Marine life on the deathbed, warns marine expert

Moon jellyfishJellyfish and slime could take over our seas unless we take urgent action now to improve marine protection, a leading marine scientist has warned.

Speaking in Belfast at an event organised by the Ulster Wildlife Trust, Professor Jeremy Jackson of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California said the health of world’s oceans are on a downward spiral and it’s time to face up to the facts. Pollution, habitat loss, overfishing and climate change are transforming once vibrant marine ecosystems into lifeless, dead zones dominated by jellyfish, microbes and disease. As jellyfish often compete for similar food sources to fish, less fish in our seas means more room for jellyfish.

“The situation is especially severe throughout Europe” said Professor Jackson. “Rapid establishment of large marine-protected areas and much stronger regulations on fishing and pollution are essential to avoid further losses and to re-establish fish stocks at sustainable levels. The alternative, as in the Gulf of Mexico and Benguela Current, is dead zones and jellyfish.”

Around 90 per cent of the large commercial fish species such as cod and tuna have been lost globally since the 1950’s. Basking sharks, seahorses, native oysters and corals have also been affected by the neglect of our seas. Yet, only 4 per cent of Northern Ireland’s marine environment has a minimal level of legislative protection.

The Ulster Wildlife Trust has been campaigning for nearly a decade for new legislation including a Marine Bill to protect Northern Ireland’s amazing marine life from the threat of human activities.
Heather Thompson, chief executive of the Ulster Wildlife Trust said our seas are in trouble and it’s literally ‘make or break’ time.

“We’ve already seen the devastation caused by billions of mauve stinger jellyfish on the Glenarm salmon farm in 2007. Although unprecedented, these jellyfish are becoming so prevalent in the Mediterranean, that they’re being scooped up and used as a land fertiliser. No one wants seas full of jellyfish and slime, but if we don’t act now, they will continue down a rapid spiral.

“We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to change what is happening to our seas. It’s vital that the Assembly heeds today’s advice and puts in place a network of Marine Protected Areas with some highly protected sites by 2012. This must be done in parallel with the development of a Marine Bill for Northern Ireland, so that our seas can recover, build resilience and continue to support livelihoods for generations to come.

“Living Seas are within our grasp – if we act now and effectively change the way we manage our seas. In 25 years we could be celebrating a sea of plenty, not only providing us with the social and economic benefits that will sustain us in the future, like food and a thriving fishing industry but also helping us in our attempts to combat the effects of climate change ,” she added.