Here is an essay on the ‘Bio-Diversity of Oceans’ for class 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. Find paragraphs, long and short essays on the ‘Bio-Diversity of Oceans’ especially written for school and college students.
Essay on the Bio-Diversity of Oceans
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Essay Contents:
- Essay on the Bering Sea
- Essay on Leatherback Turtles in South Pacific
- Essay on the Protection to Krills of Antarctica
- Essay on the Basking Sharks at UK Seas
- Essay on Gray Whales in the North Pacific Ocean
- Essay on New Marine Parks South Africa
- Essay on Fish Stock Dead in North and South Antarctic Ocean
- Essay on Coral Sea and Marine Bio-Diversity
- Essay on The Great Barrier Reef
- Essay on Tuna Stocks Depleting in Atlantic Ocean
- Essay on Monk Seals of Mediterranean Sea
- Essay on Orissa Sea Turtle in Danger
- Essay on New Species in Indonesian Sea
- Essay on British Columbia’s Sea Lions
- Essay on Coelocanth in Indian Ocean
- Essay on The Atlantic Cod Endangered
- Essay on Pollution in the Ocean
- Essay on Global Warming: Impact on the Oceans
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1. The Bering Sea:
This sea is in the extreme north of Kamchatka Peninsula of Russian and Aleutian Islands. This is the colder sea and known for several dozens of cold climate fishes, crabs, and whales.
The North Pacific Right whales Eubelaena glacialis is an endangered species of whale now. For two days, the locations of Right Whales were searched out in the Bering Sea. According to the scientists of the National Oceanic and US Marine fisheries, the numbers of the Right Whales was found double in this survey. These new sightings increased the number of whales from 13 to 25.
The Right Whale is one of the most amazing discoveries. There has been a small but a recovering population in the Eastern North Pacific Sea but illegal harvesting has had a serious impact and there have been concerns that the species was fighting for its existence. Recently, there have also been sightings of several threatened blue whales in remote waters, in the Gulf of Alaska.
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2. Leatherback Turtles in South Pacific:
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The leatherback turtles in South Pacific Ocean Islands are being protected with a broad based programme.
The environmentalists and local villagers from all over Melanesia recently met in the Horiara in the Solomon Islands to develop 93 year plan of priority actions to support regional Turtle Conservation Programme in the South Pacific Ocean Islands.
The plan focuses, particularly on the leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) whose numbers in the pacific regions have fallen by 97% in 22 years.
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3. Protection to Krills of Antarctica:
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Krills are the shellfish in the colder oceans and are the main food of whales. The whale lovers all over the world are trying to protect the krills in the oceans. If there are krills in the sea, there are whales and if the krills (the shellfish) is gone, the life of the whales is always in danger as the krills are their main food chains. Citing to a reliable report there is 40 percent decline in the population of krills in the seas. The main reason of this is considered to be pollution and global warming.
A research team from the British Antarctic Survey has suggested that the krill population is declining with the retreat of the winter slice, which most scientists believe is being driven by global climate change. Krills are mainly caught as food for domestic animals and fish, and while the fishery relatively small at present; most observers expect that to change rapidly as technology allows krill to be harvested more efficiently. The commission for the conservation of Antarctic Living Marine Resources, which regulates southern ocean fisheries, travels to have a new monitoring framework in place before any boom on the krill fisheries.
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4. Basking Sharks at UK Seas:
Basking shark is being protected at the 200 nautical miles at the UK seas. The basking sharks (catorhinos maximus) are among the rarest sea-animals and are found in British waters and expanded colder waters. The basking sharks have been listed on Appendix I and II of the Bonn Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), strengthening protection measures in international waters.
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The UK Marine Conservation Society has compiled a proposal which was submitted to Convention on Migratory Species Conference of Parties, which was held in Nairobi in November. Listing the Basking sharks under the convention means the country should work with the adjacent sea nearby states.
Basking sharks have been protected in UK waters since 1998 under the Wildlife and Countryside Act but beyond Zoo nautical boundary of UK jurisdiction, the species is vulnerable to exploitation. It is widely accepted that fishing for basking sharks are not sustainable due to the species life history, characteristics of low numbers of offspring per adult and slow growth rates.
