UNITED NATIONS, Jun 08 (APP):UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for greater action to protect oceans, citing harvesting of over a third of global fish stocks at unsustainable levels as an example of how human activity is harming the world’s seas.<\/p>\n
In his message to mark World Oceans Day, being observed on Thursday, he said, \u201cThe ocean is the foundation of life. It supplies the air we breathe and the food we eat. It regulates our climate and weather. The ocean is our planet\u2019s greatest reservoir of biodiversity.”<\/p>\n
Besides these benefits, the ocean also produces resources that sustain communities, prosperity and health. Worldwide, more than a billion people alone rely on fish as their main source of protein.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should be the ocean\u2019s best friend. But right now, humanity is its worst enemy,\u201d he said, pointing to the evidence.<\/p>\n
The UN chief said human-induced climate change was heating the planet, disrupting weather patterns and ocean currents, and altering marine ecosystems and the species living there.<\/p>\n
Marine biodiversity is also under attack from overfishing, over-exploitation and ocean acidification, fish stocks are being depleted, and coastal waters have been polluted with chemicals, plastics and human wastes.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut this year\u2019s World Oceans Day reminds us that the tides are changing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Guterres recalled that last December, countries adopted an ambitious global target to conserve and manage 30 per cent of land, and marine and coastal areas, by the end of the decade.<\/p>\n
The past year also saw a landmark agreement on fisheries subsidies, and the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, where the world agreed to push for more positive action.<\/p>\n
Negotiations for a global, legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution are currently underway, and in March, countries agreed to the historic High Seas Treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.<\/p>\n
\u201cRealizing the great promise of these initiatives requires collective commitment,\u201d Guterres said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis World Oceans Day let\u2019s keep pushing for action. Today and every day, let\u2019s put the ocean first.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is not a single global problem today, be it climate change, food security or poverty, that can be solved without considering the ocean as part of the solution, according to the UN\u2019s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).<\/p>\n
The ocean is already the main source of protein for more than a billion people around the world and offers many opportunities to help feed the growing global population, the UN agency said.<\/p>\n
Manuel Barange, FAO\u2019s Director of Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy and Resources, highlighted the rapid development of aquaculture – the farming of fish and aquatic plants:<\/p>\n
\u201cAquaculture has been the fastest growing food production system for the last five decades, from virtually zero three or four decades ago, to now virtually the same production as capture fisheries\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe expect aquaculture to grow by about 25 per cent between now and the end of this decade.\u201d<\/p>\n
FAO has spearheaded a Blue Transformation Initiative which promotes aquatic foods as part of the solution to hunger and malnutrition.<\/p>\n
It aims to ensure that fisheries are managed effectively and sustainably, and that the value chain of aquatic foods is transparent to the consumer.<\/p>\n
The agency says that about 600 million people depend on fisheries and aquaculture for their livelihoods.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS, Jun 08 (APP):UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for greater action to protect oceans, citing harvesting of over a third of global fish stocks at unsustainable levels as an example of how human activity is harming the world’s seas. In his message to […]<\/p>\n
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