25 Ways To Save The Coral Reefs

1. Support reef-friendly businesses. Ask what your dive shop, boating store, tour operators, hotel, and other coastal businesses are doing to save the coral reefs. This is especially important in coastal areas with reefs. Let them know you are an informed consumer and care about reefs.

2. Don't use chemically enhanced pesticides and fertilizers. Although you may live thousands of miles from a coral reef ecosystem, these products end up in the watershed and may ultimately impact the waters that support coral.

3. Volunteer for a reef cleanup. You don't live near a coral reef? Then do what many people do with their vacations: visit a coral reef. Spend an afternoon enjoying the beauty of one of the world's treasures while helping to preserve it for future generations.

4. Learn more about coral reefs. How many different species live in reefs? What new medicines have been discovered in reef organisms. Participate in training or educational programs that focus on reef ecology. When you further your own education, you can help others understand the fragility and value of the world's coral reefs.

5. Become a member of your local aquarium or zoo. Ask what they are doing and what your donation can do toward saving the world's coral reefs. The answer may pleasantly surprise you.

6. When you visit a coral reef, help keep it healthy by respecting all local guidelines, recommendations, regulations, and customs. Ask local authorities or your dive shop how to protect the reef.

7. Support conservation organizations. Many of them have coral reef programs, and your much-needed monetary support will make a big difference.

8. Spread the word. Remember your own excitement at learning how important the planet's coral reefs are to us and the intricate global ecosystem. Sharing this excitement gets everyone you speak with involved.

9. Be an informed consumer. Consider carefully the coral objects that you buy for your coffee table. Ask the store owner or manager from what country the coral is taken and whether or not that country has a management plan to insure that the harvest was legal and sustainable over time.

10. Don't pollute. Never put garbage or human waste in the water. Don't leave trash on the beach.

11. Recycle. This is the first step each of us can take to make a change. Recycle anything and everything. If your community doesn't have a program, do it anyway, and get one started.

12. Conserve water. The less water you use, the less runoff and wastewater that eventually finds its way back into our oceans.

13. Report dumping or other illegal activities. Environmental enforcement cannot be everywhere, and your involvement can make a big difference.

14. Keep it clean. You may be in the habit of picking up your own trash. You may even participate in an organized cleanup. But have you considered carrying away the trash that others have left behind?

15. Only buy marine aquarium fish if you know they have been collected in an ecologically sound manner. In some areas, marine fish harvested for the pet trade are stunned with sodium cyanide so that capturing them is easier.

16. Surf the net! Many different addresses exist to link you to information about coral reefs and what you can do to become involved. A good starting point is at http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/coral-reef.html

17. Don't start a live rock aquarium. Although this living rock is still harvested legally in some places, its collection is devastating to the reef organisms habitat.

18. Hire local guides when visiting coral reef ecosystems. Not only do you learn about the local resources, but you will be protecting the future of the reef by supporting a non-consumptive economy around the reef.

19. Don't anchor on the reef. If you go boating near a coral reef, use mooring buoy systems when they are available.

20. If you dive, don't touch! Take only pictures and leave only bubbles! Keep your fins' gear, and hands away from the coral, as this contact can hurt you and will damage the delicate coral animals. Stay off the bottom because stirred-up sediment can settle on coral and smother it.

21. Participate in the Great American Fish Count. What better way to enjoy your vacation time than snorkeling or diving in America's coral reefs and helping scientists better understand reef fish populations?

22. Volunteer. Volunteer and community coral reef monitoring programs are very important. If you do not live near a coast, get involved in your local save the river (bay, lake, or other estuarine environment) program. Remember, all watersheds affect the oceans and eventually the coral reefs.

23. Support the creation and maintenance of marine parks and reserves. Encourage your friends to get involved with projects to protect special areas.

24. Be a wastewater crusader! Make sure that sewage from your boat, from others' boats, and from land is correctly treated. The nutrients from sewage feed growing algae that can smother an kill corals.

25. Inform yourself. Find out about existing and proposed laws, programs, and projects that could affect the world's coral reefs.

Ten Things YOU Can do to Save Our Ocean!

LEARN all you can. Read, surf the web and experience the ocean directly.

