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From Farm to Ocean: How What We Eat Impacts Our Seas

A surprising connection exists between our dinner plates and the health of the oceans

The Ocean is the heart of the planet. The oceans provide us with food, regulate our climate, and provide the majority of the oxygen we breathe. The ocean also absorbs over 90% of the heat and approximately 30% of carbon dioxide emissions produced by human activities.We could go on and on about how essential the oceans and marine life are to us but perhaps the most important reason for conserving the ocean is to maintain the Earth’s biodiversity. According to a recent study, at least 26% of our ocean requires immediate conservation attention in order to maintain the Earth’s marine biodiversity.

Lean more about maintaining the earth’s marine biodiversity: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339420853_Area_Requirements_to_Safeguard_Earth’s_Marine_Species)

This means that the worldwide community must ramp up marine conservation efforts immediately in order to make our oceans thrive. High biodiversity in Earth’s oceans is critical to a healthy planet.

Learn more about why biodiversity is important:: https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/mapmaker-marine-biodiversity/

Ocean conservation includes not only the protection and restoration of the species, populations, and entire ocean ecosystems, but also the reduction of human activities such as overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution, whaling, and other concerns that have an impact on marine life and habitats.

Animal agriculture is becoming increasingly recognized as one of the most serious threats to global sustainability and ocean health. With rising worldwide revenue and an expanding number of people purchasing and consuming animal goods and by-products, fulfilling this rising demand has disastrous ocean impacts. Production of food from animals has increased in response to rising demand during the last century. Every year, around 70 billion animals are raised as domestic animals around the world, with over 6 million animals killed for food and approximately 56 billion mammals and birds slaughtered. Aside from the ethical elements related with animal agriculture and slaughtering, the significant increase in consumption of animal products has a severe environmental impact. Not only does animal agriculture contribute significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 18% of total greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, but it has also been identified as the leading cause of species extinctions, habitat destruction, water pollution, and, most importantly, ocean dead zones. In this article we will discuss these issues more as we explore solutions.

Nutrient Runoff – The Invisible River to the Sea

Understanding Nutrient Runoff

Fertilizers and animal manure are among the many common stormwater pollutants that can degrade water quality. How do fertilizers get into marine ecosystems? Fertilizers enter many marine environments via a process known as runoff. When more water enters the soil than it can absorb due to rainfall, irrigation, or snowmelt, the excess water will run off the land and into surrounding bodies of water.Fertilizers are composed of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus. When it rains, stormwater transports these nutrients to the nearest stream, river, or other body of water. If there are too many nutrients in the water, algae will develop and consume the oxygen. This oxygen starvation causes severe danger to aquatic wildlife and can lead to devastating fish kills.

Dead Zones and Algal Blooms

A dead zone, also known as an low oxygen zone, is a body of water with insufficient dissolved oxygen for animals and plants to live. As sea oxygen levels fall, marine species either flee or perish, leaving a biodiverse habitat completely empty. Dead zones exist all across the world, but are most common in locations where heavy agricultural and industrial activity spills excess nutrients into the water and degrades water quality. The primary culprits for these dead zones are nitrogen and phosphorus from animal agricultural runoff.

The resultant algal bloom is the overgrowth of microscopic algae or algae-like bacteria in fresh or saltwater. They grow out of control and produce toxic or harmful effects on people, fish, shellfish, marine mammals and birds.

What Can Be Done?

Applying fertilizers in the correct quantities, at the appropriate time of year, and with the appropriate techniques can considerably limit the amount of fertilizer that reaches water bodies. If you must fertilize your lawn, there are various steps you may take to reduce the impact on water. To begin, just use the type and amount of fertilizer that your lawn requires. A soil test will assist you understand those demands. Then, take the time to apply the fertilizer correctly. Make sure the spreader you’re using is suited for lawn fertilizer application and is calibrated for the sort of fertilizer you’re using. Of course, there is another option: don’t fertilize at all. You can have a healthy lawn even if you don’t fertilize it. By allowing grass clippings to degrade on the lawn, vital nutrients are returned to the soil.

Deforestation – When Land Meets Water

The Hunger for Land

Did you know that Agriculture occupies half of the world’s habitable land. Despite the fact that meat and dairy account for a far smaller proportion of the world’s protein and calorie supply, more than three-quarters of this is used for livestock production. Agriculture expansion has been one of humanity’s most significant environmental impacts. It has altered ecosystems and is one of the most significant threats to biodiversity.

Mangroves and Coastal Health

Coastal habitats—areas along and around seashores—are valuable ecosystems. Although coastal ecosystems account for barely more than 3% of the United States’ marine territory (about 146,000 square miles), they have a significantly beneficial impact, covering highly productive areas critical to ocean life health. Coastal waters support many fish species and provide breeding habitat for 85 percent of migratory birds in the United States. They also provide a home for a variety of other creatures, including marine animals, corals, sea turtles, and aquatic flora.

A Global Effort

When we take proper care of land via sustainable practices, it reduces soil erosion, prevents deforestation, and conserves natural habitats. Sustainable land management is crucial to minimizing land degradation, rehabilitating degraded areas and ensuring the optimal use of land resources for the benefit of the present and future generations.

