Threats to Ocean Life

Hello everyone!

I recently finished a small series of ink and watercolor paintings talking about different threats to marine life.
I worked on these four illustrations for Pangeaseed, one of them will be turned into a limited edition print to support ocean conservation.

Coral reefs are often referred to as the rainforests of the ocean. These incredibly diverse ecosystems are home to 30% of life in the sea. Yet due to destructive human impact, coral reefs around the world are threatened with extinction.

Warming Seas

The rise of sea temperature is causing coral reefs to turn white.
What happens is that the algae that inhabits the corals leave, leaving only the bone like structure behind.

Overfishing

For this topic, I decided to do a representation of a bottom trawler.
Bottom trawlers let a huge fishing net hang from the boat down to the ocean bottom, sweeping everything that they encounter. A lot of what is gathered is just killed and thrown away. Arguably one of the worst fishing method, killing many beings and destroying habitat.
Also, fishing nets are made out of plastic and they make up about 50% of the plastic pollution found in the oceans. They're also killing animals that get entangled in them.

Ocean Acidification

Another threat to sea life is pollution, causing the water to become acidic.
Acidity is especially dangerous as it dissolves the coral reef beyond repair.

Coastal Development

Coastal areas are home to over 90% of all marine species, but with humans settling in these areas, we are losing these habitats at an alarming rate.

These four original paintings are now available in my shop.
Buying my artwork supports me as an artist, so I can keep talking about issues I find important.