Since the middle of the 20th century, more has been learnt about the ocean than during all preceding human history; at the same time, more has been lost.
Like a shipwreck or a jetty, almost anything that forms a structure in the ocean, whether it is natural or artificial over time, collects life.
We have been far too aggressive about extracting ocean wildlife, not appreciating that there are limits and even points of no return.
Places change over time with or without oil spills, but humans are responsible for the Deepwater Horizon gusher – and humans, as well as the corals, fish and other creatures, are suffering the consequences.
You don’t have to touch the ocean for the ocean to touch you.
There’s plenty of water in the universe without life, but nowhere is there life without water.
Rather than be afraid of evolution and try to stifle inquiry, people should revel in the joys of knowing and find a serenity and a joy in being a part the rest of life on Earth. Not apart from it, but a part of it.
I’m not against extracting a modest amount of wildlife out of the ocean for human consumption, but I am really concerned about the large-scale industrial fishing that engages in destructive practices like trawling and longlining.
The end of commercial fishing is predicted long before the middle of the 21st century.
Forty percent of the United States drains into the Mississippi. It’s agriculture. It’s golf courses. It’s domestic runoff from our lawns and roads. Ultimately, where does it go? Downstream into the gulf.
If you think the ocean isn’t important, imagine Earth without it. Mars comes to mind. No ocean, no life support system.
Any astronaut can tell you you’ve got to do everything you can to learn about your life support system and then do everything you can to take care of it.
Nothing has prepared sharks, squid, krill and other sea creatures for industrial-scale extraction that destroys entire ecosystems while targeting a few species.
I’ve always said, ‘Underwater or on top, men and women are compatible.’
I find the lure of the unknown irresistible.
When I arrived on the planet, there were only two billion. Wildlife was more abundant, we were less so; now the situation is reversed.
Scientists never stop asking. They’re little kids who never grew up.
Many of us ask what can I, as one person, do, but history shows us that everything good and bad starts because somebody does something or does not do something.
I personally have stopped eating seafood.
I’ve had the joy of spending thousands of hours under the sea. I wish I could take people along to see what I see, and to know what I know.