A Cry in the Oceans Wilderness

For thousands of years, Fish have been roaming the waters of the earth; they have developed and
adapted with all changes of the environment. Fish live in water, abundant in most bodies of water; they
are also vertebrates, animals with a backbone.

Scientists claim that there are over 21,000 different species of fish. But not all animals that live in water
are fish, some, such as whales are mammals, others, as frogs are amphibians. The characteristics that
tell fish apart from other animals are gills - an organ used for breathing oxygen from water, fins, and
most of them are cold blooded but some are warm blooded for they possess sets of muscles which help
control their body temperature. Their shape is specialized to help them swim smoothly in water, they
have mucus-coated skins in order to prevent infection, and most bony fishes have an organ called a
swim bladder an organ filled with gas like a balloon that enables a fish to float, to hover, and sink.
They also depend heavily in their senses to help locate prey, detect predators and to communicate;
they have the Lateral line a system of sense organs that serves as their sixth sense, which sharks
have extremely developed. In fact, although 97 percent of the worlds water is found in the oceans, 58
percent of fish are marine species while 41 percent are fresh water species.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, - a specialized agency of the United Nations that
leads international efforts to defeat hunger; About 141 million tons of fish are harvested annually. Two-
thirds are edible to humans while the rest are used as feeds for other animals and various oils. But as
the population increases, the demand for fish rises, people would tend to catch fish massively and as a
result of overfishing, supply will deteriorate.
Over time in harvesting the oceans has seriously reduced our marine resources. About 85 % percent of
the reefs in the Coral Triangle, which covers the Philippines, are under a threat from human activities,
putting food security and livelihood of millions in an end.
As reported by International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of endangered species,
1,414 species of fish, or 5 percent of the world's known species, are at risk for extinction. These include
the Whale shark or Butanding a slow moving filter feeding shark and is the largest fish species, the
Sinarapan the worlds smallest commercially harvested fish, found in the Philippines, and the Dwarf
Pygmy Goby (Pandaca pygmaea) one of the smallest fish in the world and the shortest freshwater fish
which is endemic to the Philippines. So, what will you do if ever one of these fishes gets hooked? Of
course, the best policy is to release them back into the water. But, when did you catch it? What does it
look like? Was it an adult fish or not? What are the activities the fishes were doing? You should provide
this information along with some photographs to help the local authorities.
Why save endangered species? Endangered Species must be protected and saved so that future
generations can experience their presence and value. They possess potential use in medical field. In fact,
about forty percent of all prescriptions written today have compositions of the natural compounds from
different species of fish. They are also the foundations of healthy ecosystems, we humans depend on
ecosystems such as coastal estuaries, prairie lands and ancient rainforests to purify the air, clean the
water and provide us with food. In addition, various wild species are commercially raised, directly
contributing in local and regional economies. These provide jobs, income, intensive money industry, and
supply recreational quality-of-life values as well. Our quality of life and that of future generations
depends on our preservation of plant and animal species.
You may be wondering what the Threats to Endangered Species are. The Coral Alliance an
international nonprofit organization that works exclusively to unite communities to protect our planet's
coral reefs, states that these are: One, Ocean Acidification, the increase of Carbon dioxide concentration
in the atmosphere due to human activities, which is expected to continue to rise in a continuous rate,
leading to a destructive effect. Studies says that when Carbon Dioxide react with seawater, the
reduction of seawater pH also reduces the availability of carbonate ions, which plays an important role
in shell formation for a number of marine organisms such as corals, marine plankton, and shellfish. This
phenomenon could create an impact on some of ecosystems in the coming years. These smaller
organisms are important food sources for higher marine organisms, if their natural cycle has been
disrupted, this will create a negative impact on tourism and fisheries. If these producers die, it will affect
the whole food chain. Two, Ocean Warming and Coral Bleaching, through accumulation of heat trapping
gases and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere; these gases will serve as a blanket, preventing the heat of
the sun to escape in the atmosphere. And these will cause for the temperature of the oceans to rise.
Ocean Warming is tremendously dangerous to marine organisms, this can cause to Coral Bleaching
occurs when coral polyps, exposed to ultraviolet radiation, expel the algae that live within it. These algae
are responsible for the coral color, when it is expelled; it causes the coral to appear white or bleached.
In many cases such as the 1998 coral bleaching event, bleached coral colonies die. Three, Water
Pollution, a major contributor of coral degradation, has been coming from different sources. For
example, hazardous wastes such as oil, gas, pesticide contaminants poisons marine life. It happens when
human, animal waste or fertilizer is being dumped into the ocean, this will cause the nitrogen level to
increase and cause an overgrowth of algae which kills the ecosystem by taking all of their sunlight.
