can cause other sea lives are in danger because they lack food. As the overhunting can break the food chain, it can influence more than one kind of organism. So, lack of food can be a reason why those sea lives would be endangered and also, it can be an aspect of the indirect influence of human’s hunting actions.

When it comes to bigger and less common sea life like seals, dolphins, whales and so on, hunting is forbidden, let alone overhunting. Unfortunately, hunting those precious sea lives still happens. “From snails to whales, approximately 2,270 species are listed as endangered or threatened globally under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). Of the species that are listed, approximately 150 of them live in the ocean in U.S. waters, and some are considered closer to extinction than others. Many species of sea turtles, sharks, whales, manatees, and sawfish are endangered and in most cases, it’s not predators that are causing their decline, it’s humans. These ocean species all play an important role in keeping the ocean ecosystem healthy and they need our help.” The website Smithsonian Ocean wrote the paragraph above. Many species are endangered now. And their endangering is not because the law of jungle (or maybe here should be the law of the sea) in nature but caused by human’s greed.

As we know, sea life has great value not just to nature also to human. For example, sea lions’ fur can be a great material to be scarfs or clothes to keep people warm. Of course, these can be something distinctive so that represent wealth or fashion. So, a lot of people will chase after these products. To earn more money, the hunter will try to hunt more sea life.

There are ten endangered sea lives that are listed by Shamseer Mambra.

• Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricate) …
• Vaquita (Phoeocna sinus) …
• Blue Whale (Balaenopteramusculus) …
• Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) …
• Steller Sea Lion (Eumetopiasjubatus) …
• Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna mokarran)
• Fin whale (Balaenopteraphysalus)
• Hector’s Dolphin (Cephalorhynchushectori)
• Hawaiian Monk Seal (Monachusschauinslandi)
• Green sea turtle (Cheloniamydas)

Before I started searching for the topic, I just knew that the amount of some animals is reducing. When many kinds of animals are listed, I realize how serious and how real the situation is. What have listed are just a presentation of endangered animals. So, what is the specific reason for the situation?

Here is a video about one of endangered sea life—seals. It is true and maybe will make the audience feel terrible.

We can know from the video that how seals were hunted. The hunters shot them, use pick-mattocks to hit them, throw their bodies into the ocean. It is distressing to watch those things. And it is obvious that what we have seen is just a little part of the hunting. The seriousness of the hunting is hard to imagine. Of course, there are a few other reasons except hunting. My groupmates will introduce some of them. But I think human’s hunting is the most direct way to hurt sea life. Also, regulate the climate is a long-time process while stopping the hunters just need one second. In another word, to prevent hunting is the relatively easiest way to save sea life and help keep the balance of nature, I think.

So, how to prevent hunting sea life?

The first way is the actions of the government or related departments. There is an organization — U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. In their official website, I found The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) was enacted on October 21, 1972. All marine mammals are protected under the MMPA. The MMPA prohibits, with certain exceptions, the “take” of marine mammals in U.S. waters and by U.S. citizens on the high seas, and the importation of marine mammals and marine mammal products into the U.S. Although the government in different countries have enact laws to forbidden the merciless hunting and importation of marine mammals many years ago, the market that has huge demands for products made of sea life urges the hunters to take the risk to hunt for considerable money.

And there are some public organizations to appeal to people for joining in the protection of sea life or at least reduce the possibility that they choose to buy sea life products. To distinguish with the organizations in the next paragraph, the organizations I introduced in this paragraph is to help people and change people’s ideas. The two kinds of organizations have similar functions but they have their own focus. The first one is Oceana which is “the largest organization in the world solely devoted to marine conservation. It was established in 2001 by The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Oak Foundation, Marisla Foundation, and Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Since its founding, Oceana has achieved hundreds of concrete policy victories for marine life and habitats”. (dipndive) Another one is the Ocean Conservancy which is also “a leading advocacy group working for the protection of special marine habitats, the restoration of sustainable fisheries and for reducing the human impact on ocean ecosystems. Founded in 1972, the organization was initially known as the Delta Conservancy and later the Center for Environmental Education and the Center for Marine Conservation before receiving its current name. In order to save our oceans, the group focuses on educating the public and advocating for policy changes for maintaining vibrant ocean wildlife.” (dipndive) They are human who hunt the endangered animals. So, to prevent there are more hunters appear, the education and advocation are very important.

Also, there are organizations to help endangered sea life. First one is The International Rhino Fund (IRF). “The International Rhino Fund has been funding and operating rhino conservation programs for the last 25 years to ensure the survival of rhinos.” (Marike Lauwrens) They also protect Javan rhinos, greater one-horned rhino, black rhino, white rhino. The second one is the Project Aware Foundation. “The Project AWARE Foundation is focused on scuba dive-based marine conservation in our world’s oceans. They have been supporting and operating ocean conservation projects for over two decades.” (Marike Lauwrens). Aside from preventing more hunting, we also need to try to save the animals directly.

There are a lot of organizations and laws. I think we need to follow them and boycott animal products. We also need to make different generations know about the seriousness so that we can reduce the hunting to sea life.

Sources:

1. Smithsonian Ocean: https://ocean.si.edu/conservation/solutions-success-stories/endangered-ocean
2. “10 Endangered Ocean Species and Marine Animals” https://www.marineinsight.com/environment/10-endangered-ocean-species-and-marine-animals/amp/ , Shamseer Mambra
3. The video of seals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enPmtYKIukU
4. Laws: https://www.fws.gov/international/laws-treaties-agreements/us-conservation-laws/marine-mammal-protection-act.html
5. https://dipndive.com/blog/10-amazing-organizations-fighting-to-save-our-oceans.html  “10 Amazing Organizations Fighting to Save Our Oceans”
6. https://www.gvi.co.uk/blog/10-best-organisations-to-follow-help-endangered-animals/  “TEN OF THE BEST ORGANIZATIONS TO FOLLOW THAT HELP ENDANGERED ANIMALS”, written by Marike Lauwrens
7. https://arizona-nau-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=TN_medknowConservatSoc_2010_8_1_73_62673&context=PC&vid=01NAU&lang=en_US&search_scope=Everything&adaptor=primo_central_multiple_fe&tab=default_tab&query=any,contains,human%20hunt%20sealife&sortby=rank&offset=0 “Options for managing the sustainable use of green turtles: Perceptions of Hammond Islanders in Torres Strait” (peer review)