Animal agriculture has one of the worst effects on the ocean compared to any other human action. The oceans host a wealth of life that is being destroyed at an alarming rate. Vegan diets involve 75% less climate-warming emissions, water pollution and water and land use than those abundant in animals and animal products.
Oceans cover 70% of the planet and produce more oxygen than the Amazon rainforest. Coral reefs are one of the victims of a warming climate as well as water pollution, and with them, an incredibly diverse ocean ecosystem is at risk.
Read on to learn how a vegan diet can help save the oceans!
Key Takeaways
The Effect of Fishing On The Ecosystem
Fishing, whether pole fishing or ocean trawling, disrupts the delicate ecosystem of the ocean by removing both predators and prey, destroying the equilibrium. Over-demand for certain species can lead to population collapses, such as with bluefin tuna, Atlantic cod and sardines. As human populations continue to rise, unless the desire to eat fish decreases, the strain put on fisheries could reach a point of no going back as soon as 2050.
Commercial fishing operations end up catching many species aside from their intended one, including sharks, dolphins, sea turtles and birds, many of which end up dying as a result.
Less demand for seafood driven by an increase in people adopting a vegan lifestyle can reduce the destruction caused by fishing and its unintended by-catch, allowing the ocean ecosystem to continue to exist with as little disruption as possible.
Plastic and Fishing
12.7 million tons of plastic are unceremoniously dumped into the oceans each year. Reducing the use of single-use plastic such as plastic bottles, straws, coffee cups and food wrappers can help. However, researchers believe that 75 - 86% of plastic in the Pacific Garbage Patch comes from fisheries in what are known as ghost nets, which are discarded fishing equipment.
So limiting the eating of fish will not only reduce the amount of fish being removed from the ocean and the subsequent upsetting of the ecosystem but will also reduce the amount of plastic entering the waters from fishing unused and discarded equipment.
Fishing And Coral Reefs
A quarter of marine species live on coral reefs, and half a billion people globally rely on them for their livelihoods. Fishing negatively affects a whopping 55% of coral reefs. When certain fish species are overfished, algae can proliferate, smothering coral reefs and all life forms that depend on them.
Sharks are keystone species, having been around on the planet since before the dinosaurs roamed the planet and trees existed. Demand for shark fin has caused the five main species of reef sharks to decline by 65% in recent years. Sharks are integral in upholding the health and longevity of the reefs, yet are threatened by humankind.
Coral reef fishing even involves horrifically destructive practices such as using dynamite and poisons, as well as trawling. These practices cause the wholesale destruction of the entire ecosystem to satisfy the tastebuds of some and for the profit of a few.
Animal Agriculture and Ocean Health
Modern animal agriculture includes the use of large amounts of chemical fertilisers, pesticides and a plethora of other ecosystem-disrupting chemicals, many of which make their way to coral reefs and potentially cause bleaching. Animal manure also finds its way into the oceans, where it deprives the area of oxygen, creating dead zones where no life can survive.
As discussed in previous articles, animal agriculture is responsible for an alarming amount of planet-warming gases. When plants are eaten by humans instead of fed to animals, we can reduce the amount of agricultural land needed and the ecological damage caused.
Fish farming accounts for a large amount of fish consumed globally and causes an overabundance of nutrients in areas that can choke other life forms nearby. Choosing a vegan diet can help mitigate ocean-bound pollution caused by land and sea-based animal farming.
Microplastics and Personal Hygiene
Many people fail to realise, that every unnatural chemical soap, detergent, toothpaste and the like ends up in the waterways. Many even contain microplastics, many of which are far too small to be filtered out before being released into the oceans, where they can wreak havoc on the ecosystem for generations to come. The same can be said for clothes and textiles made from synthetic fibres.
Veganism at its heart has a concern for the welfare of all sentient beings, and as such tends to favour ecologically sustainable practices. Whilst not all items that are labelled as vegan are ecological or sustainable, the broader ethics and philosophy favours greater awareness of the effects of the choices we make.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Embracing a vegan lifestyle not only dictates what you ingest but has ramifications for the health of the world that we inhabit. Eating fewer animals, including fish can help reduce environmental pollution, such as agricultural run-off that kills whole ecosystems and also limits plastic pollution in the oceans. Vegan diets also are responsible for much less greenhouse gases which are known to destroy coral reefs which are fountains of biodiversity.
Veganism and ecological awareness go hand in hand, and adopting the shift in consciousness required for a plant-based lifestyle can help reduce ecological damage to our oceans.
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