I got a video email from @MrBeast and @Mark Rober asking me if I wanted to make a video on pollution in the ocean.
I have been a scuba diver for many years and have dived in several oceans but never in the Med.
On a trip to Lebanon in August 2016 I went snorkeling in the Mediterranean Sea and was shocked by what I saw.
It's not the kind of footage that I usually share because I'm sure people are sick to death of hearing about the state we have made of this unique planet we call earth.
Well here is a chance to make a change and try to put things right or at least make a start.
That is why I'm showing you this video.
I have seen the environmental damage with my own eyes and unless you are deliberately ignoring it you've seen it too.
The sea bed was completely dead and barren except for dead sea weed that was being blown in from the sea.
There were 1,000's of tiny fish that had got protection from a fine mesh shark net that was covering the entrance to the small bay I was swimming in.
With no predators to control their numbers the little fish population boomed and they had stripped out all the vegetation in the bay.
It's similar to what we see in other environments when a keystone animal is removed. The environment collapses. As in the Serengeti and Yellowstone National Park examples.
It can be changed but it is going to need a lot of effort and a long term commitment to sort this mess out that we have all contributed to and created.
There are those naysayers that feel that we cannot do anything it is such an awful mess but you would be surprised what a few million committed people can do with the right idea.
If you would like to get involved with the #teamseas project here are the details. Share these link's with your friends or anyone you think might have a stake in the future. With no ocean there is no life on earth.
#teamseas invite
Sign up with us here so YouTube knows you’re on board
Here are a couple of resources you may find useful:
Invite other creators to join the team by sending them this video: TeamSeas.org/invite
Download the one-pager for creators for quick reference: TeamSeas.org/onepager
Read the Creator FAQ to get your #TeamSeas questions answered: TeamSeas.org/creatorFAQ
If you have any other questions or ideas, we encourage you to contact [email protected].
Official governmental and activists reports of the state of the Mediterranean Sea.
Mediterranean reports
European Commission report on over fishing in the Mediterranean
https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/documents-register/detail?ref=COM(2016)396&lang=en
Oceana report
https://oceana.org/blog/overfishing-and-pollution-have-trashed-mediterranean
Gear used. Canon Powershot D20 underwater camera. Not the greatest camera in the world but it got the job done.
