TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS IN THE OCEAN

The Necessities Needed to Avoid the Tragedy of the Commons in the Ocean
Kennedy Starks
Global Studies and World Language Academy Global Connections
Instructor: Mr. Falls
16 December 2015

TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS IN THE OCEAN

Abstract
The ocean has provided us with so many different resources. People have depended
highly on jobs, pharmacy, and a high source of protein from the ocean that can be used for
everything. As years have passed the tragedy of the commons has become an actual problem.
People are polluting, over fishing, and other things to benefit themselves without ever thinking
about how other living things are being affected. This paper proposes; what actions are necessary
to avoid the tragedy of the commons taking place in the worlds oceans? It is time for a change to
take place to fix what weve already done wrong. If we focus on the younger generations they
will be able to learn about the mistakes we have done and potentially make a difference. It will
be harder to regulate the older generations because they dont see a problem. If we learn to
mange people and get everyone to abide by the rules the ocean will be a healthy long living
resource.

TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS IN THE OCEAN

Table of Contents
Abstract

Table of Contents

Introduction

Limitations of Study

Methodology

Literary Analysis

Body

10

Conclusion

16

References

17

TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS IN THE OCEAN

Introduction

Havent you ever noticed how useful the ocean is to everything you do? To start, we
need oxygen to breathe. Not only do trees provide us with oxygen but surprisingly majority
of our oxygen comes from ocean plants. The ocean obviously provides us with more than
enough seafood but it provides so much more. Other organism such as algae and kelp are
prime examples of living organisms that are used in peanut butter, soymilk, and beer .Fish is
also used in meal for other animals that we eat such as chickens or cows. The ocean also
takes care of our wellbeing. The healthy oils from fish are used for shampoos, conditioners,
makeup, and medicines that you use on a regular basis. The ocean provides a variety of
different jobs for so many people in America. The ocean provides transportation for trading
other goods we use from all over the world.
The ocean is a habitat that is used by everyone around the world for all kinds of
resources. The ocean has offered and given us absolutely everything that we never need but
now it is getting to point where we are abusing an environment that we need more than it
needs us. Through the tragedy of the commons the oceans ecosystem is starting to
deteriorate from being our pharmacy, pantry, and a primary source of protein.

TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS IN THE OCEAN

Limitations of Study
The main focus is not only focusing on saving the ocean and trying to bring it back to life
but to expand the knowledge of how important the ocean is to everyones life. At the moment it
is difficult to stress the importance of the ocean because people dont care and hear about the
damage we have done to the ocean but only think it has to do with the animals that live in the
ocean. The animals that live in the ocean are affected by the harm we have done to the ocean but
slowly we are starting to become an effect of the bad habits we started in the past that people
dont want to break. Due to the fact that these bad habits have been going for countless years its
hard to change people but if they are young that is a different story.
When children are young they are easily influenced because they are still building their
foundation. Everyone exclaims that the children in the world now will be the leaders in the
future. The paper is going to be focusing on teaching an elementary school exactly how they
could start a good change in the world and hopefully it will encourage them to always remember
to take care of the ocean we all enjoy. This paper will have an impact on their lives but it will be
a challenge because it is impossible to change the world with just one elementary school class.
But it is going to be hard to earn the respect of older generations because we are seniors in high
school who goes to a local high school in Virginia Beach. They would exclaim that we are too
young to understand the problems of the world so for a student to change their mindset would
take a lot of time that I currently dont have. This project has to be done by May of 2016 so it is
utterly impossible to change the way the older population think but students have the ability to
change the mindset by making a small difference in the community in hopes that it will inspire
the younger children to make a change.

TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS IN THE OCEAN

Methodology

The majority of the research has been done through reading different articles. The ocean
is a source that everyone needs and uses for various purposes. Due to everyone being involved in
ruining the ocean, it requires everyones input when figuring out a way to rebuild the ocean we
once had. The only way that is possible is by bringing everyone to the realization that the oceans
resources are starting to deteriorate. We have been relying on the ocean to provide us with
everything we need. There has been close examination to articles from magazines such as The
Economist and The Business Insider. These are greatly accredited companies that are popular
and are read throughout the world. Since this issue is a global issue the use of different sources to
look into the different ways people think about the ocean and how to revive it is vital.
I recently had an interview with a cadet from the United States Coast Guard Academy.
The Coast Guard Academy focuses on the ocean and working to train people to become
professionals in preserving the ocean as well as making sure illegal actions are being prevented
such as over fishing. The major that this cadet is majoring in that I am pursuing is Marine and
Environmental Sciences. She was able to inform me about the different clubs that are offered in
the Academy to help fix what is being done to the ocean. But it is obviously not enough to just
have a few clubs in colleges. I was able to talk to her and realize that there is stuff being done
about the problems with the ocean but they havent really proven to make a large worldwide
change but it was nice to talk to someone who was knowledgeable in the field and knew exactly
what I was talking about. In time this will change.

TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS IN THE OCEAN

Literary Analysis
The Economist is a well accredited magazine. The article that I am using from The Economist is,
Humans are damaging the High Seas- Now the Oceans are Doing Harm Back. This article is
the main driving force behind my interest and efforts in this project. It pin points not only the
fact that the ocean needs to be cleaned and replenished but it also highlights the problem of
tragedy of the commons which my overall project is focused on. The article starts by describing
exactly what the ocean provides us with. Then it explains that the ocean provides us with so
many business and job opportunities. It also brings in a global aspect bringing in countries such
as Thailand so it is not American centered which is good because it helps support the fact that
this a prevalent global issue that I am trying to bring attention to. Through this article I have
concluded that this issue has come up in discussion but not every country is completely able to
agree with how to resolve this problem. I believe that we need to make more of an uproar about
the matter instead of trying to cover it up or put it aside. This article is told from more of a
business standpoint. This article will be very helpful when it comes to exactly how I want to
form my paper.
The Huffington Post released a journal entry entitled, Healing the Oceans: Technology
Can Pave the Way. It starts out briefly explaining how essential the ocean is to everyone. Then
goes on to say that we are ruining the ocean and need to address the problem before the ocean
becomes sick. It has been spoken about but not properly addressed. This entry has a positive
connotation in a sense that it talks mainly about resolving the issue in a different light.
Technology has become a necessity over the years for people of all ages and many cant operate
without it. It has become extremely important. This journalist has found an organization that is
in the process of trying to find technological ways to fix the ocean. They also bring up a good

TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS IN THE OCEAN

point that the UN will be meeting in Paris to discuss matters such as the ocean and make decision
that will make a large impact. This article is great to help back up the idea of making a change
everyone can be a part of.
The U.S. News and World Report has an article called, The Right Catch of the Day.
This article really emphasis not only what tragedy of the commons is but also valid examples of
it in our day to day lives. We have become too dependent on fish when it comes to over
populated developing countries. Fish has easy access and it is a high source of protein but
recently we have been over fishing. The over fishing will later cause the fish to be close to
extinction or lose value in our economy. There needs to be regulations on how much everyone
can fish and where everyone can fish so that the habitats can be preserved. This article was
extremely informative because it includes the tragedy of the commons and the affects of it.
An article from Mongabay entitled, Facing Future Storms: Poor Honduran Communities
Unite to Project Watersheds and Nature, has a lot of valuable information from a different
perspective. This helps the research paper explain how it is a global issue caused by the people.
This company comes from a place as far as Honduras. It reflects on exactly how this issue needs
to stop before it gets out of hand. The fact that this isnt an American focused issue means that it
could really cause some damage to the world.
The Nature Conservancy has also provided major points of how reliant people are on the
oceans. It explains that the ocean provides us with the air we breathe, different foods on our
plates other than seafood, items in our medicine cabinets, multiple jobs to help this economy, and
a resource that gives us the ability to travel and enjoy the world. The ocean according to this
website is a large portion of everything we need to survive. This website is resourceful because it

TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS IN THE OCEAN

puts how important the ocean is to our regular everyday life in perspective. It makes a person
think of exactly why we abuse something that helps us in so many different ways.
The Tech Times has done the research and exclaims that only four percent of the ocean is
a part of the Marine Protected Areas which in turn causes a lot of problems. To achieve global
goals that have been made there needs to be more areas of the ocean being protected. The parts
of the ocean being protected will help us replenish and fix all the damage we have cause to the
marine environment but if no regulations are set people have free range to ruin whatever they
want. The ocean needs to be better protected if we plan on preserving it for the future. This
article is beneficial to this paper because it shows that there are people out there trying to help
make a change and have realized the wrong mankind has really done.
Vice News has explained that it could take centuries to repair a ruined fish habitat on the
BC coast. It is hard to protect the ocean when everyone doesnt agree on the same thing. We tend
to naturally be greedy and selfish only thinking about ourselves instead of pushing for helping
the environment in the long run. We are all so focused on benefiting ourselves that it is hard for
us to change that mindset. The major problem at this point in the game is that we do not have
enough people out there regulating the ocean and making sure everyone is abiding by the
guidelines so this can potentially permanently ruin the ocean.
The Khmer Times has reviewed what the United Nations has said about these issues and
is ready to make a permanent change to the system. The United Nations has created goals that
will benefit the people as well as trying to revive the habitats that we have changed to suit
ourselves. There is a possible way for the ocean and people to work in a functional natural
manner. The only challenge is getting everyone to agree on following the guidelines and
thoroughly doing their part to benefit the future.

TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS IN THE OCEAN

Body

Mankind is overall known for being greedy and selfish. People are always concerned about
themselves or their group of people instead of worrying about everyone as a whole. Mankind
has a tendency to always have an underlying crave for power and superiority over
everything. Being in control in this day and age is by having the most money. Our main
concern is our economy versus the problems that are occurring in front of our very eyes that
affect if we will be breathing the next day as well as days to come. The economy is fixated
on who is on the top. In other words, who has the latest sources and making the most money?
Money is a persons main driving force in the world as we are all competing to be on top
with the latest and greatest resources. We are never concerned about how someone comes
across the important resource as long as others are buying it and it makes us look popular
since we are also focused on the image people of us. Our society is based upon materialistic
wealth. We as a whole see no problem in being self centered. Every time we take something
away for free we dont put back what we just took. Instead we decide to take more.
Not very many people think about the future. Resources given to us by Mother
Nature are seen as everlasting and free. We dont feel a need to pay back Mother Nature for
all the resources that we gladly take from her but we need to get rid of that false ideology
quickly before it is too late. Right now we are encountering issues such as pollution,
contamination, wildlife conservation, consumerism, ecosystem destruction, and so much
more. Sadly all these issues are a result of our lack of care for the very land we live on.
Statistics have proven that the world is more so concerned about the economy in the
future more so than the environment we are destroying before our very eyes. According to

TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS IN THE OCEAN

the UNESCO, the ocean constitutes over ninety percent of the habitable space on the
planet. In other words, the ocean is a rather large piece of the environment that believe it or
not is a vital key to our survival. It is recorded that the ocean is a habitat to between fifty to
eighty percent of living things on Earth. That is obviously a large chunk of the living things
on this earth we are slowly killing the habitat they need to survive. The organisms that need
the ocean to survive are the organisms that we turn around and need to function throughout
the day. It is surprising to see all the things that are given to us just because the ocean is able
to function the way it is required to do.
One of the major things the ocean provides us with is oxygen. Oxygen is a main
source that every living thing needs in the world. The oxygen is provided through organisms
called phytoplankton. These are one celled plants that live on the surface of the ocean. They
are the base of the oceanic biological productivity. Phytoplankton as well as other kinds of
plants are known to use photosynthesis to grow. It uses energy from the sun and with that
they make carbon dioxide and nutrients into complex organic compounds. Complex organic
compounds means that it includes any molecule that has some kind of carbon. So
phytoplankton use carbon as their base of living. So as the food chain goes, the
phytoplankton are considered the bottom of the food chain because they naturally get eaten
by herbivores. Then the carnivores come and eat the herbivores. This is obviously the circle
of life but it would never be possible without the living thing that started it all. To top it all
off phytoplankton make up about fifty percent of the earths oxygen that we in turn need to
live our day to day lives.

TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS IN THE OCEAN

The next major resource the ocean provides us with is nutrition. Fisheries are first of
all very successful from a career point of view. In this economy we are always in need of
more good jobs. Being a part of a fishery is a good way to make a reasonable income
because everyone eats or uses fish for many things. Overseas in developing countries many
depend on their career as an artisanal fishers. This job provides them with family food
security not only with their earnings but also with the leftovers from their job they are able to
put on the table for their family. Now futuristically speaking if we dont take care of the
ecosystem or if we continue to over fish, all the jobs that the fisheries offer we decline
drastically because we will be running close to extinction with the different types of fish we
tend to enjoy. Other than jobs fish offer a great source of protein to many people around the
world. Fish is nutritious to other living things food wise. The different other sources of
protein we enjoy like pigs are fed with slop and slop can consist of fish. Also other animals
like birds depend on fish. Fish is a good basic staple for many developing countries to rely
on as a source of protein. A country such as China with a large population requires tons of
food with nutritional value and fish is considered an easy source that if you allow it can
multiply quickly and in large numbers. One of the newer discoveries becoming popular is
fish oil. Fish oil is considered a good source of fatty acid that is necessary. Fish oil is vital for
normal brain development and the brain development of babies and infants. Fish oil is also
considered very well for hair growth and the health of your hair. A simple fish that most
people see as nothing much can provide us with so much more. The ocean is considered a
home to most fish species but if we continue to over fish or pollute than that will ruin the
ocean which will in turn kill the fish weve grown to depend on.

TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS IN THE OCEAN

The ocean is also able to medically help people who are sick with different diseases
and since there is about ninety five percent of the ocean we have yet to explore why ruin
what will potentially help you over time. Scientists have recently been working to use the
ocean to make medical advances in the world. We are steadily discovering more and more
diseases which are causing us to search for more sources to solving the problems we are
being faced with. The ocean is able to provide us with more natural cures. Natural cures have
always been seen as the better idea because it is safer for your body. When something is
natural it proves to be able to not harm the body because it is not artificial so everything has
come from Mother Nature. They are searching for cures to treat cancer, bacterial infections,
heart disease, viruses, pain, and other things. There has been some progress made on using
the ocean to medically help people. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, scientists have come up with ten anti-cancer drugs, drugs to fight
inflammation, fungus, tuberculosis, HIV, malaria, and dengue. But the research for finding
medical cures using the ocean has just barely started, as people are inventing new things to
take this project to a whole new level. If people decide to take care of the ocean it will last
longer so that we may be able to explore more and help more people live longer and healthier
lives.
In the society we live in today most countries do not merely rely on just the products
it can produce on its own. The reason most countries have a diverse amount of goods the
country offers is because we rely highly on imported and exported goods. Not everything can
be grown year round in every region of the world due to different climates and
circumstances. Using modes of oceanic transportation such as boats or ships are the cheapest

TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS IN THE OCEAN

modes of transportation. It is obvious in America for instances that you rarely find a tag on
an item that says Made in America. Most of the time Americans read tags that says Made
in China, which has become normal for Americans to see. There has never been a problem
with the majority of their products being Chinese. America has had supplies from different
countries since the first explorers went over there and brought others that held their own
items that later started to blossom. The ocean has given the opportunity to travel abroad to
other countries. It has been used for transportation for hundreds of years. Now that the
airplane has become more and more popular you would assume that the ocean has not been
used for many years, but that is clearly not the case. It is easier and less risky to travel over
water versus taking the risk of being thousands of miles off the ground with no source of
protection or ability to defend ones self if anything bad happened. It is also cheaper to send
larger items through the ocean because flying certain things can be very expensive and would
require more time, money, and effort. The ocean is a large source of how things are moved
and circulated around the world. If people do not take care of the ocean it will not stay
beautiful and carefree.
On top of all those various other reasons about the use of the ocean in everyones life
one of the ways we use the ocean is for entertainment. From traveling to cooling off on a hot
summers day the ocean can do both things. These trips taken to go and see the ocean is
considered a great healthy way to encourage people to bond. Building relationships is what
this world pushes to pride itself on and it can be done through many different ways. People
are also looking for other ways to live healthier lives and that starts with eating healthier

TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS IN THE OCEAN

foods and taking time to go outside and enjoy all that is offered to many people as an
individual.

TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS IN THE OCEAN

Conclusion
In conclusion tragedy of the commons is a relevant issue that not only occurs in the ocean
but also in many different wildlife habitats. People have been known to change the environment
to suit themselves for many years. We are all greedy and selfish when it comes to the money we
are trying to make and what we are trying to gain to benefit ourselves. Mother Nature will
always be able to manage itself but we have to give it space to run its course. Leaving the ocean
alone and regulating how much we use from the ocean will benefit the environment now as well
as in the future. People having to manage people is the main problem that we run across when
trying to preserve the ocean. The ocean is huge and is used by everybody for all their needs. It is
hard to make rules that everyone will follow because older generations tend to be stuck in their
ways focusing on how to get by when there is more to the world than that.
It is up to the younger generations to make a difference to benefit the planet and make it
healthier so that it can live on and so that we can use for future generations to come. There is so
much to the ocean that we have not even started to explore yet. The parts that we have not
explored could potentially help us in the long run if needed. But if we keep abusing the ocean we
will never be able to use it to our advantage again. We have to learn not to abuse a good thing
because due to the fact that we have a record of changing things it changes how habitats function
and how much of a resource we really have in the end. It is extremely important to actually make
a change and not talk about for years to come because eventually it will be too late and well
have to find something else to rely heavily on.
The tragedy of the commons can be avoided if only we take the initiative to realize what
we have already done is wrong and that it is time for a change in the world. As long as we learn
to manage ourselves everything will fall into place.

TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS IN THE OCEAN

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