An ocean of perspective: Celebrate Earth Day with “Blue Planet II”

By Kristina Fonteskfontes@heraldnews.com

Our world is not small after all. There are so many wonders, right here on Earth, that no one person can ever see them all in one lifetime.

Many of our unexplored corners are actually depths that have yet to be fathomed by humankind. Our world is mostly made up of oceans, and we have explored only about 5 percent of those waters. There is so much that we don't know.

But that's what's so exciting about it! I hear lots of people say that the ocean freaks them out because they don't know what's out there. That's understandable, I suppose, but that very uncertainty is what I find so fascinating about our oceans. We don't know a lot about them, so that means there are so many incredible creatures and phenomena that we have yet to discover.

The oceans aren't full of scary unknowns; they are full of possibility.

Most important, the oceans are home to the majority of lifeforms on our planet and they keep us land creatures supplied with oxygen. Healthy oceans are vital to life on this planet, and they are in trouble.

But we are not without hope.

Earlier this year, BBC America aired the latest masterpiece from BBC Earth, "Blue Planet II." Hosted as always by the incomparable and beloved naturalist Sir David Attenborough, this program invites us to gather together to explore the wonders of the seas and to understand the perils they are facing.

Perils for which we are largely to blame, but perils that we also hold the power to alleviate or to rid them of.

I love nature shows as a rule. My parents watched a lot of them when I was growing up, and I have never stopped loving these programs. They fostered in me a concern for all creatures, great and small, that has grown into a deep and abiding love as I have grown older. What I in turn loved so much about this program is that it was made and presented by people who have turned that passion into action.

Attenborough's narrative talent is such that the otherwise remote ocean inhabitants that appear on film become almost human in our eyes. Some of the things shown in this series have never been filmed before:

There are fish who use tools. Specifically, one intrepid tuskfish named Percy, who used a coral reef to open up some shells so he could have some dinner.

An octopus creates a suit of armor for herself in another episode, effectively fooling a shark that is hoping to make her its next meal.

And clownfish? Well maybe they are funny, because they can talk! After a fashion. They communicate with loud series of clicks. Emphasis on loud. Who knew fish were so talkative?

As many of us have suspected over the years, whales and dolphins are indeed pals. They can talk to each other too, and they are emotionally intelligent beings with individual personalities.

"Blue Planet II" does an excellent job fostering kinship between viewers and these animals, but I think what I was most impressed by was the frank conversation surrounding climate change, the role humans have played, and how our garbage, specifically our plastic, is affecting the health of our oceans and all who live in them. Microplastics are an especially insidious problem: they're in the water, get eaten up by the fish, and then humans in turn eat those fish. Some mammals, like dolphins, are also seeing birth rates drop and death rates increase, because they are building up reserves of plastic in their bodies. Shipping also poses a huge problem, with containers falling into the ocean every day, and whales being struck and killed by ships.

The picture painted is not a rosy one.

But it's also not a hopeless one.

Here's the other thing I have found so endearing about Attenborough over the years:

He never gives up hope.

He is 91 years old, and he has dedicated decades of his life to conservation and public education, giving ordinary people the means, and confidence, to make a difference.

One of the most moving stories in the series is a segment about leatherback sea turtles. On Trinidad, one of the largest leatherback nesting sites in the world, they were hunted nearly to extinction for their meat. That is, until one person, Len Peters, took it upon himself to make a difference. He decided to protect the leatherbacks from hunters, patrolling the beaches at night to keep them safe. Soon, his neighbors began helping him out, and the movement eventually grew to a massive conservation effort that has seen the turtles' numbers rebound and a healthy population size begin to come to Trinidad to lay their eggs.

What could have been a tragedy has turned into a triumph, because one person had the wherewithal to make a difference. The scene wraps up with Attenborough helping a hatchling leatherback get close to the water, sending it off with a "Good luck, little leatherback."

You'll probably need tissues for that one. I found myself sobbing over various creatures over the course of this series.

But to my point: One person can turn the tides in a better direction.

With enough passion and can-do spirit, can you imagine what an empowered global effort could accomplish? We can turn this thing around. Just remember the leatherbacks.

As we mark Earth Day this week, here are some worthy causes to support if you want to help our oceans:

The American Cetacean Society, a conservation group dedicated to whales, dolphins and porpoises. To learn more, visit, http://www.acsonline.org.
Oceana, the world's biggest organization dedicated to marine conservation. Visit www.oceana.org to see how you can help.
The Ocean Conservancy, which is hosting an international coastal cleanup later this year. Check it out at http://oceanconservancy.org.
From our neck of the woods in southeastern Massachusetts, there is the New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance. If you're a Yankee, you know that the health of our region has deep ties to the health of our oceans and marine life. To find out how you can get involved, visit www.necwa.org.

"Blue Planet II" is now out on Blu-Ray and DVD, and available through most major retailers.

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