18th Mar 2019
Helping in Marine Conservation and Preservation Programs
“You can’t comprehend the real beauty of sharks until you can look into their eyes and witness them in their natural environment.” - Mike Coots, Shark-Bite Survivor, Professional Photographer, PADI Open Water Diver
As an inspiration above, certified scuba diver Mike Coots lost his right leg to a tiger shark while bodyboarding in Hawaii. That did not stop him from moving forward though as he is now making it his advocacy to let others understand the behavior of sharks better. Despite his accident with the tiger shark, Mike Coots resolved even more to appreciate their beauty and is now working to find the best way to save sharks.
Although our lifestyle may be far from the marine industry, we can still do our part in preserving our ocean’s ecosystem. Just like Mr. Coots, there are many individuals who help in promoting marine conservation and also organizations that promote sustainable eco-tourism around our areas. We just need to do a quick search online and find one that best fits our standards.
With that, here are some of the programs that promote sustainable living and marine preservation which you can be a part of if you want.
Is a Water & Recycle Project which as its name suggests, aims to reduce the use of plastic and other waste in the ocean, help everyone to be more aware of its ill effects to marine life and make everybody become a more responsible citizen in preserving natural resources, both in water and land.
SEA SHEPHERD CONSERVATION SOCIETY
Since its founding in 1977, this conservation society have already launched many campaigns that aims to prevent dolphin hunts in Taiji and also chase out Japanese whalers out of their sanctuaries for whales. And as their mission states, they want to “end the destruction of habitat and the slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species.”
AMERICAN CETACEAN SOCIETY
The society's main aim is to protect the habitats of dolphins, whales and porpoises by getting everyone to get involved and educate them with the importance of these creatures to our society as a whole. It's founding partners are Elizabeth “Bemi” DeBus and Dr. Clark Cameron, with the society officially launched on November 3, 1967.