Thirsty Cows – Water Consumption in Agriculture

Water, Water Everywhere

Water is a key component for agricultural development and plays a role in food security. How much water does livestock farming need? Factory farms consume a substantial quantity of freshwater to raise, feed, and slaughter animals, accounting for almost 20% of world freshwater consumption. In the United States alone, 60% of freshwater is used just for cultivation of crops, the vast majority of these crops are grown as feed for meat production.. Agriculture now consumes 70% of all available fresh water, which is three times more than it did 50 years ago.

Lean more about how much fresh water agriculture now uses: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/water-in-agriculture

A Ripple Effect

One hamburger requires 660 gallons of water to produce—the equivalent of two months’ worth of showers. Clearly livestock agriculture’s use of water is not sustainable. The enormous amount of water required to grow crops for feed, clean facilities, raise animals, and slaughter them depletes the earth’s scarce freshwater resources.

Learn more about agriculture and the water needs at:

https://www.watercalculator.org/footprint/what-is-the-water-footprint-of/

https://water.usgs.gov/edu/activity-watercontent.html

Smart Choices

People who eat less meat consume less water. Just as conservation measures can assist reduce residential water usage, changing our eating habits can help reduce agricultural water consumption. Consumers can make better sustainable decisions by learning about the water footprint of the food they eat. This is not a push to become a vegetarian or vegan, but think about switching just a couple additional meals a week to plan based proteins – will have a larger impact on sustainability than recycling or water conserving appliances and practices.

Greenhouse Gases – Climate Change and the Oceans

Cows and Climate

Methane emissions are responsible for more than 25 percent of the global warming we are experiencing today. Due to its structure, methane traps more heat in the atmosphere per molecule than carbon dioxide (CO2), making it 80 times more harmful than CO2 for 20 years after it is released. Cattle are the world’s leading agricultural source of greenhouse emissions. A single cow emits approximately 220 pounds of methane every year. Cows and other farm animals account for around 14% of human-induced climate emissions, and methane from their burps and manure is seen as the biggest cause of global warming.

Warming Seas

Methane emissions from cattle are one of the reasons for global warming. Now what? Rising temperatures increase the likelihood of irreversible loss of marine and coastal ecosystems. Today, significant effects have been documented, including damage to coral reefs and mangroves that support ocean life, as well as species migration to higher latitudes and altitudes where the water may be colder. Some 14% of the world’s coral reefs were lost between 2008 and 2019, a report says rising ocean temperatures killed 14% of the world’s coral reefs.

Climate-Friendly Eating

According to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization, meat and dairy production accounts for around 14% of total emissions. Simply lowering our consumption of these by two meals per week can have a significant influence. Limit your portion sizes to limit your consumption of high impact animal-based goods.Options for reducing methane include alternative feeds for cattle, reducing food loss and waste, and cutting meat and dairy production. Cutting back on meat and eating a predominantly plant-based diet has also a beneficial environmental impact. According to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization, meat and dairy production accounts for around 14% of total emissions. Simply lowering our consumption of these two meals can have a significant influence.

Fishing for Feed – A Fishy Cycle

What’s in the Feed?

Because of its high protein content and excellent amino acid balance for aquatic animals, fish meal is very popular in aquaculture feeds. Fish meal is now used mostly in animal feed, particularly for chicken, swine, mink, and farm-raised fish.

Overfishing and Ocean Health

When too many fish are taken away from the ocean, an imbalance is created that can damage the food chain and lead to the extinction of other essential marine life, especially vulnerable species such as sea turtles and corals. The Mediterranean Sea is the world’s most overfished ocean. Over the last fifty years, fish populations have declined substantially. Because there are so many people in this part of the world, this body of water has been attempting to support more people than it can, which is damaging the environment. A world without fish is a terrifying thought. Life as we know it would be impossible without them. Many of the ocean’s important functions will be lost, resulting in a decreased quality of life. People will starve as one of their primary food sources is gone.

Supporting Sustainable Seafood

Did you know that eating irresponsibly caught fish is not only one of the most serious threats to marine environments and species, but it also has a detrimental influence on your health? Sustainable fish is high in omega-3, minerals, and vitamins. However, unsustainable, as a result of overfishing some commonly eaten species contain harmful chemicals and contaminants like PCBs and mercury.This is because overfishing has forced these popularly eaten species to change their eating habits to species that are found deeper and have higher levels of mercury and PDBs. Sustainable seafood not only involves safeguarding the maritime habitat and the fish population but it also refers to buying sustainable farmed fish with the health of the oceans and future generations in mind.

Learn more about high levels of mercury and PCBs in the aquatic food chain

Conclusion

Connecting the Dots

Researchers agree that agriculture poses the single largest threat to our oceans and marine life just as overfishing and habitat loss have impacted it as well. According to experts, modifying our diet may assist to decrease the impacts of CO2 emissions. A subtle shift in diets can have massive impacts.

Understanding how all environments are interconnected allows us to better produce food that fits our current needs while also protecting our oceans for future generations.

For more information on sustainable practices, you may visit these websites:

How does animal agriculture pollute water? | Farm Forward

How small changes to our diet can benefit the planet

Nonpoint Source: Agriculture | US EPA

Be informed with the latest information about Ocean Conservation:

https://ita.lci.temporary.site/category/ocean-conservation/

Learn More about coral reefs and diving environments with these articles:

https://ita.lci.temporary.site/diving-environments-explored/

https://ita.lci.temporary.site/10-astonishing-facts-about-coral-reefs/

Updated on: December 04, 2023