to the oceans,
our food choices matter

oceaneer, \\\\ˈō-shən–nir \\\\ noun:

Salty sea pet (cat or dog) who reduces (or ditches) consumption of
industrially fished/-farmed animal products –
for the sake of the oceans, and the living planet.

Awareness...

…is what we raise!

It’s us against pretty loaded & sophisticated Marketing departments & lobbyists!

Empowerment...

… is what drives us!

3 times a day we get to vote, with our hard-earned nuggets. Like democracy, but on steroids.

Reduction...

..is what we aim for!

It’s not ‘all or nothing’. ‘Herbivore or meat-eater’. Reduction is a journey, and journeying we dig!

SO FAR SO GOOD – BUT WHAT’S UP WITH THE DINOSAUR IN THE LOGO?

Glad you ask. Meet Iggy – our Marine Iguana and ocean mascot. Like Oceaneers – he’s devilishly good-looking (well…), spends lots of time in the water, eats tons of plants (actually: only) and doesn’t dig industrialized animal farming/ fishing (a bold claim, we know, but trust us on this one)! Fun fact: Upon his arrival in the Galapagos, Darwin lovingly called him and his kind ‘imps of darkness’…

 

CUTE! AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY ‘INDUSTRIAL FISHING/LIVESTOCK FARMING?

Industrial: Reduce!

Factories in place of farms. Intensive. Large-scale. Cheap. Shareholder value. Supermarkets. Exploitation.

Fishing:
– Commercial fleets
– Non-targeted (by-catch)
– Destructive and unsustainable

Livestock farming:
– Animals are treated as objects, no respect
– No relation between farmer and animal
– More animals than farm can feed

Non-industrial: Enjoy!

Connection between the human and the individual animal – respect, care and dignity. Back to the roots.

Fishing:
– Spear-/line fishing with focus on one animal
– Small-scale fish farms with high ethical standards

Farms:
– Small farms with holistic methods (e.g. permaculture)
– Relationship between farmer and animal
– Animals can fulfil their social and physiological needs
– Lots of outdoor space, no use of antibiotics/hormones

WHAT’S THE BIG FUSS ABOUT?
WHAT’S WRONG WITH EFFICIENT FOOD-PRODUCTION SYSTEMS?

Pretty much everything. It’s messed up. And it’s unfortunately tied to all animal products, including dairy and eggs (not just meat).Here’s how industrial fishing/livestock farming impact our oceans, our planet, and us:

Environment
Overfishing, ecosystem collapses, ghost nets, ocean dead-zones, species extinction, habitat destruction, deforestation, water pollution/depletion, over-fertilization and yes – this little nuisance called climate change. They are all either strongly linked to, or directly caused by, these industries.

Suffering
More and more research suggests that fish can feel pain. Suffocating them in the air (most common method used to kill fish in farms)? Not cool!  Even worse than being a fish, is being born as a livestock animal into a factory farm (aka ‘hell on earth’) – we’ve got enough research (and common sense) to know that.

Health
Industrial animal farms use large quantities of antibiotics pre-emptively – the high density would otherwise inevitably lead to the outbreak of diseases (happens  anyway to due resistances among the bacteria). Hormones are also not a great delicacy on our plate, but they’re an ‘industry’s favourite’ too. An ever-increasing body of research shows that especially dairy products as well as (processed) meat aren’t great for us – and even increase the chance of lifestyle diseases.

ONLY IN NUMBERS, YOU TRUST?
SIMPLY SCROLL DOWN, YOU MUST!

Industrial fishing

%

of fisheries exploited

52% are fully exploited, 17% overexploited, and 7% depleted!  source

%

by-catch

40% of fish caught globally is discarded as by-catch. source
This does not include an estimated 650’000 whales, dolphins and seals that are killed annually, nor  50m sharks. source

%

of fish is fed to livestock

30% of fish caught is intended as feed for livestock animals. source

%

plastic fishing gear

In a study done in 2014, 70% (weight) of surface macroplastics (>20cm) was plastic fishing gear
source 
Ghost nets make up 46% of plastic mass in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch source
Including microplastics, ghost nets make up ~10% of all plastic waste in the marine environment
source

 

 

 

Industrial fishing

%

fisheries exploited

They can be divided up into fully exploited (52%), overexploited (17%) or depleted (7%). source

%

wasted catch

40% of fish caught globally is discarded as by-catch. source
This does not include an estimated 650’000 whales, dolphins and seals that are killed annually, nor  50m sharks. source

%

of fish is fed to livestock

30% of fish caught is intended as feed for livestock animals. source

%

plastic fishing gear

In a study done in 2014, 70% (weight) of surface macroplastics (>20cm) was plastic fishing gear
source 
Ghost nets make up 46% of plastic mass in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch source
Including microplastics, ghost nets make up ~10% of all plastic waste in the marine environment
source

 

 

