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Loading...1 in 10 Marine Species Could Go Extinct in Tropical Eastern Pacific
12 percent — 1 in 10 — of marine species in the tropical eastern Pacific face extinction according to a recent report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Some 1,600 species in such regions as the Gulf of California, the coasts of Panama and Costa Rica as well as several offshore oceanic islands and archipelagos in the tropical eastern Pacific were surveyed and 197 species found to be “critically endangered”, “endangered” or “vulnerable.” Among those species threatened are marine shore-fish, marine mammals, sea turtles, sea birds, corals, mangroves and seagrasses; overfishing, pollution, habitat destruction and impacts from El Niño have all played a part in endangering their survival.
The study by Beth Polidoro, a research associate at the IUCN marine biodiversity unit, is the “first IUCN Red List of Threatened Species for all known species… in a major marine biogeographic region.”
In just the past few decades, more than 20 marine species have become extinct around the world; some 133 local populations have suffered the same fate. The Galapagos Damselfish (Azurina eupalama) disappeared during the events of El Niño from 1982-1983.
Image of Galapagos Damselfish from Wikipedia
Read more: biodiversity, coral reef, costa rica, endangered species, fish, gulf of california, man grove, marine mammals, ocean, ocean life, overfishing, pacific ocean, sea bass, sea grass, tortoise, turtle
Photo of Giant Sea Bass by Aquaimages via Wikimedia Commons
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+ add your ownThis is why we need to stop buying exotic ANYTHING, from fish to anything. We need to boycott PetCo, Wal-Mart, Fish Stores so there will become no demand. We have it within our hands to help this slaughter and extinction
scary
Upsetting the balance of Earth & water cannot be a good thing!
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Sadly noted.
Very sad!
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So true, Ron. I can't tell you how many times I have said that exact phrase or a variation of it in so many letters recently. And it seems like the powers that be just don't get it.
The time to act is now. We can't keep allowing fertilisers and rubbish to end up in the ocean because of cause it isn't going to contaminate both water and species. And after all we eat the fish another really good reason to clean up our oceans. Whenever it rains in our part of the World of Australia, the water at the beaches is unfit to swim in, it is so polluted from the sewerage etc. And when there is too much rain for the drains to handle, it backs up and the filthy water from sewerage ends up in the road, streets. Doesn't happen often but it has happened on quite a few occasions. And so this filth eventually finds its way into the oceans sure after treatment but still it can't be good for the wild life because it is so unnatural. There must be a better way.
POPULATION CONTROL!
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