Be a SMART SHOPPER. Ask grocery stores and restaurants about the source of their seafood.

CONSERVE water. Be careful when washing your car or watering your lawn.

REDUCE household pollutants. Cut down and properly dispose of herbicides, peticides and cleaning products.

REDUCE waste. Dispose of trash properly. Where possible, recycle, re-use, and compost.

REDUCE automobile pollution. Use fuel efficient vehicles or carpol. Recycle moter oil and repair oil and air conditioning leaks.

PROTECT ocean wildlife. Don't dispose of fishing lines, nets, or plastic items in or near the water.

BE CONSIDERATE of sealife habitats. Don't bother sea birds, mammals, and turles or their nesting grounds. Support marine protected areas.

GET INVOLVED. Take part in a beach cleanup or other ocean-related activities.

CARE! PASS ON YOUR KNOWLEDGE!

Ocean Pollution

Pollution in the ocean is a major problem that is affecting the ocean and the rest of the Earth, too. Pollution in the ocean directly affects ocean organisms and indirectly affects human health and resources. Oil spills, toxic wastes, and dumping of other harmful materials are all major sources of pollution in the ocean. People should learn more about these because if people know more about pollution in the ocean, then they will know more about how to stop pollution.

What are toxic wastes?

Toxic wastes are poisonous materials that are being dumped into the ocean. They harm many plants and animals in the ocean and have a huge impact on our health. Toxic waste is the most harmful form of pollution to sea life and humans. When toxic waste harms an organism, it can quickly be passed along the food chain and may eventually end up being our seafood. In the food chain, one toxic organism gets eaten by another, larger animal, which gets eaten by another animal, and can end up being our seafood. Toxic waste gets into seas and oceans by the leaking of landfills, dumps, mines, and farms. Farm chemicals and heavy metals from factories can have a very harmful effect on marine life and humans.

Many fishermen believe that the toxic chemicals in the ocean are killing much of the fish population. One of the most harmful chemicals in the ocean is lead. Lead can cause many health problems. It can damage the brain, kidneys, and reproductive system. Lead can also cause birth defects for people. It has been shown to cause low IQ scores, slow growth, and hearing problems for small children. House and car paint and manufacturing lead batteries, fishing lures, certain parts of bullets, some ceramic ware, water pipes, and fixtures all give off lead.

Many things found in the ocean may cause seafood to be dangerous to human health. The effect on humans from contaminated seafood may include birth defects and nervous system damage. Medical waste found in the ocean is being tested to see if swimmers have a chance of developing Hepatitis or AIDS. Other waste has been known to cause viral and bacterial diseases. This type of pollution can be stopped by watching what pollution we are letting into the ocean. People are trying to decrease the amount of waste in the oceans by recycling as much garbage as they can so there is a smaller amount of very harmful materials in the ocean.

Boating Pollution Prevention Tips

Whenever someone takes their boat onto the water for a ride, it is creating pollution that can be very harmful to the sea life. Boating pollution is the pollution that comes from the boat’s engine when it is running, and it pollutes the water, killing animals with the chemicals in the exhaust from the engine. The engine gives off excess gasoline, which pollutes the waters and ends up killing the animals. In order to make as little pollution as possible, what everyone can do to help is:

	Only turn a boat engine on all the way when you need to.
	Don’t take your boat out into the water if you don’t need to.
	Be sure to store and transport gasoline in places where there isn’t any direct sunlight because the gasoline will evaporate, and all of the gases that have been evaporated will pollute the air.
	Every year, buy new or cleaner marine engines for your boats.

Garbage Dumping

Garbage dumping is the dumping of harmful materials into the ocean like human waste, ground-up garbage, water from bathing, and plastics. Most of the waste that has been dumped into the ocean in the early 1990’s is still there today. One main cause of garbage dumping occurs when sewage pipes share their space with storm water drains. Rainfall causes the sewage pipes to overflow and the sewage waste mixes with the storm water drain, which flows into another water source such as a lake or river. After that, the garbage pollutes the ocean, kills plants and animals in the water (for example, the plastic rings that are around pop cans can get around an animal’s neck, causing it to suffocate), and makes the water dirty.

