Just as the heart and the brain are integral parts of our body, the oceans are one of most integral resources on the earth today. Unfortunately it has turned out of be one of our largest dumping grounds as well. In addition to supporting the livelihood of hundreds of millions of people around the world, the ocean provides us with amazing eco-solutions such as alternative renewable energy we ourselves are threatening them. According to the Department of Oceanography at the University of Dhaka, the following factors have been identified as the main issues in oceans of Bangladesh such as the Bay of Bengal.

1. Overfishing: The Draining the Life from the Water

Overfishing is a serious issue these days and is leaving major impacts on our oceans. It not only contributes to the wiping out of fishes, but also disrupts the entire marine life ecosystem since numerous marine animals are highly dependent on these fishes. Overfishing is leading to the starvation of marine animals as we are taking their food out of the oceans for our consumption. Many scientists around the world estimate the many seas require a long term fishing ban in order to ensure that the population of marine animals can recover.And at the same time, numerous things much be changed in the procedures we fish. Destructive methods such as the way we pull catches, including bottom trawling which damages the sea floor habitat which also reels in many unwanted fishes and animals which are ultimately tossed aside. We pull out way too many fishes to make fishing a sustainable practice. This is resulting in pushing many species to the point of threatened, endangered and even extinction.Major reasons for fishes include the high demand for fish consumption. Thus more fishes translate to more income for the fishermen. Other factors that promote overfishing include the promotion of health benefits of fish consumption. In order to keep fisheries sustainable, knowledge of what seafood can be sustainable eaten, along with the species of sea food and the method in which it is caught must be communicated to all the relevant stakeholders. As consumers, it is our duty to question the servers in restaurants, sushi chefs and seafood providers about the sources of their fish, and carefully read the labels of seafood products when we buy them from the shelves.There are numerous resources on the internet on sustainable ways of fish consumption and thus we must take initiatives to promote them to our respective communities.

2. The Hunt for the Fins: The Killing of the Ocean?s Predators

Overfishing is a larger issue than impacts familiar species such as the bluefin tuna and the orange roughy.

It is also a serious issues for sharks. Tens of millions of sharks are killed every year, mainly for their fins. It is a very common practice to catch sharks, cut their fins off and then toss them back into the ocean where they are left to die. Fins are mainly sold as ingredients for soup. The amount of waste created in this process is outrageous. As sharks are predators, which means they are at the top of the food chain, their reproduction rate is relatively slow. Their population is not easily restored after overfishing. In addition, the status of predators help to regulate the number of species in any ecosystem. And when we take the major predator out of this system, species lower on the food chain start to overpopulate and ultimately create a destructive downward spiral of the ecosystem.

Being a very damaging practice, Shark finning needs to end if we are to maintain the semblance of balance. Fortunately a growing awareness on the unsustainability is helping to reduce the popularity of shark fin soups in some parts of the world.

3. Ocean Acidification

Ocean acidification is turning into a major issue for the oceans. The basic cause of acidification is that the ocean absorbs Carbon Dioxide through natural processes. But however at the alarming rate at which we are pumping it into the atmosphere through the increased burning of fossil fuels, the ocean?s pH balance is dropping and ultimately harming the marine life and ecosystem. According to Jelle Bijma, chair of the EuroCLIMATE programme Scientific Committee and a biogeochemist at the Alfred-Wegener-Institute Bremerhaven, "Ocean acidification is more rapid than ever in the history of the earth and if you look at the pCO2 (partial pressure of carbon dioxide) levels we have reached now, you have to go back 35 million years in time to find the equivalents"Scary, right? In the foreseeable future , there is a tipping point where the oceans will become too acidic to support life which cannot quickly adapt to changing environments. Basically this will result in many species such as shellfishes and corals being wiped out.

4. The Dying of the Coral Reefs and A Scary Downward Spiral

Ensuring that the coral reefs stay healthy is a major buzz topic in the world right now. Since coral reefs support a large amount of small sea life, which in turn supports the larger sea creatures and the people both by being a factor in consumption and economic dependence, it is extremely important to protect our coral reefs. Global warming is said to be the main cause behind Coral Bleaching. There are many other other reasons as well and modern science is working on developing solutions. Current solutions should work on developing marine conservation sites and researching on methods to protect their entire life support system in order to maintain the health of the oceans.

5. Increasing Ocean Dead Zones

Dead zones are basically parts of the oceans which do not support life due to a lack of oxygen and global warming being a prime culprit for the shifts in ocean behaviors which are leading to the creation of dead zones. The number of dead zones are increasing at an alarming rate, with about 400 existing currently, and the number is expected to grow.Dead zone research underscores the interdependence and interconnectedness of our planet earth. Some research have concluded that even crop biodiversity on land can help prevent dead zones in the ocean by reducing or eliminating the usage of fertilizers and pesticides which are ultimately washed into the oceans and are contributing to the creation of dead zones as well. Since we are dumping things into the oceans, we must take responsibility and know about our roles in creating the lifelessness in an integral ecosystem we are highly dependent on.

6. Mercury Pollution

Pollution in oceans in increasing by the day and one of the most pollutants, mercury, is ending up on our dinner tables. Scientists predict that mercury levels in the oceans are predicted to rise. So you must be wondering where the mercury originates from? Well, it mostly comes from coal plants. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, coal powered plants are said to be the largest industrial source of mercury. This mercury is absorbed by the organisms living in the bottom of the food chain and as larger fishes consume the smaller ones, it comes to to the top of the food chain, to us in the form of the fish and seafood, notably in the form of tuna.It is possible to calculate how much tuna one can safely eat and while the fact that calculating one?s fish consumption to avoid poisoning is quite depressing, we must always keep in mind the dangers in order to straighten up our act..

Geoengineering: A possible solution?

One possible solution in bring oceans back to life includes Geoengineering, dumping limestones in the oceans and water bodies to balance the pH levels of the ocean and the negative impacts of the Carbon Dioxide we pump into the air. There are numerous ideas that claim will save us from ourselves such as ocean iron fertilization to fertilizing trees with nitrogen, from biochar to carbon sinks. But while these ideas hold a seed of promise to a better future, they also each hold of lot  of controversies which may or may not keep them from coming seeing the light of day.

Sustained Conservation

It is true that conservation efforts are lacking but that doesn't mean they're not making any impacts. In some parts of the world, even records are even being set for how much marine area is being conserved. It's all just ideas and dreams if we don't implement and enforce the regulations we create, and get more innovative with them.

All these scenarios are not only evident in the Bay of Bengal, but also in oceans around the world, mostly those which are around developing countries. We must immediately take measures in order to ensure a more sustainable future for the world and our future generations.