Dear Friends

THE TSUNAMI DISASTER - OUR OCEANS ARE DYING
 

The tsunami brought death and destruction to thousands of people and the world rightly rallied round to help the victims. The tsunami also posed a long-term question: why are we killing off the eco-systems of the oceans?

Mangrove forests and coral reefs are among the most bio-diverse ecosystems on Earth. They buffer the coastline against corrosion, storm damage and tsunamis. Shrimp, which has become a mainstay of western diet, is one of the causes of the collapse of the eco-systems of the oceans. 99% of shrimp is farmed in developing countries - resulting in the destruction of vast areas of mangrove forests. Shrimp farming causes such severe water pollution (from shrimp faeces, pesticide and antibiotics) that the system chokes on its own waste. The marine aquarium trade in Europe, where ‘exotic’ fish are kept in people’s homes in aquariums, also destroys coral reefs. Live fish are often caught illegally using cyanide or dynamite, both of which stun fish for easy collection. Cyanide and dynamite kill corals. Over 20 million tropical fish including 1471 species are harvested annually for the marine aquarium trade in Europe.

Huge industrial trawlers used to catch ever-dwindling stocks of fish are destroying all marine life from turtles and dolphins to whales. These marine animals die a cruel death, suffocating as they get pulled from the water. Lobsters are boiled alive, justified by the false claim that they do not feel pain. More than 40,000 species, 50 percent of UK’s plants and animals depend on healthy seas. The human race reacts with horror when disasters like tsunami happen and ask, ‘how can God do this’?

We cannot expect peace for ourselves and carry on unmitigated violence towards other life forms. Human beings must wean themselves off so called, ‘sea food’.

Nitin Mehta