gorgia&eden(indicator species)

Indicator Species
Of Our Oceans
By Eden Haskins-Dahl & Georgia Tucker

The bluish light trickled down through the colorful reef. Trigger Fish circled, poking at the coral from time to time. Sea Anemones waved gently back and forth in the current. A few years later, this was all gone. The water is a sickly gray-blue. What is left of the reef is a brown, rocky wasteland.
Ever since human inhabitation, the world has begun to change in different ways. Now, more than ever. I’m sure you’ve noticed that we as humans have a huge impact on the world. Unless you live in a coastal area, the damage to marine life probably isn’t that apparent to you, but even people who live miles from the ocean can still contribute to pollution.
Throughout the world, certain marine species are slowly disappearing. Most of this is because of over- exploitation and pollution.
According to a study done by Columbia University in 2006, worldwide coastal population will increase by 35% between 1995 to 2025. This means more ocean use. Already only four percent of pristine ocean remains. More tourism means cruise ships, jet boats, and hotel waste, More fishing, and more pollution. All of this will shrink this precentage.

A victim of an oil spill(A bird drenched in oil left behind by a boat)
Fishing by itself has a major impact on coral and fish. Over fishing can cause algae to grow on coral because fish eat the algae off the coral. More over, modern fishing techniques are very destructive to marine communities. When fish poisoning is used, not only fish are harmed, but their predators as well. When dynamite fishing is used, entire coral and fish communities can be completely demolished.

(An oil spill that has caught fire)

One coral called Anchor Coral is becoming an extremely bleached white caused by lack of zoox- anthellae, an energy booster for polyps. This is caused by too much sodium cyanide is in the water.
Sewage can bring white pox disease to corals and contaminate shell fish as well. Deforestation can cause coral to “roast” in the sun because of lack of shade. Erosion from deforestation can cause silt to build up on coral, harming it. About 10 to 27 percent of coral is dead worldwide, and almost forty percent may be gone by 2010.

sewage overflow going directly into our oceans

But coral and fish aren’t the only species affected by human in habitation.
Plankton numbers have decreased significantly since 1950. Polar bears, who don’t even live in water are disappearing because of global warming. These creatures are slowly vanishing as they or their habitats are destroyed.
No matter how insignificant these species may seem to

A dead coral reef is just one of the many

effects on marine animals

you, they are of great importance to the marine world. They are part of the food system, and they support other species. For example, if Penguins were to go extinct, then Leopard seals would eat more fish, lowering the amount of fish, and so on. So, the cycle would eventually affect us.
Some species live only parts of their lives in the ocean but are still affected by humans. Recently, fishing has been banned in the northwest because of the small numbers of salmon returning from the ocean. This is mostly because of fishing and dams. Lowering this number even more are the Seals and Sea lions that feast on the salmon both at sea and in the river as the fish reach the dams.
Not all harm done by humans is direct, though. Some scientists say that global warming could be the final blow to coral and other sensitive marine life. Recently, it has been discovered that sea whips, slugs, sponges, and other reef organisms can help with human inflammation, leukemia, infections, and other pain. Yet because of global warming, these creatures may not exist in several years.

Temperatures less than two degrees Fahrenheit above the summer maximum can cause problems with coral and other sea life. Magnificent sea anemones in El Nino have lost there bluish color because of rising temperatures.
In 1984, the average temperature in Greenland had risen by 13 degrees Fahrenheit within fifteen years. Imagine how high it has risen now.
With polar ice melting, sea levels are rising about 0.06 of an inch each year. some pacific islands are in danger. Coral reefs are one of the last protections to the islands.

A graph showing how different species are decreacing

If only humans could find a different place to dump sewage or restrain from using coastal areas, then our marine life would be healthier and our oceans cleaner. If given the chance, many of these waning species would return to their original numbers. I hope that you as a person will do you part to return these beautiful creatures to their peaceful ocean home.

Bibliography


pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2004/3108/fig4.jpg
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