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Get Involved
Our oceans are constantly threatened by things that impact them in a negative way. Harmful influences come from many different sources and can have lasting effects on marine life, the environment and humans.
Here's what you can do to help protect our oceans.
At Home & Work:
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At Play:
- Be a smart shopper.
Only purchase marine jewelry, fishes, and other ocean souvenirs if they were obtained using safe and eco-friendly fishing practices.
- Hold the anchor.
Instead of dropping an anchor, tie your boat to reef mooring buoys. This prevents damage to corals and other sea life.
- Navigate carefully.
Protect underwater animals, like manatees, by obeying no wake zones. Reduced boat speed reduces the likelihood of injury to ocean animals and prevents damage to natural underwater structures, such as coral reefs and seagrasses.
For more information on seagrases, click here:
Florida Department of Environmental Protection- Seagrasses
- Look, but don't touch.
Touching corals and other marine organisms can be damaging to wildlife. Touching certain plants and animals may be potentially dangerous to humans as well.
- Keep your fishing lines.
Do not throw fishing line into the ocean or leave it behind. Turtles and other animals can get entangled in old fishing line, causing serious injury or death.
For more information on this topic, please visit:
Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program
- Keep invasive-exotics out.
Never return marine aquarium animals to the wild. Introducing exotic fishes and other ocean organisms to natural water resources can disrupt existing native ecosystems.
Your Car:
- Carpool
Carpooling can help to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Absorption of carbon dioxide by our seas alters the chemistry of our oceans. This chemical unbalance makes it difficult for corals, lobsters and other marine specimens to form strong shells and skeletons.
- Check for leaks.
Rainwater can wash motor oil, anti-freeze and other vehicle fluids into our seas. In the ocean, these substances can be life-threatening for various plants and animals.
- Trash it correctly.
Dispose of oil and other vehicle-related elements at service stations and appropriate waste facilities. Doing so reduces garbage, such as car tires, from polluting the ocean and prevents toxic chemicals from entering the sea.
National Ocean Sciences Bowl
"The NOSB is a nationally recognized and highly acclaimed high school academic competition that provides a forum for talented students to test their knowledge of the marine sciences including biology, chemistry, physics, and geology."
Oceanography Camp for Girls
The University of South Florida provides a free, 3-week hands-on learning experience for 8th grade girls in Pinellas County, Florida.
Pointless Personal Pollution
Are your daily activities affecting important water resources? Learn about Pointless Personal Pollution and how you can reduce your negative environmental impact.
Beach clean-up.
Help reduce ocean pollution. Join a beach clean-up group in your area.
For more tips on how you can help protect our oceans, click here:
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