LONG BEACH, CA — On Thursday, the Aquarium of the Pacific launched its brand new Marine Species Report Card to encourage Californians to get more involved with ocean conservation.
The goal of the report card, according to Aquarium of the Pacific President and CEO Dr. Peter Kareiva, is to inspire the public to get engaged and familiar with the species off the California coast. With the report card, anybody will be able to access in-depth updates of 30 marine species in Southern California.
“Species are the real, tangible building blocks of biodiversity. And so the purpose of this marine report card is to put species at the forefront of the public and the science of biodiversity,” Kareiva said.
The list of species in the report card include marine mammals, birds, fish, kelp, invertebrates and more. Each species is ranked on their population trend on a scale from strong decline to strong incline.
Some species that have a strong decline in population include the black abalone, the harbor seal, the pacific sardine and the sunflower sea star. Species that scientists observed had a weak population decrease include the California mussel and giant kelp.
At the other end of the scale, some species that scientists observed had a strong increase in population included the California spiny lobster, the northern anchovy and green sea turtles.
The report card, which can be found on the Aquarium of the Pacific’s website, includes photos of each species as well as facts and information on threats they face. Threats can include climate impacts, habitat loss and degradation, food web imbalance, human disturbance, pollution and disease and extraction.
For most species, there is also information on conservation efforts that have had impact on the populations.
“The report card serves as a valuable tool for the public and policy makers, especially students and teachers, to better understand our ocean neighbors and serve as a motivation for sustained protection measures. Our hope is that this resource will inspire people to support conservation efforts in a variety of areas from engaging in science to promoting environmental legislation,”
said Jennie Dean, Aquarium of the Pacific vice president of education and conservation.
The Aquarium of the Pacific’s conservation efforts include a variety of projects that benefit many species in the report card including green sea turtles, sea otters and giant sea bass.
Anyone can get involved in conservation by participating in debris cleanups, volunteering and joining local habitat restoration projects.
