It is well known the damage we have caused to the environment after thousands of years of practices that directly or indirectly threaten our planet, but at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel and we find it in the "fish carbon", where we could see a potential to face the challenge of climate change and prevent the global loss of biodiversity.
The oceans and all marine life play a central role in stabilizing the Earth's climate. They provide a vital source of food for a large number of species in the water and on land, and regulate the amount of CO2 that remains in the atmosphere, absorbing 30% of global emissions.
"Fish carbon" is a term used to describe the carbon interactions of all marine vertebrates that contribute to the sequestration of CO2 from the oceans: turtles, seabirds, mammals such as whales and dolphins, and fish such as sharks, tuna and sardines. The natural processes of marine life that facilitate the sequestration of atmospheric carbon allow carbon to be stored benignly in the deep ocean and provide a potential buffer against acidification.
Science has recently revealed that natural biological processes in whales can help trap carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and mitigate climate change. These processes are commonly referred to as "whale carbon" and can take different forms.
Whales eat a lot and excrete enormous amounts of nutrients that help phytoplankton grow. When whales swim from the deep ocean to the surface, they also increase the availability of nutrients to phytoplankton. Like plants on land, phytoplankton absorb carbon dioxide. More phytoplankton means more carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere.
Whales are also large and long-lived. This means they store a lot of carbon in their bodies for long periods of time. When they die and sink to the bottom of the ocean, they take all that carbon with them to places where it can stay buried for millennia.
Much work remains to be done to measure the value of whale carbon and harness it for climate action. However, the number of countries that have endorsed the resolutions of the International Whaling Commission clearly indicates that there is great potential interest in the role that whales and other marine species can play in combating climate change.
On the other hand, coastal and marine ecosystems, including mangrove forests, seagrass meadows and saltwater marshes, contribute to livelihoods and well-being around the world. These "blue forests" are vital to coastal and island communities because of the many services they provide, such as protecting shorelines, providing essential habitat for fisheries, and sustaining marine biodiversity. They are also important to our global climate by storing and sequestering atmospheric carbon, giving them additional value and importance in the global climate challenge.
At Pescatore Seafood we implement all protocols to achieve sustainable fisheries for the environment and the right to healthy food.
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