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5. Gray Whales in the North Pacific Ocean:
The declining of Gray whales in the waters of North Pacific Ocean has worried the whale lovers and conservation organizations all over the world. The Grey whale’s feeding grounds are around Sakhalin Island. It was thought that there were only 23 breeding female western gray whale out of a total population of 100.
International Whaling Commission in a meeting had explained in July 2004 that there was a great need to protect the gray whales. The UK had put forward a resolution which was accepted by 57 member nations. Any construction, drilling and development work in and around Sakhalin Island has been banned for some time forbidden.
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6. New Marine Parks South Africa:
The South Africa sea coasts are amazingly beautiful for their scenic beauty. The marine bio-diversity is known for its richness.
The South African government has created some new Marine Parks in the coastal area. In this way the country’s protected marine coastline has increased from 11 to 18%. The four areas are – The Aliwal shoal is a sub-tidal coral reef of Umkomass that protects threatened sharks, Pondoland, including 90 kilometer coastline near Port St. Johns, which extends 15 kilometers seawards, marking the start of the ‘Sardine Run’ Bird Island in the Algoa Bay that includes many rare and threatened seabird species, and Cape Peninsula, that includes all coastal waters around Table Mountain National Park.
A fifth marine protected area is planned off Namaqualand at 9,70,000 hectare will be South Africa’s largest marine park.
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7. Fish Stock Dead in North and South Antarctic Ocean:
The United States of America is the largest exporters of seafood to the world. The North and South Atlantics which has most of the richest fish colonies are depleted because of over fishing. It is a well-established fact to it that North and South Atlantic Oceans have been popular fish stocks of different species. Because of over fishing most of the stocks of fishes were depleted.
The four stocks are:
1. White Flounder
2. Blacktip Sharks
3. South Atlantic and
4. Gulf of Mexico.
Later on, over fishing was halted for spiny dog fish, summer flounder, South Atlantic yellow snapper, North Atlantic swordfish and black tip shark. Out of a total of 894 federally managed fish stocks, 76 are classified as over fished and 60 are experiencing overfishing.
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8. Coral Sea and Marine Bio-Diversity:
Coral Sea has richest bio-diversity in the world. The name Coral Sea is given because of coral reef from Gulf of Papua New Guinea to the North West of Queensland State of Australia. The Coral Sea is amazingly known for its marine bio-diversity.
The Coral Sea is spread between 45° to 160° Longitudinal of the Globe along Queensland State of Australia. It is popularly known for its amazing fishes, molluscs, crustaceans, sponge, clams, sharks, whales, crocodiles, turtles, Dugongs dugons, water birds and other marine animals are found in large numbers.
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9. The Great Barrier Reef:
The Great Barrier Reef has been divided in 70 bio-regions of which 30 are reef bio-regions and 40 are non-reef bio-regions. In the northern part of the Great Barrier Reef, ribbon reefs and deltaic reefs have been formed. These structures are not found in the rest of the Great Barrier Reef System.
There are no atolls in the reef system and reefs attached to the mainland are rare. Fringing reefs are distributed widely but are most common towards the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef System. These Fringe reefs are mainly attached to the high-lands.
Among them are Whitsunday Islands, Lagoonal Reefs are also found in the Southern Great Barrier Reef, but some of these are found further north, off the coast of Princess Charlotte Bay. Crescentic Reefs are the main features of reef in the middle.
The Great Barrier Reef supports a rich bio-diversity. Some of them are quite vulnerable or endangered species, some of which may be endemic to the reef system. The fishes are with many colours, shapes and sizes. These are the most impressive creatures in Coral Sea. More than 1500 species of fish live on the reef, including of the clown fish, and coral trout.
Forty-nine species are known to the mass spawn, with eighty four other species found on the reef spawning elsewhere in the range. There are thirty species of whales, dolphins and porpoises which have been recorded in the Great Barrier Reef, including the minke whale, Indo-Pacific humpback, dolphin and the humpback whale. Large population of Dugongs live there.
