For the Environmental Defense Fund May 2022
“The sea beats like a great heart on which all life depends.”
—Marilyn Jean W, (my mother, now 84, at age 17)
The article of the Environmental Defense Fund in their Spring 2022 Solutions newsletter, “Fishing for a Future,” by Tom Clynes, brought up some important issues. This year, 2022, is the United Nations International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture. It is time to see “the estimated 820 million people who depend on marine foods for their livelihoods” (page 9) as representatives of a worldly cultural icon that we choose to preserve. Societies have become very good at embracing large-scale technology. Do we want to support the skills it takes to run a huge trawling ship, which can—obscenely— scoop up all down to the bottom of the sea, or, on the other hand, do we want to learn about and admire the potent fishers, who often have skills passed down over generations—because they’re worthwhile? We can let the nature domination model go in favor of the lovely drama of the fisher, embracing life on the human scale. Fishers work wonders for our species—and don’t destroy other species, or our future.
EDF “facilitates communications between traditional fishing communities across the world to share information and strategies for management and advocacy,” page 11. In utilizing of information in common there is great emotional power, as people perceive their similarities and learn from each other, possibly developing relationships which lay the groundwork for progressive global collaboration.
A UN-declared International Year of the Ocean (“Sea Emocean,” as I call it) would bring attention to aspects of our human relationships with the sea not limited to gathering data and using technology. We can grow and develop our connections based on our emotional bonds with the sea, the largest feature of our home, planet Earth. I suggest that EDF, and/or other groups, gather not just data about fishing but also art inspired by the sea and working in, and with, it and its creatures. Indeed, EDF reports that the community of Cabo Blanco, Peru got recognized as a National Cultural Heritage site because of its fishing traditions (pages 10-11).
Could the ocean be declared an International Cultural Heritage site? It is one feature we all share. It can inspire any human. Our experiences with it (fishing and sailing techniques; culture and art based on it; etc.) are therefore very interesting, and nourishing for us to know about—to feel—to express—together. One of my ideas for Sea Emocean is for governments to send some citizens to see the ocean, if they never have, if, for example, the nation is land-bound, then report back to others their experiences as part owners of the largest feature on Earth. The purpose of an International Year of the Ocean is to inspire us humans to be motivated to care for ourselves and the other Earthly denizens better. It is, also, to get us more related—to ourselves and to each other. Because this may threaten some of us psychologically, we must proceed carefully and use science and documentation to back us up, without jettisoning our creativity.
We are now in the middle of the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, according to the United Nations, and are supposed to be focusing on the science we need to proceed with a healthier future. Two summers ago brought the UN Ocean Conference. “To mobilize action, the Conference will seek to propel much needed science-based innovative solutions aimed at starting a new chapter of global ocean action…The science is clear – the ocean is facing unprecedented threats as a result of human activities. Its health and ability to sustain life will only get worse as [sic—should be “if”] the world population grows and human activities increase. If we want to address some of the most defining issues of our time such as climate change, food insecurity, diseases and pandemics, diminishing biodiversity, economic inequality and even conflicts and strife, we must act now to protect the state of our ocean” (italics and boldface added). Yes, the sea is at the center of future planetary success. We can act now, as opposed to sitting and studying some more! An International Year of the Ocean would bring these matters to light.
When we use outdated assumptions, we leave progress behind. In some peoples’ cultures, raising cows involves certain customs that folks do not want to give up (i. e., some African countries; the U. S. A.). Planetary connection could build new values and behavior patterns for these folks—such as eating fish instead. There is a company raising salmon in vats in Canada and Indiana (AquaBounty). Globalization, new experiences for everyone, means the possibility for something different, right?
I have also come across the idea that if we manage our bodies’ energy with meditation and exercise, we may not need to eat so much—and maybe not as high on the food chain. Were this true, the future could change for the better, in a simple manner.
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Also, it’s clear that there are a lot of people in the world now. If these folks can only find meaning in life by having babies, that’s a problem. If people don’t want to use birth control and still have sex, that’s a problem—especially if societies like the U. S. punish folks for having kids by refusing to help support children once born. But we have a planetary situation here—and part of Earth’s constitution is inspiration. Instead of making projections and then blindly fulfilling them because that’s how it’s always been done, let’s grow up! As Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” Let’s take a moment to feel and hold hands and see ahead about seven generations.
Art Cooley, one of EDF’s founders, recently deceased, called himself “‘an eclectic optimist,’” shares Fred Krupp, EDF’s President (“Art Cooley: The torch he lit,” page 3, Solutions Spring 2022). He was a man who “‘could get a group of people excited about a blade of grass,’” according to co-counder Charlie Wurster (same letter). Surely Art’s “generosity of spirit,” as Fred Krupp called it, will live on in EDF and the other advocates for change for the better in relationships with each other, our planet, and our fellow Earthlings. Here we are, on a new day. Let’s get our feet wet and splash around, sharing stories of our situations. Maybe, then, solutions for tomorrow will emerge!
~Catherine Jennifer Walbridge
Chicago, IL
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