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musademets · 2 years
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My Solution to Overfishing
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Source: Adobe Stock Images (By Wirestock)
Overfishing is one of the most problematic environmental issues around the globe and has caused irreversible damage to our marine life. Despite this, there are still many ways we can take action to prevent further damage to our marine ecosystems, and I have a solution. I plan to get environmental lobbying committees in Canada such as Environmental Defence Canada to get the government to create laws to ban shark-finning and other disruptive practices that harm sharks domestically and internationally. There are many different issues that cause overfishing but I am going to focus on just one, protecting sharks. My course of action would be banning the capturing of sharks as they are an essential predator to the marine ecosystem. One of the most disruptive methods of capturing sharks is shark-finning. Shark-finning is a multi-billion dollar industry in which sharks are killed for their fins. These fins are shipped to Asia, mainly China, for shark fin soup, which is a status symbol and does not have nutritional benefits or taste. Shark-finning is not only sending shark populations crashing, but it is also causing the populations of other sea creatures to decline. Without sharks, there is a boom in prey species, leading to overpopulation, algal bloom, and eventually serious environmental damage. 
I would also get environmental lobbying committees to get governments to completely ban the practices of capturing sharks. Some species of sharks such as blue sharks aren't commercially valued but are being mistakenly caught by fishing vessels in some areas. Banning the practices of careless trawling and overfishing would prevent these catches and would protect marine ecosystems. After these bans have been put into place I would invest in a fishing police force which would patrol the seas and make sure no more illegal shark capturing is going on. 
The bans would also be very unpopular amongst people working in the fishing and shark-finning industries as many would wind up jobless and financially unstable with the absence of their main source of income. In order to alleviate this, I would invest into creating educational programs that would help inform fishers about the consequences of overfishing. And in areas where the regulations are present, I would help fishers learn to comply with the regulations without sacrificing profit or productivity. I would do this by keeping them employed without continuing the risk of overfishing. Fishers are highly trained at navigating the water and managing aquatic equipment. I could employ these fishers to help marine experts collect data on the health of the water and local fish populations.
After implementing all of these things many changes would start occurring throughout marine ecosystems. The increase in shark populations would restore the structural balance of marine ecosystems. The sharks would do that by regulating the population of prey species, and by restoring coral reef habitats which are both integral in keeping the ocean’s ecosystems healthy.
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musademets · 2 years
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Opinion piece on hydroelectric plants
To the editor of MarineLife. I was quite concerned after reading this week’s paper on potentially converting coal-burning plants near waterways into hydroelectric plants due to high levels of mercury in fish and sea. Although this approach would reduce the levels of mercury in fish and sea, I do not believe this is the most ideal route. While hydroelectric plants have many upsides to them that were listed in the paper, such as the fact that it is a great renewable energy source and is reliable, hydroelectric plants also have a lot of downsides to them. Just like coal-burning plants, hydroelectric plants have many environmental consequences. First of all, when a hydroelectric plant is built with a dam, a previously dry land will have to be flooded with water, so that it can be used as a reservoir. This means whatever habitat was in that area will be ruined, and the natural flow of the river will also be affected, which harms many of the species living in these areas.. Hydroelectric plants also affect fish migration patterns because of its non-natural water flow. Another thing to consider before converting the coal-burning plant is the cost. The cost to convert a coal-burning plant into a hydroelectric plant would be absurd. They can cost millions just to be built, which does not include any additional costs to convert it from a coal-burning plant. Additionally, do the “waterways” meet the criteria to host a hydroelectric plant? The waterways should have a year-round water supply with the right amount of water and be close enough to existing power lines. It is also challenging to balance out keeping a river wild, versus damming it up for power.
Until these issues are sorted out, I believe we should not shut down the coal-burning plants and think of a better solution. 
Sincerely, Musa Demets
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musademets · 2 years
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An astronaut that can help me combat overfishing
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For my ecological issue, overfishing, I would choose Jessica Meir, an American-Swedish astronaut. I chose her to help me brainstorm solutions to restoring all the damaged marine ecosystems caused by overfishing as she has a Ph.D. in marine biology. She also has experience performing field work across exotic locations like Antarctica to study the diving abilities of animals. This kind of expertise would help me in understanding marine life and how to assess the causes of overfishing towards it. She could also help me in finding more sustainable alternatives to the disruptive fishing techniques used today. Three transferable skills that I believe Jessica Meir has, include collaboration, communication, and global citizenship and sustainability. I believe she possesses the skill of collaboration because she is an astronaut. As an astronaut you need to work with your team in order to achieve success. This allows astronauts to learn how to participate effectively in teams, and learn how to be more versatile across different situations, roles, and groups. Secondly, I believe she has the transferable skill of communication as she has served as a lead capsule communicator for various space missions. Being a lead capsule communicator requires elite communication skills, which is why I believe Jessica Meir owns these skills. Lastly, I believe she has the transferable skill of critical thinking and problem solving because she is an astronaut. Just like collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving skills are a skill that astronauts naturally possess because they are constantly facing situations that require them. Astronauts are always analyzing information, solving problems, and taking steps to organise, design, and manage projects using inquiry projects. All of which are characteristics that somebody with elite critical thinking and problem solving skills possess, which is why I believe Jessica Meir does.
