Do you enjoy seal, sea lion, and whale watching San Diego? The natural marine life is one of the common reasons people visit Southern California, but without taking care of the oceans, it may not be around for future generations to enjoy. The conservation effort is one that everyone can join; if each person plays a part, small endeavors can add up to big differences. These five suggestions can get you thinking about what you can do to help sea life.
Eat Sustainable Seafood
Before you order seafood, think about how it gets from the ocean to your plate. Overfishing has endangered many species of marine life, which is why people should stick with sustainable options to prevent extinction. Ask your server if what is on the menu has been line caught or harvested with little to no impact on the ecosystem. Better yet, go vegan for a meal or two a week and let the marine life populations stay at a healthier level.
Buy Ocean-Friendly Products
Some life-saving medical treatments may come from sea animals, but what about those products that are not considered essential? Common, everyday products from makeup and jewelry to pet food and fertilizer may contain coral, shark liver, fish, or sea turtle shell. As long as a market exists for these products, marine life may be in danger of overharvesting. Read the labels and avoid buying items that harm some of your favorite sea creatures.
Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
Another reason that oceans are in jeopardy is the ever-increasing water temperature. Thanks to global warming, the sea keeps getting hotter, but with small changes in energy consumption, such as turning off lights, driving a car more efficiently, or turning up the A/C just a degree or two, people can lessen the impact.
Recycle Plastic Products
The amount of plastic material floating in the oceans is devastating, and not just when you see trash floating by while taking one of the popular San Diego sailing tours. While a plastic bag or a straw may not seem like a big deal, the culmination of these thrown-away plastics can lead to death of marine life. Sea turtles, whales, and marine birds may ingest some of these thrown-away packages either by mistake or because the plastics look like what they normally eat. If more people used refillable water bottles and reusable bags, there may be less single-use plastic making its way into the water.
Be Responsible on Vacation
Build ecotourism into your travel plans for fun without hurting the environment. For example, pick up trash during your hike, reuse linens at your hotel, fly with carbon-conscious airlines, or eat locally sourced foods at your location. Another idea is to book whale-watching tours with responsible companies that do more than just tell you how to identify whales but also follow green initiatives in their practices.
These may seem like simple solutions to a complex problem, but part of the solution is taking any step, however small, in the right direction. Marine life cannot do it alone, and it is up to each of us to protect our natural resources, including animals, for a better tomorrow.
Barry Lachey is a Professional Editor at Zobuz. Previously He has also worked for Moxly Sports and Network Resources “Joe Joe.” He is a graduate of the Kings College at the University of Thames Valley London. You can reach Barry via email or by phone.
