10 ways to save our oceans

Even though the amount of plastic in our seas is exponentially rising, so too is our awareness of its damaging effects. Follow these 10 tips for ways you can help save our oceans.

By Jessica Root

From Discovery Channel Magazine

1 .Not all fish are created equal:
Choose sustainably harvested seafood, which helps keep fish stocks healthy and ensures that marine mammals aren’t caught by mistake. Speak up at your favou- rite restaurant and let them know you’d like to see sustainableseafood on the menu.

2. Get down and dirty:
Help spruce up beaches and shorelines. Rubbish is unsightly and it threatens birds and animals that ingest and get entangled in it.

3. Fishermen, beware:
If you can’t kick your fishing hobby, at least be sure to retrieve your lines after you’ve finished angling.

4. Drain your brain:
Mapping out local drains will help you understand where things that get dumped end up. Dumping into pipes that flow to the ocean or other waterways can severely damage habitats.

5. Be a good guest:
Enjoy the beach but keep a respectful distance from wildlife.

6. Brag about it!
Tell your friends and family about your conservation efforts and get others involved.

7. Boat but don’t gloat:
Be responsible about fuelling up and cleaning up. If spilled, 1 litre of oil can create an oil slick just over 8,000 metres squared. Releasing untreated sewage from a 75-litre holding tank has the same impact as discharging thousands of litres of treated sewage from a treatment plant.

8. Relax without guilt:
Take vacations in places where locals are protecting endangered sea animals, such as sea turtles. Your financial support keeps conservation alive in areas that need it most..

9. Just say no:
Decline plastic bags, bring reusable ones. Too much plastic ends up in our oceans.

10. Use your voice:
Join an online activist network such as the ocean conservancy, which makes contacting your legislators easy.

From Discovery Channel Magazine - Issue Nine

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10 ways to save our oceans

Even though the amount of plastic in our seas is exponentially rising, so too is our awareness of its damaging effects. Follow these 10 tips for ways you can help save our oceans.

From Discovery Channel Magazine - Issue Nine

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