to the oceans,
our food choices matter

oceaneers, \\\\ˈō-shənnirs \\\\ noun:

A community of Ocean-aficionados who are driven by a shared passion and a shared purpose.

Shared passion = Getting salty & wet

Shared purpose = Eating for the Oceans

COMMUNITIES ROCK! MIND SHARING A BIT MORE ABOUT THAT PURPOSE?

With pleasure. Our purpose is to take better care of our Oceans (and the living planet as a whole), and we believe that our food choices play a huge role in that – especially when it comes to fish and other animal products.


These 3 pillars summarize our approach:

Awareness...

…is what we raise!

Food choices matter more than most people (want to) know. That’s not a coincidence – there’s some pretty powerful & loaded  industries & lobbyists out there who want to keep it that way

Empowerment...

… is what drives us!

3 times a day you get to vote, with your hard-earned nuggets. Unless you’re munching like Iggy, then it’s 6-12 times. 
It’s like democracy, but on steroids.

Reduction...

..is what we aim for!

We don’t recommend to go from carnivore to complete herbivore, the same way we don’t recommend to go from Muizies to Dungeons (big wave spot).
We believe that reduction is the most sustainable path for most people.

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 AND 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 for life
– 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

Livestock farming:
– 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 ANIMAL-BASED FOOD-PRODUCTION?

Pretty much everything. It’s messed up. And it’s unfortunately tied to all animal products, including dairy and eggs (not just fish & 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

The aquatic food chain is the most concentrated source of organic pollutants, especially toxix heavy metals. Industrial animal farms use large quantities of antibiotics pre-emptively, and often through  hormones into the mix. And then there’ s the much higher risk of lifestyle diseases associated with concumption of animal products.

 

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

%

of fish is fed to livestock

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

%

plastic fishing gear

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

%

of fish is fed to livestock

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

%

plastic fishing gear

Including microplastics, ghost nets make up ~10% of all plastic waste in the marine environment
source

 

 

%

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

%

of global harvest

46% of the global harvest is used for livestock farming. source

%

of Amazon destruction

An estimated 91% of  Amazon destruction is caused by  livestock farming. 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

 

%

of global harvest

46% of global harvest is used for livestock farming. 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?

Finally! We thought that you’d never ask! It’s easy – you can choose between 2 waves:

Wave 1 is for you if you’re interested in following our journey from distance.
Wave 2 is for you if you feel inspired to take actions.

WAVE 1: Become a follower / supporter

WAVE 1 – ACTIVITIES:

  • Read & share our newsletter 
  • Follow us on social media.

THIS IS FOR YOU IF…

  • you like what we’re doing and you want to be kept up to date,
  • but you’re not based in Cape Town or
  • you don’t have the time/energy to get more deeply involved.

COMPLETE THIS FORM TO SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER…

AND FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

WAVE 2: Become an Oceaneer

WAVE 2 – ACTIVITIES:

  • Take our pledge
  • Join your fellow Oceaneers on the reduction journey,
  • Get rewarded by our brand partners and
  • Join our events

THIS IS FOR YOU IF…

  • you’re ‘re based in Cape Town (or eager to start your own Oceaneers-community elsewhere),
  • and you feel inspired to take the next step (or wave).

LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW TO
BECOME AN OCEANEER

HERE

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 

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