Celebratin’ World Oceans Day, off the dock of the bay

 By Bob Rangeley, Vice President, Conservation & Atlantic Region
When it comes to observing our relationship with the ocean, no one can top Otis Redding.
Way back in 1967, the American singer-songwriter recorded what’s turned out to be a classic, “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay”. It paints a melancholy picture of a lonely someone, sitting by the sea, watching ships and the tide rolling in and out, just “wastin’ time.”

Full disclosure: it’s very unlikely that Otis Redding had World Oceans Day in mind when he started writing the song. Yet here I am, 45 years later, stuck on a tune that I think reveals a lot about how Canadians see the ocean – that it’s just there, limitless, unchanging, with the tide rolling in and out completely unaffected by our actions.
Or as the down-on-his-luck Mr. Redding says of his place in it all, “Everything remains the same.”
Well, our oceans aren’t staying the same. As a marine scientist, I spend a lot of time observing and can assure you that our oceans are changing – faster than ever. For many yearsoverfishing has depleted fish populations. Pollution and climate change further compound the stresses on our oceans and compromise supply of enormously important seafood resources.
This becomes even more apparent if you look below the surface. Over 75 percent of the of the world’s fish stocks are being harvested faster than they can reproduce, and large predatory fish– such as  sharks – have declined as much as 90 percent since the 1970s.
You need look no further than the collapse of Newfoundland’s cod fisheries 20 years ago to see how overfishing has impacted Canadians. In spite of a fishing moratorium, the cod haven’t returned, which put many people out of work and changed the  face of an industry.
There’s good news here. Instead of just standing by and watching, wastin’ time, you can easily take actions that minimize your impact on the environment, such as choosing wild-caught seafood that has been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).
In Canada, Loblaw supermarkets have committed to offering customers 100% sustainably-sourced seafood by the end of 2013, a goal that covers everything from fresh seafood – think scallops, snow crab, halibut and lobster – to canned goods. Even cat food is on the list.
If you’d like to get a better idea about what kinds of fish are MSC-certified, you can easily find that out on MSC’s website here. Or maybe you’re looking for info on a specific product? You can find that here.
How else can you do to make a difference? Learn more about our oceans! At WWF, protecting Canada’s oceans are a priority and we have some of the world’s top experts on everything from humpback whales and Marine Spatial Planning, to sharks and turtles. And the list doesn’t stop there. You can also get your hands dirty by participating in initiatives like this year’s Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup from September 21 – 29 2013.
All you need to do now is get up and get going! There’s no time to waste. Our oceans can’t afford to wait.
Happy World Oceans Day!