TRANSITIONS, WORD CHOICE,
CONCISENESS
Loss -- it surrounds me. Loss brought on by change. I have outlived many friends and family for reasons I still cannot fully comprehend. When I was younger there were more of us; not only seahorses, but of all sealife. Growing up, I witnessed the slow changes.
I could feel the difference in the water. Each summer that passed seemed to cause a more devastating change in temperature. Even as a child this worried me. I asked my father, ÒAre we going to boil to death?Ó My father laughed -- his tail curling in and out with every cackle. >GOODÒNo, son,Ó he replied, ÒYou are correct about the change, but not about our death. Our way of life is hardly affected by temperature change.Ó His tone was reassuring, but there was a hesitation in his eyes. I chose to trust him anyways.
My fatherÕs words were enough comfort for some time, yet I could not help but see the changes around me. There were undeniably fewer of us. It was hard for me to accept the claim that we were not being affected, so I reached out for his wisdoms again.
ÒFather,Ó I asked, ÒWhy are so many of us dying off? If it is not the temperature what can it be?Ó
ÒAh.Ó he sighed, ÒI knew this day would come. As IÕm sure youÕve learned, there is a whole world outside of ours. On the ground walks the most intelligent and powerful specie -- the human. They have the world and all its resources in the palm of their hands. Sadly, they choose to use it very selfishly -- doing and taking whatever they want without considering how it affects the others on earth. They use our home for their waste.< GOOD They take our lives for their plates.Ó<GOOD
I was dumbfounded. I had no idea that this change was unnatural, much less unnecessary. I had so many questions, so many concerns. Why would they cause this destruction? How much longer could we go on like this? If these humans were supposed to be so intelligent how could they be so blind to what they were doing? Or what if they were aware, how were they emotionally capable of exerting such harm? From this day on I was much more aware of the unnecessary cruelties that were being exerted on us.
As time went on I witnessed the effects first hand. On a day I thought would be like any other, a group of us were feeding by the reef -- or at least trying. Just like our species, our food source had also been depleted, requiring us to venture into foreign territory. As we journeyed into unfamiliar water, a darkness set over us. Thinking it was simply the masses of the sky, we kept on. But a feeling of suspicion crept over me -- my instincts kicked in as the shadow moved from through surface into the water. This was no shadow, but a net. I screamed to warm the others as I swam away for my life. We were panic stricken. We had heard rumors of these ropes of capture; taking us to the surface, never to return.>GOOD I swam as fast as my tail would allow, but I was not as fast as I once was. At the time, I was still carrying my children! Their weight may have been holding me back, but my instincts were pushing me forward. I would not let this be the end for us. I swam and swam until I was in the clear, never taking the time to look back before then.
A lot of us were lost that day. I will never see many of my close friends and neighbors again. Worst of all, I will never know what would happen to them after their capture. Since that day I have been extremely conscious of my surroundings -- always avoiding unknown water and constantly warning my children of the dangers of the humans. For now, I know that I can protect myself and my children, but I worry for the days after I am gone. Knowing the humans, their methods will persist and only get worse. I cannot help but worry about the world they are leaving for my grandchildrenÉ if they leave any world at all.
We humans take this world granted. Moreover, we take it as ours without considering the notion that our actions do have an effect on other animals that inhabit it. The damage that we inflict on the environment is near irreversible. To us, the problem is not so severe, but to most animals, the effects have already had significant impact. The seahorse is one of the many animals that have experienced the negative consequences of our changing environment. Climate change coupled with water pollution and capture has secured the seahorse a spot on the endangered species list.
One of the first parts of the ocean to be affected by pollution and climate change is coastal water, the area that seahorses inhabit. Coastal waterÕs key characteristics is coral. Coral serves as the home to many sea creatures, including the seahorse. If coral is affected, itÕs inhabitants are as well. Deforestation, one of manÕs greatest threats to the environment, has resulted in negative effects on the ocean -- chiefly to coral. Deforestation has led to Òincreased siltation in surrounding marine watersÉ suffocating sea grass bed and killing coral reefs.Ó[3] On top of deforestations effect on coral, marine pollution caused by humans has taken a toll on the seahorsesÕ environment as well. With simple change in water temperature, seahorses are able to adapt with little change to their lifestyle and eating habits.[4] Yet, temperature change coupled with acidification from pollution has inhibited said adaption. This has resulted in reduced feeding and ventilation rates along with greater lethargy for the seahorse.[5] Like humans, these are not positive lifestyle changes for the seahorse. Lethargy and reduced feeding can result in poor nutrition while decreased ventilation results in more strain on the body. All these combined can shorten the life of the seahorse, aiding in the shrinking in their population.
The same actions that have hurt coastal regions have also
affected the seahorses food source. Seahorses feed on plankton and other small fish such as
shrimp and copepods.[6] The smaller the population of these
animals, the
harder it is for seahorses to feed, resulting in more competition between
seahorses. With insufficient feed, many seahorses cannot survive.
One of the larger, unnatural effects on the seahorse population is fishing. Humans all over the world fish for seahorses for multiple reasons. In China, seahorses are used as a form of medicine. ÒThe Traditional Medicine Trade industry takes approximately 150 million seahorses per year from the wild for use mainly as natural aphrodisiacs.Ó[8] Women eat dried seahorses because of their high levels of collagen while children are fed them to improve growth rates. Seahorses are also hunted for aquariums all over the world. They are commonly sought after because of their interesting colors and Òmythical like qualities.Ó Sadly, they Òdo not adapt well to captivity, with less than 0.1% surviving the first six weeks due to their inability to eat non living feeds.Ó[9] If this type of fishing was not uneccessary enough, seahorses are also hunted for souvenirs and jewelry. ÒOver 1 million per annum are consumedÓ purely for the benefit of vanity.[10] Even in the case of their medical use, they are not aiding or curing serious injuries or disease, instead they are being used for superficial Òimperfections.Ó
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOy7_k0PrV4&feature=youtu.be
While it may seem like little is being done to preserve the seahorse population, there are many efforts in place to try to preserve the seahorse before it is too late. The first step in any issue is awareness. Many people are completely oblivious to the effects that humans have on the climate and animals. This ignorance blinds people from the effects of their actions; actions that can lead to dire circumstances, not only for animals, but for humans as well. Once people are aware, they can make the change to help. Organizations devoted to preserving the seahorse have called for both marine reserves and conservation through cultivation. Reserves have been one of the most Òeffective methodsÓ to return ÒecosystemsÉ to their natural state.Ó[11] The goal of cultivated conservation is to meet the human demand in order to Òrelieve huge pressure that is felt by the wild population which is currently being overfished.Ó>DOC These methods are not difficult to put in place, but are challenging to get the support behind. Even when they are implemented, many people choose to ignore them. If there was a way to unite the effort internationally, great changes could be made for the seahorse population.
Seahorses, like most other animals, are being negatively impacted by humans and their selfish actions. The possible loss of a species has unknown effects on the ecosystem it once inhabited. More importantly, humans should be more cognizant of the fact that this world belongs to other beings as well. Humans act with solely their best interest in mind, worrying little about their impact on othersÉ until it affects them. Viewing ourselves as ÒsuperiorÓ is not enough of a justification to single handedly destroy other animals and their environment. A change in heart leads to a change in mind, resulting in a change in actions.