Save our Deep waters :- An Inconvenient Truth about health of our Oceans

In 2012, I went on a trip to Thailand. I got exposed to the breathtaking beauty of the oceans. The vibrant colour of fishes and corals blew my mind. I went for a certification course in scuba diving to cherish more of this surreal beauty which nature has to offer. My experience with diving in the open oceans broke lots of myth which i had about large sea predators like sharks. I had a notion which most of us have, that sharks are sea monsters who attacks humans.But when i first saw sharks in the open waters during my dives at Andaman, I got under awe of these beautiful, majestic and innocuous animals. Media has created all these myths around sharks and shark attacks. I started reading more about ocean life and was appalled by what I learned.

According to the research published in scientific journal Nature, only 10 percent of all large fish are left in oceans since 1950s [post onset of industrialized fisheries]. We are emptying the oceans at a fast pace, especially large predators like sharks, whales, blue tuna. Killing large predators have unknown global consequences as it would bring about a complete re-organization of ocean ecosystem.In past too we have seen the consequences of playing around with the food-web.The example below from China will summaries everything.

'Mao Zedong blamed rats, flies, mosquitoes and sparrows for the failure of the 1957 grain harvest.Mao ordered the massacre of 1.96 billion sparrows between March and November 1958, despite the objection of experts that sparrows were in fact the major defence of the grain fields against insects.The killing culminated on December 13, 1958, when Shanghai residents reportedly destroyed 194,432 sparrows.

Like the sparrow extermination order issued by a Prussian ruler in the late 18th century, Mao's sparrow-killing campaign had two serious consequences. First, insects destroyed more of the grain harvest than ever in 1959. Second, a generation of the Chinese youth internalized violence against the weak and defenceless as an acceptable behaviour in the name of serving the interest of "the people."The policy-induced famine of 1960-1962 killed 40 million Chinese.'

Similar effects can be triggered by killing sharks who sits at the top of food web and controls Eco-system. Sharks have survived for 450 million years, but may be gone within the next decades. Life within the oceans, covering 2/3rds of our planet, has enjoyed a relationship with sharks for about 450 million years.

I am not against fishing or consuming fishes as food. It is main source of protein in many countries. But the kind of fishing we are practising is unsustainable. And what is more surprising is that we all are in massive denial and don't quite understand that how close some of these species are to extinction. Not only are the oceans source of food but 50-70% of the oxygen on this planet comes from Oceans.

I want the sharks and whales to be there in the oceans when i take my 12 year old kid for diving. We still have a small window of opportunity to save our oceans. Please spread the awareness around.

Cinema is very powerful medium at generating empathy and communicating messages which mere words can't express. Here is the list of three important, informative and revealing documentary films around the topic of Ocean conservation and aquatic animals.

Sharkwater :- It is a beautiful and important Eco-documentary. It destroys lots of the myths created around sharks by media. We kill millions of sharks each year, while only 5 humans gets killed by "so-called" shark attacks. After watching this compelling documentary one will realize, who really is the victim. Stewart's documentary is an attempt in the quest to raise international awareness about a situation that is threatening to put sharks on the endangered list.
Link to these movies:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBoNi_fLFlg&feature=share


The Cove :- It is a heartbreaking documentary about the captive dolphins exploited in oceanariums like Sea World and there mass slaughter at the cove in Taiji, Japan. The remorse of Richard O'Barry will move any soul. The scene where he narrates an instance of dolphin committing suicide out of depression in his hands, will bring tears in your eyes. This film includes many insights into the mistreatment of dolphins. It also brings our attention to the whaling practise which is still carried out in Japan under the gambit of culture and national identity. This movie was awarded academy award for best documentary in 2010.
Link to documentary :-
http://vimeo.com/88724551

Blackfish :- It is a heartbreaking examination of the maltreatment of large mammals like killer whales at Oceaniurms such as SeaWorld in the name of entertainment.Through interviews with the trainers and whale experts, it highlights inhumane practises where a deeply social creature like Orca is separated from its family and are kept in solitary confinement in woefully cramped enclosures. It tells how killer whales (along with countless other creatures) are stolen from their natural habitats,so that we can pay to watch them perform unnatural tricks for our cameras, and the owners can watch their bank accounts swell. Captivity of these large mammals is dangerous to the trainers and more importantly to the animal. If we really wanna watch these magnificent animals than we should go and watch them in the wild, the place they belong.
Link to documentary :- http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1vhr85_blackfish_shortfilms