Six species of sea turtles come to the reef to breed – the green sea turtle, leather back sea turtle, harksbill turtle, logger head sea turtle, slatback turtle and the olive ridley turtle. The green sea turtle have two distinct populations – one on the northern part of the sea, the other in the southern part. Fifteen species of sea grasses in the beds of islands attracts Dugongs and turtles and provide a habitat for fish. The most common genera of sea grass are Halophile and Holodule. There are salt water crocodiles with low population diversity.
There are 125 species of sharks, stingray, skates or chimera which live on the reef. Around 5000 species of molluscs have been recorded on the reef, including the giant clam and various nudi branches and cone snails. Forty-nine species of pipe fish, nine species of sea horse have been recorded. There are seven species of frogs in the islands.
The birds are major attractions in the water as well as the islands. 215 species of birds (25 species sea birds and 92 species shore birds) are attracted to the reef for nesting and roosting on the island including white belied sea eagle and roseate tern. Every year 1.4 million to 1.7 million birds are using the reef as breeding ground.
Four hundred species of corals (both hard and soft corals) are found on the reef. Majority of corals sperm gametes; breeding in mass spawning events that are controlled by the rising sea-temperatures of spring and summer, the Lunar cycle and the diurel cycle.
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world. It is composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands. The Great Barrier Reef is spread up to 2,600 kilometers over an area of 344,400 square kilometers. The reef is located in the Coral Sea off the coast of Queensland in northeast Australia.
The Reef’s structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps. The Great Coral Reef has been declared the World Heritage Site in 1981. CNN has considered it among the 7 natural wonders of the world. The Queensland National Trust has named it state icon of the Queensland.
The Reef first became known to European when the Hum Bark Endeavour, captained by James Cook, ran aground there on June 11, 1770 sustaining considerable damage. It was finally saved after lightening the ship as much as possible and reflating it during an incoming tide. One of the most famous wreak saw that of the HMS Pandora, which sank on August 29, 1791 killing 35 people. The Queensland museum is conducting archeological digs at the site of Pandora since 1983.
Endangered Turtles of Hawaii:
The sea turtles of Hawaii archipelago are always trapped into the fishing nets of the fishermen. Every year several wounded sea turtles are killed by fishing nets during fishing. The fishermen also use fluorescent lights to lure codfish to the hooks and these also attract turtles. These trappings become quite fatal for the sea turtles. The turtles when trapped in fishing nets for hours live in the sea water and this makes them difficult to breath as a result they die in the nets.
The Earth Justice Legal Defence Fund is taking legal action against those fishermen who kill the turtles.
Dugongs in Coral Sea:
Dugongs Dugon, an amphibian mammal will be protected in the Great Barrier Reef. The Australian government has proposed a 6000 kilometers increase in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park so that the entire system is protected. A number of the new protected areas include sea grass beds that are of vital importance to dugongs (Dugong dugons). Once the Queensland government approved the proposals, the new areas will be included in the Park under the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act, 1975.
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10. Tuna Stocks Depleting in Atlantic Ocean:
The continuous fishing and over fishing in the seas have depleted the rich stocks of fishes in the ocean. The stocks of Tuna in the Atlantic Ocean are depleting sharply. The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas has failed to take appropriate action to help severely depleted population of Bluefin tuna (Thunnus thunnus).
It is acknowledged that Western Atlantic Bluefin tuna are severely overfished and the commission has increased the catch question of three nations involved in the fishery i.e. Canada, Japan and USA.
Ban on the Shrimps:
The shrimps and the crabs in the Bering Sea and Atlantic Ocean are continuously depleting because of fishing. The Bering Sea shrimps and crabs contractors catch every day of the value of 5 million US dollars. The other contractors may also kill the shrimp and crabs of the same value or less or more than this. The over exploitation of such marine animals is making their stocks exhaust.
Secondly, the World Trade Organization has ordered the VSAT lift the ban on imports of shrimps caught in nets that ensured and killed, estimated 1,50,000 endangered sea turtles every year. India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand claimed that the embargo on their shrimp exports was discriminatory and unfair waver to free trade. The USA may face retaliatory trade sanctions if the embargo is not lifted.
