The thinking behind OCEAN
Carl Safina is accustomed to receiving awards, but this is the first time he doesn’t agree with an accolade bestowed upon him. He won the number two spot on Popular Science magazine’s recent list of the ten Worst Jobs in Science 2007 -- “Oceanographer” (right behind “Hazmat Diver”). The magazine’s take on Carl’s working environment: “Nothing but bad news, day in and day out,” the award citation reads. It continues:
“Scientists estimate that overfishing will end wild-seafood harvests by 2048, and that Earth’s coral reefs will be rubble within decades. About 200 deoxygenated ‘dead zones’ dot the world’s coasts, up from 149 in 2004. Meanwhile, a vortex of plastic the size of Texas clogs the North Pacific, choking fish and birds; construction is destroying coastal habitats; and countless key marine species are nearly extinct. To top it all off, if global warming goes the way scientists predict, the uptick of carbon dioxide levels in the seas will acidify the water until little more than jellyfish can live there.”
Is it really that bad? Well, yes and no. Popular Science was right and wrong at the same time. For one thing, they missed the beauty and power of the physical ocean setting that is the stage and backdrop in which Carl earns his bread -- and where OCEAN will be filmed. True, there are many destructive and depressing things going on in the world’s oceans today. But -- it’s not all bad news; some of the newest news is good, for a change. As a result of intensive conservation efforts, several species have made significant recoveries, in some cases pulling back from the brink of extinction -- sea turtles in the Atlantic, a number of whale species, swordfish, striped bass. Extensive marine reserves have been established in the Pacific, and are being planned for the North Sea. Ways to manage fishing sustainably are showing success in many parts of the world -- sometimes involving a return to traditional fishing methods, sometimes employing innovative approaches to ownership. Even in the face of the most deeply ingrained cultural habits, for example those that drive the demand for shark fins, there are signs of change to be found.