Wow... in years of talking to diving professionals and biologists etc, no one has ever put it into those word... but you are right.

Dan Q

 

We are the only species that has no natural predator other than ourselves. We know we're destroying our planet, but we can't help ourselves.

 

we are at the top of the chain, and we cannot get it right.
What will the world look like in 100 years

 

Can't say for 100 years... but I've talked to a couple of biologists who predict past the 1000 year mark. Look at the red planet. That will be us when the ocean and the atmosphere collapse. Scary stuff... but they say alot have it backwards. People think Mars could be given an atmosphere and water.... my friends said it once did, and it didn't sustain it.

Interesting thought.

Dan Q

 

see other thread, for more

"Genetically engineered food"

 

That is some scary stuff.

 

As a man who has spent the majority of his life both recreationaly and professionally in, on, or under the water, I have an opinion on this.

If we don't get ocean resource management figured out and implemented EVERYTHING will die.

Not just the fish. Your kids will, and mine too.

The KNOWN PART (which is minute at the very best) of how the Ocean actually effects this big blue marble, is waaay complex and interwoven. That parts states unequivocally and in plain English that life can not exist on this planet for too dang long without "healthy" oceanS. . . . most related research also by the way equally clearly conveys they are in grave and unsustainable decline now, and have been for over 25 years.

As for potential solutions . .

if there has ever been a tough nut to crack this is one. Because of the complexity of the issue regarding both the politics and the dang national and traditional food source for a Nation or two full of very hungry little folks. Oh, and the lack of understanding of how Mother Nature actually (for real) works, on top of that.

There are a million little things we can all do, some appear indirect - like eating a cow or a bird instead. Some more direct like catch and release fishing, spending weekends at the beach picking up wads of discarded fishing line, kayaking the shoreline cleaning refuse out of spawning grounds and flats and mangrove heads.

. . I guess I'm saying get off our butts and contribute what we can. Heck, build a KFC in Hong Kong, or something.

Soap box surrendered. Thanks for allowing me to rant, I appreciate your not interrupting me even once!
()

 

That's what I'm eluding to ctfuzzy. What do you do for a living? I'm a professional diver looking for work. Well... not yet. I still have some time in my current occupation to finish up. But I'm hoping my future employ is with the ocean.

Dan Q

 

Scientists etc. have been talking about over populations for 200 years...Thomas Malthus was the first.

 

They tried that and they fired the skipper of the Sub and sent him to Japan to appologize. They were a training trawler training more fishermen for more trawlers. But why were they in our waters?

 

Dan, my last "real job" was as a Diving Operations Manager for the Aquarius Undersea Research Center.

It is the only full time dedicated scientific diving saturation habitat on Earth.

http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/techno.../aquarius.html

It is run by The University of North Carolina @ Wilmington for NOAA and sits on the bottom of the ocean off Key Largo (FL).

We hosted scientist from all over the world who would come to live on the bottom of the ocean for 2 - 15 days to do marine science.

I also spent a few years doing mixed gas saturation in the oil fields for Comex (France - but off the coast of Ireland in the N. Atlantic) and Taylor Diving (LA) . . as well as a host of others in LA and TX.

Obviously very little of this implies a strong marine science background - but I have sure spent some time getting to know Mother Nature.

FWIW.

 

Ah yes NOAA... my first real preference for an after career career. I have to keep trying.

I'm not about to do the saturation thing. I may pursue mixed gases (aside from NITROX), but that's just to help a friend with a planned deep dive.

I would think that it's safe to say you've seen more of mother natures stuff than most...

Dan Q