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11. Monk Seals of Mediterranean Sea:
The monk seals in the Mediterranean Sea are on the verge of extinction off the coast of Mauritania. It is estimated that only 600 Monk seals (Monachus monachus) survive in the Mediterranean Sea. They live mostly in small groups. The death of 200 Monk seals out of 270 is a subject of great concern to marine life lovers.
It is said that a dolphin micro virus similar to that causes distemper in dogs and is being blamed for huge death toll among the Mediterranean Monk seals.
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12. Orissa Sea Turtle in Danger:
The sea beaches of Orissa are considered as the safe haven for the nesting of sea turtles, particularly olive ridley turtles. For the past several years, it has been found that olive ridleys (Lepidochelys olivaceae) nesting areas are being disturbed by the fishermen, dogs and eagles. The marine turtles are found dead several times during the period of nesting.
A record high 13,575 olive ridleys were found dead on the breaches of Orissa in 1997-98. The major cause of death is entanglement in Mechanical fishing gear especially that is used for shrimp. Even mechanized fishing within 5 km of the Orissa coast is illegal. The Wildlife Institute of India had recorded in 1999 that in four years duration 40,000 dead turtle were washed ashore.
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13. New Species in Indonesian Sea:
Every year there are some new species in the ocean of Indonesia. There are six new fish species, 15 new coral species found in the surrounding ocean. A multinational team of marine scientists has surveyed the Tongean and Banggai Islands in the central Sulawesi, Indonesia. A preliminary finding is of relatively high numbers in Tongean Islands.
In less than three weeks, the team found four marine fishes that are perhaps exclusive to these islands. The coral reefs are fresh and in much better state than the other parts of Sulawesi and nearby Ceram.
This is the only place in the world where the Banggai cardinal fish (Pterapogon cauderni) is found. This is highly valued fish in the world. The fish is in much demand in USA, Canada and Europe for their aquariums. The illegal smuggling of some fishes has reduced some species from sea.
The Sturgeon Fish Population Decline:
The overfishing of sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) has reduced almost all the stocks in the Atlantic Ocean. Seeing the continuous decline in the population of sturgeon, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has banned the catching of fish along the entire coast for the next 40 years. The catch has dropped 90 percent over the past one century.
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14. British Columbia’s Sea Lions:
Seeing the endangered sea lions of Southern British Columbia, some conservation groups have purchased South Winchelsea Island, north of Nanaimo in British Columbia, Canada. It is also one of the most important sites in Southern British Columbia for stellers or northern sea-lions (Eumetopias rubotus) and California sea-lions Zalophus Californianus that come to feed on herring each winter.
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15. Coelocanth in Indian Ocean:
A small population of coelocanth is expected in the Indian Ocean. It has been seen in Indonesian waters also. On July 30, 1998 a coelocanth (Latimeria chalumnae) was caught in a deep set gill-net off the island of Manado Tua, north Sulewesi, Indonesia, almost 10,000 kilometers from the only other known population in the Commores Islands in the Indian ocean.
The first living coelocanth was caught in the 1938 in the Commores Island waters. Earlier, it was believed that it has already been disappeared from the seas. In the year of 1995, the presence of coelocanth in the fish market of the island surprised the marine biologists. Since then, many fishermen disclosed the catch of coelocanth in their nearer seas.
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16. The Atlantic Cod Endangered:
The population of Atlantic cods is depleting continuously because of overfishing. The Committee on the States of Endangered Wildlife in Canada has listed 307 endangered (or species at risk) species. The Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) is among the new sea animals listed as endangered species.
The Alaska Sea and Killer Whales:
The killer whales are known as orcas (orcinus orca) are preying on Alaskan sea otters (Enhydra lutris) and have nearly wiped out other colonies in parts of the Aleutian Islands. The orca whales also feed on sea urchins. The urchins feed on kelp but kelp is disappearing from the sea now.
Orcas Feed Usually on the much Larger Prey:
Seals and sea lions-whose population has collapsed in the region in the past two decades, as a result the orcas, switch to new prey. Populations of sea urchins have declined and kelps bed on which urchin feed are disappearing. Kelp is the base of the coastal food web and provides habitat for fish, its loss may affect adversely sea birds, bald eagles and other near-shore species of animals.
