Caring for the Gulf of Maine shows deep gratitude

Today, June 8, is World Oceans Day. In Maine, we can celebrate the health of our oceans every day. The Gulf of Maine is a special place. Named for our state, it stretches from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia and is home to 70,000 square miles of life in waters as deep as the Empire State Building and as cold as your kitchen refrigerator.

Those of us fortunate enough to live in Maine are grateful for healthy oceans. Thankful for fisheries that provide dinner and jobs. Thankful for lobster, which employs 18,000 people and brings in $700 million in revenue each year. Thankful for sparkling waters that bring cool summer breezes. Thankful for people coming from hot summer cities to admire, marvel and vacation on our coast.

And we’re grateful for the oceans, home to a variety of incredible animals, from humpback whales to porpoises, from periwinkles to cod, from ospreys to eiders. All of these marine creatures also live in the Gulf of Maine. So yes, we’re grateful for the Gulf of Maine on World Oceans Day.

But our gratitude must also extend to care, for the Gulf of Maine suffers from the same threats that are polluting the world’s oceans: In the shallows, acidification threatens lobsters, sea urchins, and clams; offshore, overfishing is pushing swordfish, tuna, and cod to the brink of extinction; in the intertidal zone, sewage and mercury threaten migratory birds, shellfish, and tourism.

“It’s a strange situation,” says Maine author Rachel Carson, “that the ocean, where life first arose, should be threatened by the activities of one of its forms.” Other Maine observers report that right whales are at risk of extinction, that red tides are rampant, and that lobsters are migrating north to cooler waters. Meanwhile, the Audubon Society calls seabirds “one of the most endangered bird species on Earth.” The bottom line is that climate change is combining with industrial fishing and land-based pollution to damage our beloved Gulf of Maine.

They say that with great gifts come great responsibilities. World Oceans Day reflects our deep gratitude for the Gulf of Maine and our deep concern for its future. On the one hand, Mainers have been blessed with beautiful waters rich in birds and fish for 400 years. On the other hand, this great ocean requires regular maintenance to stay healthy for the next 400 years. The United Nations’ World Oceans Day reminds me of the great responsibility I have for the Gulf of Maine.

I know I can support sustainable fisheries like local kelp farms. I can remind myself that fertilizer is running off of my garden into the Gulf of Maine. I can reduce plastic. Even bigger than these individual choices, I know that state-level policy decisions can affect healthy fisheries, healthy coasts, and healthy adaptation to a changing climate.

The many challenges facing the Gulf of Maine can’t be solved in a day, but one day can help us remember how much we have to be grateful for and how much work remains to be done.

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