Why We Need To Write About The Sea | Opinion

Harry Baker explores the importance of protecting our oceans in the form of science communication.

It has never been more important than now to explore, study and celebrate our oceans. We rely on them for oxygen, water, food, weather, income, protection and so much more. Without our oceans all life on land would die and life itself would never have been created in the first place. In the words of the great Sylvia Earle “no water, no life - no blue, no green” and that has never been truer than it is today, because right when we need them the most, our oceans and the incredible array of life that inhabits them are facing the fight for their lives. Over 7.7 billion humans now live on planet Earth and the consequences of our rapid expansion have been felt throughout the natural world, but perhaps nowhere have these effects been as drastic and destructive as in the marine world.

A demand for food has led to overfishing of vital food stocks, as well as the hunting marine megafauna such as turtles, sharks and whales. A demand for resources has led to deep sea drilling and mining, which has resulted in catastrophic oil spills and the destruction of seafloor habitats. Our throwaway culture has led to a plastic plague that has touched every corner of the globe, as well as other forms of pollution including chemicals, noise and artificial light, that all have far reaching effects. As well as the goliath that is climate change which is causing widespread and unpredictable changes to our oceans, including – coral bleaching, ocean acidification, toxic algal blooms, shifting ocean currents, species displacement, behavioural disruption and eventually widespread biodiversity and habitat loss.

However despite all these problems facing our oceans, the most dangerous and frightening thing is that so many people are still so unaware of them all. These issues are hidden from us by a watery divide we cannot easily pass and what we cannot see, we tend not to think about. It is for that reason it is so important that we continue to explore our oceans and share our findings with the rest of the world, because real change can’t happen until everyone is willing to make it. Therefore marine biologists, oceanographers, conservation charities and media groups are the ones who will save our oceans, by continuing to better understand them and teach everyone else about why they are so important.

Luckily science communication like this is now a booming industry and taken much more seriously than it was 50 years ago. It is also easier than ever before for someone to learn about marine life and ocean systems. Most of which you can do without even getting in the water including –watching documentaries and films, reading scientific journals, 360o virtual diving, taking an online course, visiting an aquarium or through enjoying photography and artwork. All of which play an important role in passing on vital information to the wider public. However there is one method of communication I personally believe often gets overlooked nowadays… writing.

The reason I believe writing can be such a crucial part of science communication and marine conservation is because it is completely free and anyone can do it or enjoy reading it. Not everyone is lucky enough to be able to scuba dive. Not everyone has the money and means to make high quality nature documentaries or time to watch them. Not everyone has the scientific knowhow to understand a research paper. Not everyone has easy access to an aquarium or even the ocean itself. However almost everyone has the capacity to read and write about our oceans, even if they don’t realise it.

I should know because that’s exactly what happened to me. I never planned to be a scientific writer and I never suspected I would enjoy doing it, let alone be any good at it. I studied marine biology at university, but my personal experiences in research science left me disillusioned and uninterested in pursuing it as a career. I graduated from university with a lingering passion for protecting our oceans and no way of helping to achieve it. After a while I realised that most people in my life were unaware of the problems and issues I had been studying and didn’t understand how important they were. So I decided I wanted to get into science communication and the easiest way of doing that from scratch was by writing.

“marine biologists, oceanographers, conservation charities and media groups are the ones who will save our oceans, by continuing to better understand them and teach everyone else about why they are so important.”

I now run one of the most popular marine biology blogs on the web, Marine Madness, dedicated to ‘shining a light on the weird & wonderful creatures of our oceans and the important issues that face them in a changing world’. It wasn’t easy going to begin with there were obviously challenges in starting something new from scratch, but as soon as I started I found I didn’t want to stop. Over the last few years it has gone from a personal blog I was casually trying my hand at in my spare time, to a full time enterprise followed by thousands of people from around the world. Now I can use the skills and facts I learned at university to teach other people about the importance of our oceans with just a laptop and my imagination.

What I find most enjoyable in writing about our oceans is that it reminds me why I fell in love with them in the first place. Yes it can be overwhelming and depressing to continually remind myself of the countless issues they are facing because of us, but for every problem I write about there is also another reason they’re worth saving. Every day I learn something new about our oceans, every day I find a new creature or behaviour that blows my mind, every day I am reminded how connected we are to the blue bits of our planet and why they’re worth saving.

Now I am on a mission to help others do the same by using my platform to help people share their ocean stories and try their hand at writing. I am constantly on the look-out for other ocean enthusiasts to contribute for Marine Madness as guest writers, in particular university students who are also passionate about science communication. Especially people who want to get started in journalism and communication, but have no idea where to begin. As an editor I use my own experiences, with my blog and as a freelance writer, to help my guest writers find the best way to communicate their opinions, feelings and interests into something that can be enjoyed by as many people as possible. It is something I take very seriously and find very rewarding, because I know how important it is to help people share their stories about our oceans.

If you are still reading this then it is likely that you already have a significant interest in marine conservation and communication. If that’s the case then you may be asking yourself, is this something I can do too? To those people I would encourage you to just give it a go. You don’t have to write a masterpiece or spend hours and hours attempting to, just open up your laptop or find a pen and paper and just have a go. It doesn’t cost anything to try it and you have absolutely nothing to lose. However if more people can start voicing their opinions and sharing the importance of our oceans with others, then we have everything to gain.

Harry on a research expedition to the Bahamas

Harry Baker is a freelance science writer and marine conservation enthusiast. He studied marine biology at the University of Exeter (Penryn Campus) and now runs his own popular ocean-themed blog Marine Madness. If you would like to write for Harry on the site then you can do so by visiting the website and checking out his guidelines. To get in contact with Harry you can follow him on Twitter @harryjpbaker and for professional media enquires you can find him on LinkedIn here.