Picture this…crystal clear waters, no plastic pollution, schools of fish glistening in the sunlight, yacht sailing past, dolphins jumping, whales singing and you enjoying a freshly caught snapper on the BBQ at the beach with your friends. Sounds ideal to me, not that I eat seafood, but many do and many love it too!

 

That small snippet of a perfect day enjoying the sea, friends, fresh food and life may just become a thing of the past unless we all step back and realize the severity of the marine environments status of health in todays over-consuming and unsustainable world we all live in.

As a species we are an environmental disaster, as individuals we all seem to care, so where has it all gone wrong? How can one species, knowingly destroy the world that we evolved from yet on an individual level have care and compassion for our world? It’s a question I can not answer, what I can say is that the importance of each of our individual actions cannot be highlighted enough.

 

Every positive action, small or large, does make a difference. You can make a difference to the marine environment and this doesn’t mean you need to commit to working full time on this subject, it simply means you must look at your daily habits and see what you can change, both in your home life and at your place of work.

The two areas of work Asociación Ondine is committed to are Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and plastic pollution in the Balearic Islands. Concentrating on these two areas, in our point of view, is the best way for our amazing island communities to work towards a clean & healthy Balearic Sea. With our objective of combining science, local communities, businesses and conservation at the forefront of each of our projects we are on a journey to assist you in your quest to give something back to our local marine environment.

 

Approximately 50% of the plastic we use is single-use, a plastic bag for example has a working life of 15 minutes and will exist for another 400 to 1000 years.

 

What YOU can do about plastic pollution!

 

• Re-use – use re-usable items such as bags, bottles, cups, plates & utensils
• Refuse – Refuse single use plastic products in your day to day life
• Reduce – Reduce your consumption, in turn reducing your plastic pollution input
• Recycle – To recycle correctly you must first understand the local systems; contact your local council for details on recycling
• Get involved with Asociación Ondine – Dos Manos beach cleans, schools programs or join as a member to help
• Participate in as well as promote Sailors for the Sea´s Clean Regattas Program

 

Almost 60 percent of fish stocks worldwide are either overexploited, or have collapsed altogether. There is a worldwide movement to increase the number of Marine Protected Areas, which will assist in the rebuilding of these stocks.

 

The Balearic Islands has 7 local MPAs and 1 marine national park. All of these areas can and should be enjoyed by recreational divers, snorkelers, sailors and in some places by fishermen. MPAs are places for us to enjoy and places for fish stocks to regrow and rejuvenate if properly managed.

 

What YOU can do for MPAs & local fish stocks

 

• Learn and follow MPA rules & regulations
• Promote the use of MPAs to yacht owners, guests & crew
• Talk to your local government representative about establishing more MPAs
• Question your market or restaurant on where they source local species
• Buy seafood from small scale local fisheries
• Follow guidelines with size and catch limits when recreational fishing
• Reduce the amount of seafood you eat
• Join Asociación Ondine

 

Locally supported and locally managed marine conservation, research & education are by far the most effective ways to address marine environmental issues. If you are a local to the Balearics we invite you to get involved with Asociación Ondine in any way you desire. If you are here for a quick visit and would like to know what small, productive and driven groups are in your area and would like some assistance to find them, let us know, we are always happy to help.

We all want a clean & healthy sea – every positive action, small or large, does make a difference. You are the positive action– You are the clean and healthy sea!