Reading Exercise 43

Life on our planet earth began with the sea; it is the birthplace of life on earth. The earth is the only planet in our solar system so far known which contains plenty of water and this water has made our earth colourful, pulsating with the life of a vast variety.

At present sea occupies about 70 percent of the earth's surface. In the southern hemisphere, it occupies more area than that in the northern. About 97% of the total water on the surface of the earth is found in the seas and the remaining three percent, which is generally fresh, is in lakes, rivers, ponds, etc.

Sea has given food and shelter to countless creatures. It is a potential source of protein. In the 1900s, the world population was only 150 crores, now it is more than 560 crores and is increasing at a very fast rate. As a result, there is a terrible hunger in many parts of the world. In Africa, Asia, and South America, millions of people do not get enough to eat. Many die of malnutrition. Sea, if used scientifically and judiciously, can meet most of our demands.

Plankton or algae mostly constitutes the plant life. Like plant plankton, there are also animal plankton; the smallest living creature in the sea. These animal plankton feed on plant plankton and small fish. Thus, there is an unbroken chain of life in the sea.

Arctic and Antarctic seas abound in plankton and algae and so in fish also. Blue whales, the largest living creatures of the world, are also found here in great number.

Some countries have developed sea farming to a great extent. The Japanese and the Hawaiians relish eating sea plants but it is not so in other countries though some use them to feed their cattle or as manure in their fields. The fact is that sea plants contain rich nutrients not found in other vegetarian food. It is good that even in our country some scientists have developed some recipes for curries, jams, etc. to be made from algae.

But we must remember one thing that the sea is not to be exploited immediately. For example, man in his greed has hunted whales and some other sea creatures so recklessly that some of their species have either become extinct or are on the verge of extinction. Now, nations of the world have realised their folly and have taken some joint decisions. For example, one such decision is that the size of the holes in fishing nets should be big enough to let baby fish escape through. Otherwise, the killing of large quantities of very young fish would have an adverse effect on the fish population. In the same way, another decision is for the protection of blue whales.