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musademets · 2 years
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5 posts!
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musademets · 2 years
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How the Periodic Table is Connected to Overfishing
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The periodic table helps me learn and understand the different elements, what they are made up of, and how they impact our environment. 
My environmental issue is overfishing.
A few elements that play a role in overfishing include hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, and mercury.
Hydrogen - almost 90% of the ocean is composed of hydrogen-bonded form. Without hydrogen, there would literally be no ocean. 
Oxygen - Oxygen is the most important gas in the sea. Surface water is full of oxygen. In deep water, oxygen exists when organic matter breaks down. 
Carbon - Oceans contain the reservoir of carbon on earth. Fish and marine life in the sea, are part of carbon sequestration, which is important for keeping carbon emissions low. The carbon cycle is very important for fish. Carbon pollution is making water more acidic, which harms the ecosystem. 
Mercury - Mercury is one of the main pollutants in the oceans. Mercury can be released into the ocean through volcanic activity, and mostly, human activities such as coal-powered energy sources, and industrial waste disposals. Once this happens, mercury starts to get bio-accumulated in marine food chains in the form of highly toxic methyl mercury can also cause health risks to humans who consume seafood. 
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musademets · 2 years
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An activist takes action against overfishing
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The person I chose is Paul Watson, a Canadian-born conservation and environmental activist, and co-founder of Greenpeace. This global campaigning network aims at protecting the planet against environmental issues. Paul was later kicked from Greenpeace because he conflicted with their nonviolence strategy. This led him to create Sea Shepards, a non-profit marine conservation organization. To learn more about Sea Shepards:
https://seashepherd.org/
His mission is to put an end to Overfishing and the destruction of marine habitats with the help of Sea Shepards.  
I selected Paul Watson because he has a lot of expertise, experience, and knowledge regarding my environmental issue.
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musademets · 2 years
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Limiting Factors of Marine Ecosystems
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Source: Adobe Stock Images (By Mark)
Many factors affect marine ecosystems, these limiting factors include pollution, predators, habitat, and food. One human activity that impacts marine ecosystems is overfishing. Overfishing affects many limiting factors, notably predators. Predators such as sharks and dolphins have been majorly affected by overfishing.
For example, roughly 80,000 dolphins are killed as bycatch in the tuna business annually. Additionally, the food supply of dolphins has been reduced because of overfishing. The carrying capacity of dolphins is limited by food and predators. Sources:
Tabrizi, A [Netflix] (2021, 03, 24) Seaspiracy
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musademets · 2 years
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Overfishing
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                                                        Source: Adobe Stock Images (By Ajkramer)
For my ecologiccal issue, I chose overfishing. I chose overfishing because it is a very important ecological issue that is often overlooked. Because of this, I wanted to spread more awarness about it. Overfishing is the practice of using disruptive fishing techniques. It has caused irreversible damage to our marine life. 
Some disruptive fishing techniques include bottom trawling; a widespread fishing practice in which a heavy net is dragged across the seafloor to catch large amounts of fish at once. Bottom trawling wipes out an estimated 3.9 billion acres of seafloor yearly. Another example is shark-finning. Shark-finning is a multi-billion dollar industry in which sharks are killed for their fins. These fins are shipped to Asia, mainly China, for shark fin soup, which is a status symbol and does not have nutritional benefits or taste. Shark-finning is not only sending shark populations crashing, but it is also causing the populations of other sea creatures to decline. Sharks, an apex predator, are key to the survival of other creatures. 
93% of all the world’s CO2 is stored in the ocean, and the life in the ocean is crucial for holding onto carbon and preventing it from being released into the atmosphere. If we don’t put an end to overfishing, we could be heading for the complete extinction of many species, loss of food sources, and loss of livelihood. Currently, the annual global demand for seafood is 143.8 million tonnes, This is double the amount 50 years ago, and the future not looking promising.
Sources:
Tabrizi, A [Netflix] (2021, 03, 24) Seaspiracy
[Alux.com] (2019, 09, 19) Overfishing: How Long Until We Run Out of Fish https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoc_pu9Tt2Y
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musademets · 2 years
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Science?
Hey, my name is Musa. I am a grade 9 science student from Ontario, Canada.
How does science impact your everyday life?
Science is definitely one of the most crucial parts of my everyday life. Science impacts how I communicate, what I eat, and how I travel. My personal decisions are affected by science, like how much energy and water I consume.
Would you choose a career in science and why?
Science is always evolving throughout time, new discoveries and progress are always being made, both which never get old. Continued progression in the field of science will definitely bring us into exciting times of new innovative discoveries and technology, which is awesome. Another cool thing about science how it is so essential to our health and future. So many diseases such as measles and chicken pox have become completely useless with the arrivals of new vaccines and health regulations. Science overall has competely evolved the quality of human life, which in short, is why I think Science is a great career to choose.
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