Overfishing – TINA CHIARELLI, PHD, FRGS

A Year in Review: Let 2017 be the Year of Action

December 14th, 2016tinalc0 Comments

As 2016 draws to a close, it’s important to reflect upon the last 365 days. Just like the preceding years, 2016 had triumphs and failures in wildlife and habitat protection. Although we still have a lot of battles before us in the field of conservation, I feel that 2016 was the year of awareness. Global issues were brought to the forefront to be openly discussed. I have to hope that is a great start for things to come in 2017. With each passing year, I am often asked how one person can make a difference. I completely understand how easy …

A New Year of Hope for Wildlife Conservation

January 1st, 2016tinalc0 Comments

Another year has come and gone. Like those years preceding, 2015 has witnessed both heartbreak and achievements in conservation. As we reflect back, it is important to find the positive in the saddest of situations, learn from them, and apply the knowledge gained to help in the new year. The death of the King of Hwange, Cecil, brought trophy hunter to center stage. Through his tragic end, Cecil became a voice for Lions. Not only did the world listen they too spoke out asking how and why this could have happened. Demanding justice. In response, the United States listed one …

Overfishing: Why Your Choices Matter

May 22nd, 2015tinalc0 Comments

8 June marks the 7th official (23rd unofficial) World Oceans Day celebration. Now more than ever our oceans need our help. The choices we make in our everyday lives have a huge impact for the ocean ecosystems and their inhabitants. From the food we eat to the body wash we use in the shower, making good decisions about the products we use can make a significant difference between a healthy ocean and stories of what we once had. Overfishing continues to be one of the largest threats to our marine life. It is estimated that 90% of large predatory fish …

World Oceans Day: Why it Should Matter to All of Us

June 7th, 2013tinalc0 Comments

Did you know that 8 June is World Oceans Day? Like all days of designated observance, World Oceans Day was started to bring a yearly awareness, in this case to the state of our underwater world. Although water makes up ~70% of Earth’s surface, our seas remain one of the most unique, important, and yet unexplored parts of our world. As vast as our marine areas are, they are also extremely fragile, quickly being destroyed from an ever-increasing pressure by an ever-increasing human population. I suppose it is easy to dismiss what we do not see on a daily basis; …

The Ocean: Where Life Begins and Ends

September 25th, 2011tinalc0 Comments

The ocean, for most, represents a great blue void. It is sometimes hard to imagine that an incredible world, much larger than the space terrestrial beings inhabit, lies beyond the shoreline and below the surface. The Censes of Marine Life, completed in 2010 by 2,700 scientists from 80 countries, identified more than 1 million species that call the ocean home. In addition, researchers feel that despite their great accomplishment, 50-80% of the species inhabiting the sea surrounding South Africa, Antarctica, Japan, the Mediterranean, and Australia are yet to be discovered. The ocean covers 71% of Earth’s surface and holds 97% …