Here's An Idea: Maybe We Could Voluntarily Not Kill Everything In The Ocean . . .

[hatrack]

Then again . . . NAHHH!!!!


EDIT

The Science paper offers one of the most painstaking accounts yet of all the different changes we've wrought in the seas. Until very recently, humans mostly affected ocean life through commercial fishing and whaling. That could do a fair bit of damage — witness the collapse of cod in the Atlantic — but it was the equivalent of the early spears-and-mammoth stage on land.

Over the last 50 years, however, that's changed. Fishing, for one, has become far more advanced. Fishermen now use satellites to hunt and deploy 700-foot bottom trawlers that scrape along the ocean floor to catch as much as possible.

And it's not just fishing. Everywhere you look, technology is reshaping the oceans: Coral reefs are disappearing, thanks to a combination of overfishing, dredging in tourist areas, pollution, and warmer waters due to global warming. More and more commercial ships are traversing the seas, ramming whales in their path. Nitrogen fertilizer from farms is pouring into bodies of water like the Gulf of Mexico, creating vast "dead zones" hostile to life.

The authors observe that these pressures are adding up — and all the warning signs for broad extinctions are there. From fish to sea turtles to seabirds, many marine populations are in serious decline or have seen their ranges severely curtailed. These patterns aren't quite as severe as they are for many mammals, birds, and butterflies on land, but they're getting there.

EDIT

http://www.vox.com/2015/1/20/7826245/oceans-mass-extinction

[GliderGuider]

1. I wonder what price the very last bluefin tuna will fetch at auction? nt

[hatrack]

3. Oh, millions, I'm sure . . .

It might even make the Business Section of the New York Times!

[mopinko]

2. hugelkultur

i keep posting about this when the runoff from farms is mentioned.

http://www.permaculture.co.uk/articles/many-benefits-hugelkultur

if this got to be widespread, it would not only stop the runoff, it would capture it and incorporate it in new soil. and farmers who aare not looking to make new soil, and stop the runoff of the soil they have are not doin their job.

i believe it is probably illegal in some places, as it is seen by many as dumping or composting, but it is neither. illinois recently expanded the ability of farmers to accept waste for composting, but it also forbid taking any tipping fees, thanks mostly to waste management's influence in springfield. imho, those fees could go a long way, especially in urban ag. good soil is a real problem for most urban farmers.
let farmers take a small tipping fee, and you will help a lot of urban farms get a good start. and give existing small farmers a revenue stream.

ok, <rant/>