COP15, Advent, & Hope for the Fish of the Sea

 

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars that you have established;

what are humans that you are mindful of them,
    mortals[a] that you care for them?

Yet you have made them a little lower than God
    and crowned them with glory and honor.

You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under their feet, 
 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

 O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

                                             Psalm 8:3-9 NRSVue 

I came close to taking a pass on posting a piece of artwork from our home today as part of my "outside in" Advent project in this Groundling blog. This is another mild and overcast day in our part of Southern Ontario which I suspect is an unwelcome outcome of climate change. Cold Winter days often result in clear skies, as we discovered during our years living in Sudbury, a Northern Ontario city. 

The gloom came close to defeating me in taking a photo of  this small print is on a snippet of wall space in our kitchen, easily missed, although the red frame does draw attention. What is this species of schooling fish, mackerel or caplin? The image conveys abundance which is a welcome thought given the steady decline of so many species. There is an expression to console someone who has lost a love, "there are plenty more fish in the sea", which suggests variety and choice. It terms of actual fish, not so much anymore. 

The biodiversity of seas and oceans will be a focal point during COP15 in Montreal from yesterday, December 7th to the 19th. An article in Le Monde reminds us:

The ocean is expanding under the effect of the excess energy it absorbs. It is warming up, to the detriment of corals whose reefs take the edge off storm swells and tsunamis, and is acidifying and losing oxygen. But the primary reason for its decline is human activity. The disappearance of mangroves and the concretization of coasts, widespread overfishing, extraction industries, the massive dumping of plastic and various forms of pollution have had, and continue to have, a significant impact on two-thirds of the marine environment...

At least one-third of the fish stocks we consume are overfished and 60% are exploited to the maximum of their potential to replenish themselves, so much so that since the 1980s world catches have reached their upper limit.

There is hope when we put our collective energy to the work of preservation. There is growing scientific evidence that when marine reserves are established fish biomass increases. And that fish stocks are replenished outside those protected areas as well, which benefits those who make a living from the sea. Shorelines can be restored and we can choose to reduce pollution, including plastics. 

Psalm 8 is sometimes described as a Creation Psalm and seems to give humans extraordinary status and includes that ominous word "dominion." As with its use in Genesis 1 dominion has been interpreted as "domination" rather than responsible stewardship. Reckless domination and exploitation has led the planet to the brink of collapse when it comes to biodiversity. 

Will world leaders be able to create a pact which protects the fish and birds, the mammals and other creatures of our oceans? I want to believe that in the gloom of Advent the light of Christ is strengthening, for humanity and all Creation.