What is marine conservation, and more specifically, eco-diving?

Marine conservation and eco-diving have become popular buzzwords in the last few years, and for good reason. Our oceans are in trouble and ocean lovers, and divers, have found ways to use their skills and insights to take action.

 

What is marine conservation?

Marine conservation, also known as ocean conservation, is defined as the protection and preservation of ecosystems in oceans and seas through planned management in order to prevent the over-exploitation of these resources. This may sound complicated, but through simple actions and knowledge, everyone can become a marine conservationist and make strides towards our ocean’s protection.

Marine conservation as a concept is relatively new. In the 1960’s, it became widely acknowledged that major fish populations were in decline and ecosystems were deteriorating. Today, marine conservation is a major scientific problem for our planet, as ecosystems have irreversibly changed.

 

Why is marine conservation important?

The simple answer is this: Humans and all other species on Earth need the ocean to survive. A healthy ocean regulates climate and reduces climate change impacts. The ocean also absorbs over 90% of the heat and approximately 30% of carbon dioxide emissions produced by human activities. Did I mention that 71% of our planet is covered by water?!

Our oceans have been negatively affected by many problems, namely:

• Climate change
• Pollution
• Eutrophication (simply put, the ecosystem’s reaction to additional artificial substances such as fertilisers, detergents and sewage)
• Overfishing
• Acidification
• Sedimentation

Some of the effects of these issues are very visible, like a lack of fish or rising sea levels in coastal cities, or a deteriorating dive-site. But, unfortunately, most of them are invisible, which is why it’s so hard to get people to care! The ocean is, for lack of a better phrase, ‘out of sight, out of mind.’

 

4 Easy steps to conscious everyday living

There are many easy steps that we can take in our everyday lives to live more sustainably for our oceans and for our planet’s ecosystem in general. Here are just four easy steps to start with:

1. Conserve Water
   Use less water so excess runoff and wastewater won’t flow into the ocean. Nutrient pollution due to untreated sewage and fertilizers in runoff often lead to algal blooms, which deplete the dissolved oxygen in the water, leading to dead zones in aquatic systems.
2. Reduce Pollutants
   Choose non-toxic chemicals for your lawn and your personal care products. Toxic ingredients can enter the ocean when they wash off the user during a shower and through sewage; Even modern filtration systems can’t prevent the pollutants from entering the wastewater system and entering the ocean. Non-toxic ingredients keep you and your family safe, as well as the ocean!
3. Reduce Waste
   Cut down on what you throw away and recycle as much as you can! Easy ways to reduce waste include: bringing a reusable bottle or cup with you on-the-go; bringing reusable bags with you to the grocery store; buying secondhand items and donating used goods; and shopping local at farmers markets to reduce packaging.
4. Volunteer
   Attend cleanups at the beach and in your community. This can make a huge difference even if you don’t live coastally, because much of inland rubbish still ends up in the ocean, and for community educational reasons. Cleanups show people the everyday items that end up in the environment, which helps them to remember to make swaps in their own lives. Many times, cleanups also include additional education, which you can use to spread the word!

 

Why should divers help?

Divers are already lovers of our blue planet, and it makes perfect sense for us to take steps to protect it – and to let our land-dwelling friends and family know about the importance of marine conservation as well. This may seem hard to believe since we are so immersed in ocean content. But many people are completely unaware of this very important information. It’s up to us to be good role models.

 

4 Easy steps to eco-diving practices

These steps may seem like common sense, but you’d be surprised how many divers and boaters aren’t aware of the effects their actions on the water can have on underwater ecosystems. Here are just four easy steps to incorporate into your diving routine that can help protect our oceans for future generations:

1. Spearfish Responsibly
   Follow seasonally laws and guidelines for your area. These guidelines are important, because regulations are created to help keep the fish population healthy and size limits are meant to protect fish of spawning size before they are caught. Fishing seasons protect fish during spawning and limit the catch on heavily fished waters.
2. Practice Safe Boating
   Anchor in sandy areas far from coral and sea grass or use buoy systems when available. Anchors from boats can cause damage to coral reefs, including breakage. Anchoring also causes immediate damage on reef-associated habitats such as seagrass beds, which are important nursery and juvenile habitats for many species.
3. Respect the Habitat
   Don’t touch or kick the coral and practice good buoyancy techniques. This could damage or even kill the corals, which take hundreds of years to grow back.
4. Go Non-Toxic
   Watch your sunscreen and body care products for chemicals that may harm the reef. I recommend going without and opting for protective clothing and hats on dive boats instead. Oxybenzone, a common sunscreen ingredient, disrupts coral production, causes coral bleaching, and damages coral DNA.

Photo by Nicolas Cesaroni

 

Interested in learning more about marine conservation?

• Do you want to speak intelligently about the underwater world?
• Wish you had the knowledge to begin taking action immediately?
• Want to be equipped with tools to gain data survey experience?

Learn all of this and MORE on your own schedule in an online course titled, ‘A Complete Introduction to Marine Conservation™’ by Eco-Conscious Diver. This online course is a step-by-step guide to learning and implementing your own marine conservation journey.

Learn more + enroll

 

About the author

Caitlin McCall is a passionate PADI Scuba Instructor, Scientific Diver, and Science Communications Specialist. She is also the Founder of Eco-Conscious Diver, an educational platform which specializes in marine conservation.