Simply calling an area of ocean a 'marine protected area' does not make it so

Ideally discards of marine life accidentally caught whilst fishing should be minimized by not catching non-targets in the first place. 

We are constantly on the search for ideas on how to improve our current technologies, like those used in agriculture or in medicine.  Searches can lead us to looking into the natural environment, revealing an array of compounds that can prove extremely useful.

These days its rare to find humans living far from other animals, even those that spend a large portion of their lives in the sea.  Sometimes, like with the Galapagos sea lions on San Cristobal island, they are very close neighbours.

Surely if a species becomes too rare, it will eventually become uneconomical to hunt - even if they are worth a lot of money....so exploitation will stop?  Not so!

So my lovely readers living out in the USA, just how much of the marine ecosystem in your state waters is afforded strong protection? Probably not that much.

A number of wealthy folk are ploughing some of their money into scientific research.

Cuteness is part of the reason why the public got behind the campaign for 'dolphin friendly tuna' back in the 80's and 90's.

The Ocean Health Index has been broadened to take into account social and ecological pressures that reduce biodiversity – including looking at the social and governance factors.