"PASSING THE POINT OF NO RETURN"

Human exploitation of the deep seas - combined with an accumulation

and rapid build-up of severe pollution - had started a time bomb for

irreversible ocean destruction, according to a United Nations report.

Damage to the oceans was "rapidly passing the point of no return". And

humanity's ability to exploit the deep oceans and high seas had

accelerated rapidly over recent years, the report stated. It is a pace

of change that has outstripped all institutional and conservation

efforts.

Mining will soon spread to the sea floor for the first time with the

announcement that the Canadian company Nautilus Minerals plans to dig

for deposits of gold and copper off Papua New Guinea.

The UN report concluded that that while seawater temperatures rose

last year the alkalinity also fell causing toxic acidity.

Human-made climate change, attributed to the burning of fossil fuels,

had already resulted in coral reefs off Australia and Belize to die

and bottom trawling had destroyed newly discovered reefs in the Atlantic.

About eight million pieces of litter every day are joining thousands

of discarded plastic items that are currently float on every square

mile of ocean killing over one million seabirds each year.

The report on the condition of ocean life during 2007 revealed:

• 85 million tonnes of wild fish pulled from the oceans.
• 100 million sharks and related species killed for their fins.
• 250,000 turtles entangled in fishing gear.
• 300,000 seabirds, including 100,000 albatrosses, killed by illegal

longline fishing.

The UN wants countries to manage oceans along ecological boundaries

rather than political borders and has called for greater protection of

vulnerable species such as cod, marlin and swordfish, which have lost

90% of their global stocks over the last century.

posted to ClimateConcern