SOS of sorts: Tourists, locals alike urged to save our seas

Panaji: 'Bring back your trash from outings at sea.' 'Do not buy jewellery or decorative items made of corals or shells.' 'Avoid consuming endangered species like sharks.'
Such information displayed on boards installed at key jetties, Dona Paula, Miramar and Sinquerim, is drawing the attention of tourists and citizens alike.
Issues of ocean garbage and its catastrophic impact on marine animals, ecosystems, and livelihoods of fishermen and others residing in coastal areas, including Goa, are raising a concern.
A recent report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation states that there will be more plastic than fish in the sea by the year 2050.
The foundation aims at inspiring a generation to re-think, re-design and build a positive future by way of a 'circular economy', which, essentially, is an industrial economy that generates no waste or pollution.
"It is an uphill struggle, and we need consistent awareness and capacity-building initiatives both, at the individual and state levels, to protect our fragile marine resources for the future," said World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-Goa programme manager, Puja Mitra.
WWF-India has installed the infographics as part of a state-centric 'ocean conservation' awareness campaign. This follows an earlier effort to promote sustainable marine tourism and marine conservation in Goa.
The organization had assessed the impact of tourism on Goa's humpback dolphins and coral reefs and had recommended sustainable tourism measures that could help improve conservation of these key Schedule I species.
The infographics bring out little-known facts about the ocean, such as, 'Fifty per cent of oxygen comes from the ocean' and 'Around 100 million sharks are killed annually.' They have begun to generate more interest, with the Calangute village panchayat requesting that such boards be installed at all key beaches and public spaces.
"It is imperative that we start addressing the enormous issue of ocean garbage," Mitra said.