Garbage also kills animals, block ecosystem and serve an ultimate instrument of destruction. This
unintentional piece of plastic can be mistaken by turtle as a jellyfish, the turtle will eat and eventually,
this plastic will block the turtle digestive track chocking the poor turtle to death. And Lastly, Destructive
Fishing Practices, unsustainable and destructive, these include cyanide fishing, overfishing and blast
fishing. In the process of cyanide fishing, fishers dive down the corals and squirt it with cyanide; causing
the fishes to be stunned making them easier to catch. But others marine organisms such as coral polyps
cannot metabolize cyanide, they become poisoned and die. Overfishing is another leading cause of coral
degradation, due to massive fishing; too much fish is taken from one reef leaving it unsustainable. Poor
Fishing Practices such as Muro-Ami striking the reefs with sticks, destroys coral reefs which serve as
the habitat of fish, and Blast Fishing fishing with explosives blasts apart the reefs in the area.
Overfishing, water-based pollution, destructive fishing practices, oil spills, hazardous waste and coastal
development are major causes of the alarming rate of coral degradation in the region which is far
greater than the global rate. It will cause the failure to protect the countrys cover that will impact the
Philippine Economy. Recent news tells that more than 130 million in this region rely on reef ecosystems
for food, employment and revenue from tourism. As of 2010, 1% of reefs are in pristine state; about
40% of the countrys coral reefs are in poor condition. Nearly all the reefs in the Coral Triangle, theaters
that surround six countries in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific, are in decline, and the Philippines
is leading in reef degradation, endangering its economy and food supply.
Another factor is Climate Change; it causes droughts, agricultural failure and sea level to rise at
increasingly fast rates that implies huge problems for societies. There is a window of opportunity for
the world to act on climate change but it is closing rapidly .
Has the Government taken any action toward marine degradation? Yes, in fact, here in our country,
there is the Fisheries Code Republic Act 8550 The Philippine Fisheries Code of1998 which states that
an act providing for the development, management and conservation of the fisheries and aquatic
resources, integrating all laws pertinent thereto, and for other purposes., the Agricultural and
Fisheries Modernization Act, Presidential Decree No. 704, Philippine Fishery Legislation, and the
Fisheries Administrative Order. The Government also has programs, one is the Ginintuang
Masaganag Ani Fisheries Program which aims to contribute to national food security, reduce poverty
incidence in the coastal areas and enhance people empowerment in the fisheries sectors. It also seeks to
optimize utilization of offshore fisheries and deep-sea resources, to conserve, protect and sustain
management of the countrys fishery and aquatic resources. Yes, with these, we can say that we have
taken a step toward conservation of our environment; but the question is Is this enough? No, laws
without actions are nothing but dust. We must start the change in ourselves, reawaken the spirit of
responsibility and act accordingly with the changes of the environment.
Truly, there is still hope to save the environment; but as a student, how can I help in playing a role in
conservation of our aquatic resources and fisheries? We students can do simple thingsfor example,
youll visit the World Wide Web and do a search on saving the environment or destruction of the
earth or any type of environmental search and you will find many resources. Youll see many
recommendations as how to stop the destruction. To help reduce carbon dioxide, you can actually just
walk a short distance rather to ride a vehicle. Well, about water pollution and conservation, when you
wash your cars or change your oil, dont just pour the chemicals in the drain. When you are the beach
for example, dont throw your wastes in the water, we might not know that any liquid could disturb the
balance in our environment. In writing article or an essay, reuse an old paper as a draft, youll be able to
save paper. Youve got too much trash? Well, you can actually sell the recyclable materials to the
junkshop and even earn money. Friends, if you have the opportunity to help in the environment, do
so.even planting a tree which isnt related to fishes, please take time to plant a tree!, Perform this as
an act to help yourself, to help everyone we may not know that tree may be a home to an animal,
produce oxygen and help protect the earth, produce a shade and maybe help absorb water in a rainy
day. A simple act cant be that bad You can help the environment and the fishes by just planting a tree!
And when the day come that we bear children, responsibly take the time to talk with your children. They
will be the ones who will be living in this world; tell them that one day, we might run out of fish and get
hungry. Tell them that all things arent meant to last, that everything doesnt stay forever; that animals
and plants would get extinct. Theyre the hope of the world.
Fishes cant cry, so to express their dismay, they frown and appear very angry. Fishes cant give up; they
know that they play a large role. Sharks cant breathe if they stop swimming, they sink when they do.
Even when they are asleep, they swim. This shows how fishes struggle to survive. Everyone can make a
step; a step which only others can do and a step which youre the only one capable of doing.