The Sea-Change Our Fish Need
By Richard Howitt
ABSTRACT
Climate change threatens humanity - but it affects every species on the planet and fish which are the subject of this project, are its victims too. This article aimed at non-specialists, aims to give a concise and accessible guide to why fish in our seas - and the entire marine ecosystem on which they depend - are under threat of extinction. It analyses warming of our seas, the impact of over-fishing and rising understanding of the devastating effects of plastics and other marine pollution. The article describes what governments can do to avert the threat, but explains how they are falling short of achieving this. However, the author seeks to offer an optimistic view, showing how awareness raising and people-powered action can make a difference. The article concludes with a simple ten point checklist of action which any or all individuals can take, to make a difference in their own lives and life choices. This is an article which is also a manifesto, to save our seas and all of the life which they support.
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The case to combat climate change has been won, not just by scientists, but amongst politicians and the general public - with the exception of a small number of ideologues, some of whom sadly have still managed to reach seats of power.
But global warming is not restricted to the atmosphere above us.
Our seas and oceans cover approximately 70 per cent of the surface of our planet and the warming which is taking place, is fundamentally changing the 1.35 billion cubic kilometers of water which they contain.
90 per cent of warming takes place in the sea, not the air.
Climate change isn't just melting the ice caps but actually expanding the volume of water, leading to sea level rise which is endangering 680 million worldwide in low-lying coastal communities.
The oceans form a carbon sink for the planet, absorbing some of the excess carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, leading to acidification of the waters. This is currently threatening the habitat of some 4,000 species of fish.
In turn, both warming and the impact of wastewater and agricultural runoffs which lead to the growth of harmful algal blooms, are depleting oxygen in the seas, on which so much marine life depends.
Together, warming, acidification and deoxygenation are combining to create huge damage to marine ecosystems.
Furthermore, the changed pattern of currents within the sea which result, are a principal cause of tornadoes, hail, flooding, droughts and all the extreme weather effects on the human population.
Climate change and the sea are inextricably linked.
Pollution
Meanwhile, over 17 million metric tons of marine pollution are poisoning our oceans, on a trend which is set to at least double within 15 years.
Plastics swirl in surface currents, become embedded on the ocean floor and break up into micro plastics, smaller than a grain of sand, making them almost impossible to recover.
More than 100,000 sea mammals including dolphins die each year either through entanglement or by ingestion, leading to starvation or suffocation.
This treatise is not aimed at marine biologists, aquaculture experts or environmental scientists, who know all of this already.
It is aimed at the rest of us who have heard of coral bleaching, but never gone diving. We are concerned by news reports of raw sewage being dumped in our seas, but never stood on a surf board. We have begun to worry where our ever-increasing use of plastic bags end up, but were only prompted to do so by Sir David Attenborough's "Blue Planet" on our television screens.
Fish
Above all, in the context of this project, most of us eat fish.
In fact, 3.3 billion people worldwide depend on fish for their protein and fishing provides the main livlihood for the equivalent of the entire population of the United Kingdom.
Yet, the United Nations says that more than half of the world’s marine species may be on the brink of extinction by the end of this century.
The acidification doesn't just bleach the corals, but causes molluscs and some plankton at the base of the food chain for all marine life, to be unable to build their shells and skeletons.
This extends from the very smallest to the very largest of marine species. Those of us who remember 'Save the Whale' protests in the 1970s and 1980s in favour of an international whale hunting ban, should understand now that whales are some of the most threatened species, as reduced availability of their food is affecting their ability to be able to reproduce.
Warming is changing the habitat for many species at such a fast rate, that they do not have time to adapt.
Just as changing weather patterns mean 'invasive species' are destroying traditional animal and plant life on land, 'marine heatwaves' see the very same impact on indigenous species in our seas.
Meanwhile rising sea levels mean saltwater is expanding into wetlands and river estuaries, destroying habitats for freshwater fish and other wildlife.
European studies show that coastal areas on the North Sea are some of the most vulnerable to ecosystem collapse, anywhere across the continent.
Difficult as it is for the world to halt and reverse the impact of climate change in our atmosphere, the challenge of achieving this for our seas is even greater. There is a time lag between temperature change in the atmosphere being transferred in to the seas, (a process known as "homeostasis"), which means it will be decades or even possibly centuries before our efforts today can protect sea life from climate change effects into the future.
Gordon Young’s ‘Cod’ on The Fish Trail. Now prophetically and poetically missing from its paving stone next door to Beverley Gate at the beginning of The Trail
Opportunities not just threats
Yet the seas may actually provide at least some of the answer to combating climate change, by exploiting their potential for carbon sequestration.
Plant life within the sea in coastal areas ("Sea meadows") absorb more than thirty times the amount of carbon compared to rainforests on the land, yet where is the campaign to save the seaweed?
Fish and other sea life are themselves a store of CO₂, leading to use of the term 'fish carbon'.
Offshore wind farms have become an integral part of transition away from fossil fuels, whilst the potential of wave and tidal power is likely to form an important part of our future energy mix.
As a former European politician, I recall the cries of anguish from some fishermen, when each year's E.U. fish quotas were announced. Yet these measures saw the cod which is a staple of British seaside fish and chips and which was due to disappear from the North Sea altogether, see their decline successfully reversed and reaching sustainable levels, now and into the future.
Meanwhile, much of the work in which I have been involved in recent years, has seen growing understanding in companies and amongst economists, of how far business is dependent on nature and biodiversity and creates real costs and risks for companies where it is degraded. Watchwords like 'ecosystem services' and 'the Blue Economy' have begun to be used and financial numbers put to how business and the environment inter-relate. The supermarket Sainsbury's showed me how they are now using satellite photography, to pinpoint where their fish is sourced, helping prevent any of their products coming from illegal fishing.