EVERY MEAL MAKES A DIFFERENCE

Check Out Ways To Reduce

%

of GHG emissions

Livestock farming is responsible for ~15% of greenhouse gas emissions. source

 

%

of mammals are food

Of all the mammals on earth, 60% are livestock! 36% are humans and only 4% are wild animals.  source

%

acidity increase

Since the industrial revolution, our oceans have become 30% more acidic, with disastrous consequences for some ocean species. source

 

%

of Amazon destruction

An estimated 91% of  Amazon destruction caused by  livestock farming (cattle crazing and food crops).  source

 

Industrial  livestock farming
Industrial livestock farming

%

of GHG emissions

Livestock farming is responsible for ~15% of greenhouse gas emissions. source

 

%

Of mammals are food

Of all the mammals on Earth, 60% are livestock! 36% are humans and only 4% are wild animals. source

 

%

acidity increase

Since the industrial revolution, our oceans have become 30% more acidic, with disastrous consequences for some ocean species. source

 

%

of Amazon destruction

An estimated 91% of  Amazon destruction caused by  livestock farming (cattle crazing and food crops). source

 

GREAT! THANKS FOR SPOILING EVERY FUTURE MEAL… – SO WHAT DO I DO NOW?

Don’t despair – we’ve got your back! You’ll be surprised how much fun this journey is – we promise.

Start with the these 3 steps, and we’ll take it from there:

Here are the first 3 steps:

1 - Empower Yourself

Follow us on Instagram,
join our Facebook page,
sing up for our newsletter –
and let us inspire you!

 

2 - Reduce

Start your reduction journey, and let us know how it goes and how we can help you!

3 - Spread Awareness

Share this with your mates to help grow the movement – ‘the more the merrier’ applies!

Some of our friends

Together we’re strong – here are some of our favorite tribes that are doing amazing work in related fields, and that we proudly call our friends! 

Start with the these 3 steps, and we’ll take it from there:

Here are the first 3 steps:

Ocean Pledge is a Cape Town based grass root community that fights plastic pollution in our oceans, by giving individuals the opportunity to take a pledge on their website.
Their motto? C.A.R.E.
That’s Collaborate, Act, Respond, and Enjoy!
Great stuff!

Greenpop reconnects people with nature, all over Africa!
And they do that in amazingly creative ways – e.g. through reforestation festivals, art projects and corporate events at under-resourced schools etc.
Greenpop has been a strong source of inspiration for the creation of Oceaneers – we can’t wait for the next festival!

The Fish Welfare Initiative tries to improve the lives the up to 180bn fish (!!!) that are farmed each year. It’s now no secret anymore that fish can experience pain – that’s why we dig the great work that the FWI-crew is doing, and are proud to call them part of our extended family.

Beyond the Surface International works at the local level with remote and marginalized small-scale fishing communities, for social-ecological wellbeing. Their work is based on the belief that ‘ocean conservation is a social just issue’  – we couldn’t agree more! And we’re so excited that the Emi Koch – founder and driving force – is our 4th Oceaneer Ambassador!

Who does not get excited by a good story? The Pirates behind Captain Fanplastic use the power of storytelling and gamification to raise awareness among primary school learners in South Africa about the impact of plastic pollution in our oceans. Iggy can’t wait to get his plastic eye patch!
#NoTrashButTreasure

“Now you SEA a way to protect turtles!”
Turtles might be their prime focus, but Local Ocean – located in beautiful Watamu, Kenya – does much more than that: Education, Community Outreach, Mangrove Restoration, Campaigning – the list goes on. We’ve visited them in early 2020, and left super inspired and determined to go back soon!

Recap: Oceaneers in a Seashell

If text is not your thing, check out this 4-min video – it’s our founder bobbing around on a SUP in Hawaii, trying to summarize it all!

As Oceaneers, we love to be in nature and in oceans, but as a species, we’re trashing both.

Industrial fishing and livestock farming are among the biggest drivers of this destruction, and in addition, cause extreme unnecessary suffering to billions of animals each year.

Unlike with other challenges, we’re fully empowered as individuals to make changes – each meal/ purchase is an opportunity to act, a vote for or against this industry.

The purpose of Oceaneers is to raise awareness about this impact of our food choices, and encourage ocean-dwellers to reduce their consumption of industrially fished/farmed animal products.

Oceaneers

Oceaneers is a community-driven initiative created by two ocean lovers who wanted to inspire others to see that the biggest positive impact they could make to ocean sustainability was to change their food choices.

© 2018 Oceaneers.For.Life 

FIND OUT MORE

About
Reduce
Ambassadors
FAQs
Blog
Facts

CONTACT US

hello@oceaneers.co

 

JOIN US

Join the Oceaneers Tribe

Keen on doing your bit for the ocean and stretching out of your comfort zone? Our best ocean relevant reads and tips for living the reduction lifestyle. In your Inbox monthly. Get it here.

Shot! You've successfully subscribed to the Oceaneers newsletter.