What you can do to protect the ocean

Do you know what the number one thing you can do is to protect the ocean? Learn! Learn all you can about the threats facing the ocean and marine life. First and foremost, Global warming (Climate Change/Abrupt Climate Change) is the number one threat not only to marine life but to all of our ways of life as well. The debate is over. It is happening. Only the magnitude and details, such as whether we've reached a tipping point yet, remain. Now is the time to act. To learn all about Global Warming/Climate Change, what it really is, what very likely will happen, and what we can/should really do about you should it see these videos » Global Climate Destabilization: How It All Ends and post your thoughts, suggestions, and questions.

• Read other resources on how to protect the ocean such as 50 Ways to Save the Ocean by David Helvarg, an excellent resource filled with information on what you can do to protect the ocean (that we used to add to this page).
• Become a marine biologist—or better yet, a marine conservation biologist. This emerging field of marine biology is an important area of research needed to inform policy makers by providing evidence-based data that shows the ocean is in trouble and the solutions that are needed.
• Don't buy live saltwater fish caught in the wild for your aquarium. The fishing methods, such as cyaniding and dynamiting, for the live fish trade are horribly degrading to the marine environment. Hundreds of thousands of young and rare tropical reef fish die every year in aquariums in the US alone.
• If you must keep a saltwater tank, buy only Marine Aquarium Council certified fish to ensure your fish are sustainably caught or reared in captivity.
• Never return aquarium fish into the ocean or other body of water. This practice has introduced non-native species to many areas disrupting the balance of the marine ecosystem often causing widespread destruction.
• Learn to scuba dive if you want to experience the underwater realm. Diving is safer now than riding a bicycle, and, if you really like what you see when you're diving you can keep it forever! How? Take a digital camera or even a video camera with you!
• If you learn to dive, learn to dive responsibly. Don’t touch the reefs or marine life, and don’t take souvenirs. Leave only bubbles.
• Only patronize environmentally-conscious dive operators and refuse to dive on “cattle boats” that carry more than 10 divers per boat.
• Choose dive spots at eco-tourism destinations where marine resources are protected and marine conservation is a priority.
• Use your dive skills for science and conservation. Participate in “fish counts” such as the Great Annual Fish Count to help census reefs.
• Join an underwater cleanup or other activities through Project Aware.
• Stop eating seafood. Only 10% of the big-fish that once dominated the ocean remain today. According to a recent study, if we don't limit fishing and seafood consumption now, there will be no more fish in the next 50 years. Overfished species are rapidly becoming endangered. Nontargeted species caught as bycatch are also being depleted. For every pound of shrimp or prawns caught there are about 15 pounds(!) of bycatch thrown back, dead, into the ocean.
• Support Marine Protected Areas and support organizations working to establish MPAs such as the Ocean Conservancy, Conservation International, Environmental Defense, and others.
• Take your kids to the beach. A fun day at the beach can inspire years of wonder and provides a perfect opportunity to teach your kids about the ocean.
• Don’t walk on dunes. Dunes provide a barrier to wind and water to prevent beach erosion and often contain native plants vital to the local ecosystem.
• Keep beaches clean. Plastics and other debris harm sea life and pollute the ocean. Clean up after yourself. Get involved! Participate in beach cleanups if you live in a coastal area.
• Practice safe and clean boating. Obey no-wake zones, and watch out for marine life.
• Don’t dispose of trash or toilet waste in the ocean.
• Use environmentally friendly cleaning agents and boat paint.
• If you enjoy recreational fishing, obey regulations and try to enjoy only catch-and-release fishing. Use care when releasing fish back into the ocean. Take photos, not fish.
• Promote marine conservation in your school or through social activities. Many people are unaware that the ocean is in jeopardy. Take whatever opportunities you can to spread the word. Start a local marine conservation club to promote awareness.
• Refuse to patronize cruise lines that contaminate the ocean with excessive human waste, oils and other dumping.
• Don’t purchase items that exploit marine resources unnecessarily such as coral jewelry, “snake oil” supplements such as coral calcium and shark cartilage. Educate others that these products are ineffective and medically unsound. The nutrients these supplements allegedly provide are easily obtained from other food sources such as green leafy vegetables.