Grey seal photo by Nathaniel Dargue.
The sea. The ocean. The deep. Whatever you want to call it, the oceans of the world are vast, mind-bogglingly beautiful and undeniably important. Perhaps one of the most fascinating things about it is that we know so much, and yet know NOTHING in the grand scale of things. And this fact demonstrates that perfectly: we have documented 226,408 (2014) marine species, but there may be as many as a million marine species worldwide.
So what does the sea mean to me? Well. It means many things to me. It means blustery days in British summertime paddling at the shore, it means fish and chips and the tangy smell of saltwater, it means the wild cries of seabirds and towering cliffs. It means finding shore crabs under rocks and avoiding their pinsers as I proudly show my mum what I caught. But it also means something else, something darker: danger. I am not a strong swimmer. In fact, I have only just learnt this summer due to a number of reasons. And still now, try as I might, I have a very natural respect for the power of the seas and how in an instance you could be swept away. But this is something that just seems to make the ocean more special to me: it is a true form of wildness. No matter how many carrier bags float in it, we cannot control it.
Some of my most eventful nature-watching experiences were out on the seas. The first boat I ever went on was to get to the Farne Islands, and I remember it as if it was yesterday: clear blue sky, blistering June heat, puffins bobbing on the glittering water. Then there was the sea-watching cruise I went on at Bridlington: a day of many mishaps but many smiles. (The sea was very choppy, I was smacked in the face by a buoy and soaked, but I saw my first sooty and manx shearwaters).
Sooty shearwater oil drawing by Amy Smith.
But of course, the most important thing to me is the beautiful array of species that live in and around the seas worldwide. From tiny fish to sharks, from plankton to whales, from corals to seahorses, the sea has something to catch anyone’s eye. And as sad as it is to hear, our seas are in trouble. They are in trouble for so many reasons, but here are just a few: the acceleration of climate change caused by humans, which affects natural sea temperature and sea levels, pollution such as fishing nets, causing animals such as dolphins to become entangled and die, and disasters such as oil spills, which kill huge numbers of seabirds (around 82,000 birds died in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill alone).
The oceans and the life within them need conserving , and many organisations, including the RSPB, who are launching their marine appeal, are working hard to do so. Above all else, the oceans of the world mean life, wonder, and a connection with the natural world like nothing else.
Amy Smith