Executive Summary

Agriculture and Our Oceans

A Conflicting Story

There is a relationship between our oceans and the way that we get our food. Modern Agriculture threatens our oceans and contributes to climate change. Threats to the ocean are risks to one of our most vital resources. Our oceans give us food, absorbs solar radiation and regulates

the Earth’s climate. By exploring problems that agriculture has had on the oceans, we can begin to solve larger issues.

The process of growing crops has had repercussions on the ocean. It has specifically impacted fisheries and has been detrimental to the ocean as a food source. It is critical to sustainably reform Agriculture to solve planetary and oceanic issues. Sustainable Agricultural practices adhere to natural ecological processes and can benefit the environment.

The ocean feeds the planet. It provides 16% of the world’s protein consumption. Therefore, oceanic health is essential in attaining Global Food Security. The ability to feed the world grows more important as the population expands. Food security is threatened by deforestation, saturation of dead zones and a rising sea-level. Unfortunately, much of this is due to Agricultural impact.

Even the simplest forms of Agriculture have proven problematic. The over-use of nutrient-rich fertilizers have caused suffering fisheries. Animal waste as well as phosphorus and nitrogen rich fertilizer runoff causes Eutrophication in oceans and lakes. Nutrients cause explosive algal blooms that leach life from bodies of water, forming dead zones. The success of one major food source has hindered the success of another in an unfortunate food catch twenty-two.

The condition of the ocean will be directly influenced by Agriculture. It is one of our most deliberate relationships with the ocean. By securing oceanic health, we can achieve global food security and begin to rectify climate change. Embracing sustainability will put less emphasis on the Agricultural system that has had a negative impact on our lives. All life on the planet began in the sea and all life on the planet depends on it.

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Figure 1: The World’s Fish Supply is changing over time.

Figure 2: The alarming declination of fish populations over

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