Caviar Stocks Exhausted in Caspian Sea:
The Caviar fish population in the Caspian Sea has been depleted due to continuous overfishing. The Caspian Sea is surrounded by the Azerbaizan, Iran, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation and Turkmenistan. These countries had agreed to reduce their caviar export quotas for 2004.
The combined 2004 export quota for beluga, the rarest and most valuable of all sturgeon was 50% of the 2003 levels, while 2004 quotas for stellate sturgeon was 40% less and for Russian and Persian stage on 10% less than 2003 levels. It is estimated that world’s 90% caviar comes from the Caspian Sea. The high level pollution and, illegal trade has threatened the species.
The Whales in the Sea:
Some countries are continuously killing the whales despite the strong Moratorium of International Whaling Commission. In 1933, 30,000 whales were killed and the number rose to peak in 1960s. For sometimes this began to decline. In 1962, 67,000 whales were killed and in 1972, 40,000 whales were killed every year.
The over killing made them scarce in the seas. Some of them have come to very close to extinction. Now there are only 1,000 blue whales, 4000 humback whales in Antarctica waters. Before whaling began, there were about 2,50,000 blue whales and 3,00,000 humpbacks. The fin whale has fallen from 1,400,000 to 4000 in fifteen years.
Loss of Bio-Diversity:
It is estimated that once the largest species of the fishes in the seas are extinct now. So is the fate of other marine animals. The crabs and shrimps were much larger but we witness their very minute form now. The loss of some valuable fishes, sea cucumber, coelocanth, snake fish and pipe fish in the seas is a serious warning bell for the existing animals living in the sea.
The continuous killing of sharks, dolphins and some small fish species like porpoises has become rare into the seas. The shark hunting countries do not realize the fact that their population is limited in the sea and their over exploitation may make them extinct.
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17. Pollution in the Ocean:
The pollution in the sea is increasing in millions of tonnes every year brought by floods and rivers. Every year, urea, CO2, CH3, CaCl, DDT, CH4 and other harmful pollutions are rushing to the sea. The oil spill is creating a big trouble for water birds and marine animals.
On December 7, 2004, the Malaysian freighter Selendang Ayu broke into two pieces after running aground off Unalaska Island in the Aleutian Island chains. The ship was carrying 4,83,000 gallons of heavy bunker fuel and 21,000 gallons diesel fuel.
The amount of fuel spilled is unknown. The fuel spill threatens an area identified in 1977 WWF and the Nature Conservation as one of the highest properties in Bering Sea. The spill is likely to have an impact on important commercial fisheries as well as local fishing and sensitive wildlife.
The overfishing in the Bering Sea has made several fish, crabs, prawns and mussels endangered. At present the American ships are on the spree of commercial fishing in the seas. Every year the river floods are flowing with millions of tonnes of garbage, salt, chemicals and poisonous substance which is fatal for fishes, whales, amphibians and sea snails.
Polythenes and Oil Slicks:
The oil slicks, garbage containers and polythenes have polluted the environment of the Oceans. This has badly polluted the sea beaches and beautiful coastal areas as the sea waves sweep all the dirt to the coastal areas and beaches.
Acid and Detergents:
Acid, detergents, insecticides, DDT and other poisonous substances are flown every year to the oceans.
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18. Global Warming: Impact on the Oceans:
Global warming has affected our oceans at a larger scale. The sea bottom fauna, fishes, whales and delicate animals of the oceans have been affected. The cold water animals are worst affected by the increasing temperatures of the oceans. The Crabs of Bering Sea, prawns and cold water fishes are badly affected.
The growing temperature in the ocean base encourages the formations of coral reefs. (Coral polyps develop and multiply in the warm temperature.) But growing pollution has reduced their growth. Global warming has hampered the growth of cold water fishes. The Arctic Islands and Antarctica continent are melting at a higher speed.
This well help in raising the sea level up to one meter and the coastal cities and villages will submerge into the ocean water. This will completely vanish away the small islands from the sea which at present are one meter above the sea level. Several atolls and coral islands will be submerged into the sea water. In some way, this will destroy the sea beaches, hotels, restaurants and human population which live near the coastal areas of the oceans.