Some will say this corporate advocacy should not be necessary or is greenwashing by business itself, but it may also be generating new advocates and arguments which can help tip the balance towards the changes needed.
These are fishing grounds for optimism that marine life can be conserved.
The role of Government
Governments and politicians have a clear role in meeting these challenges.
They can expand marine protected areas, rewild the seabed, ensure better coastal zone management (and 'marine spatial planning'), sponsor continuing scientific ("oceanographic") research and ensure truly sustainable fisheries, which prevent overfishing and damage to the seabed.
These are aims to which world leaders have already committed, in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14: "Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources."
Earlier this year, the U.N. convened the world's countries in an Oceans Conference, leading to over 800 commitments on marine protection, pollution control, high-seas governance and support for vulnerable nations - albeit without any legal backing towards their implementation.
Laws of the sea have been developed since the 'Mare Liberum' of the 17th Century first asserted that the sea is common to all, but the motivation was always to regulate claims of sovereignty in the economic interests of states. It was only in the 21st Century, in 2023, that states made an agreement to protect and promote biodiversity in international waters beyond their jurisdiction, (the BBNJ Agreement). Today, national ratifications are still ten short of the 60 countries needed to bring this Treaty into effect.
Also, at the time of writing, negotiations for a Global Plastics Treaty which would seek to stop the flow of plastic pollution into our seas have failed again, despite three years of talks.
The key difference sees countries including Russia and Saudi Arabia who produce the petrochemicals which make up plastics, who want the proposed Treaty to be restricted to better waste management to cut plastic pollution. Meanwhile 'high ambition' countries including Norway and the United Kingdom, want the agreement to limit and progressively reduce production of plastics, together with outlawing the dangerous chemicals which they contain.
It remains to be seen how and when these differences will be resolved, to enable the Treaty to be finally agreed.
Overall, it can almost go without saying, Governments can meet emissions reductions targets, to align with Paris Goals to limit global temperature rise.
Readers will have their own views of whether and how far Governments can and will genuinely address all of these issues. This author has always argued that collective action is absolutely necessary, to meet what in reality are systemic challenges.
Nevertheless, there is a growing movement of people who are taking individual action in their own lives and life choices, leading by example, raising awareness and demonstrating the potential for change.
Much of what can be done is already common knowledge, but requires a sea-change in implementation - in order to change our seas for the better.
If you want to contribute personally to the change process, specifically to benefit the ecosystems which support fish and other marine life, what are the sorts of things which you can do?
Ten actions which you can take to combat degradation of the world's fish and marine life.
1. Turn off the run-off. Conserve water by taking showers, stopping the flow of water while you clean your teeth, ensure the washing machine has a full load and use a watering can rather than a hose or sprinkler. All this helps cut discharge of excess wastewater from flowing in to our seas.
2. Reduce chemical pollution by choosing non-toxic cleaning products in the home and using natural products rather than pesticides for the garden. Purchase organic products which helps farms which have also moved away from using harmful chemicals.
3. Reuse and recycle to minimise waste generally including safely disposing batteries and other harmful materials, which will all contribute to preventing them from reaching our seas.
4. Avoid single use plastics wherever possible, including plastic bags, water bottles, straws and take-away containers. Develop the habit of bringing your own reusable cloth bags, stainless steel water bottles and coffee cups. Help cut pollution by tiny 'microbeads' of plastic, by avoiding cosmetics and other bathroom products which contain “polythelene” or “polypropylene”. Choose natural products and remember to read the label!
5. Buy and eat sustainable seafood, choosing locally sourced, seasonal and a broader range of products (helping to combat over-fishing), looking for ecolabels such as the Marine Stewardship Council's ‘blue tick’ or using Apps like Seafood Watch.
6. Practice responsible tourism, clean-up after visiting beaches and other natural spaces, ensure boating avoids the corals, sea grasses and other marine habitats which need to be protected, respect sealife with which you come into contact, support specific eco-tourism activities. Think whether you need to take that flight in the first place.
7. Take part in a clean-up of your local river or beach, clearing as much plastic and other waste which pollute waterways as possible, whether on your own, with friends and family or as part of a local organisation. If you only do this once, do it on International Coastal Cleanup Day - on the third Saturday of September each year.
8. Lessen your carbon footprint generally, have an energy-efficiency mindset in the home and workplace, seek renewable energy sources where available and reduce car travel.
9. Spread the word. Tell friends, family, neighbours and work colleagues what you are doing and why, post about it on your social media, help spread awareness. Maintain your own awareness by reading articles and watching or listening to broadcast programmes about marine conservation issues.
10. Make your voice heard. Join or make donations to a conservation or environmental organisation which campaigns for these aims; raise these challenges with politicians and other decision-makers with whom you come into contact.
Each of these actions will help to Save Our Seas...and the fish within them.
About the author: Richard Howitt is adviser and lecturer in responsible business conduct, former Member of the European Parliament responsible for Europe's first sustainability reporting law and Chief Executive of the organisation advocating integration of sustainability in financial reporting. He is host of the 'Frankly Speaking' responsible business podcast.
Acknowledgements: Although this is not an academic paper with individual citations, the author would like to acknowledge supporting information for this article was drawn from the European Environment Agency, Flora and Fauna International, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, N.A.S.A., the Oceanic Society, the U.S. National Ocean Service and United Nations agencies.