I’m not one for making new years resolutions, but did I mention anything about new years missions? Nope, especially not when they’re saving the planet kinds. So I’ve joined National Geographic’s Mission Blue: a commitment to protect our oceans. A very worthy and crucial cause indeed. In case you didn’t know it, the seven seas are pretty stuffed, and if we don’t hurry up and change our ways, the future of humanity is stuffed too. Big time.

“Our planet depends on the vitality of the ocean to support and sustain it. But our ocean faces major threats: global climate change, pollution, habitat destruction, invasive species, and, not least, the dramatic decrease in ocean fish stocks now so extensive that more than 40 percent of the ocean has been severely affected and no area has been left untouched.” – National Geographic

Photo by Enric Sala

Everyone who walks this earth has a responsibility to look after it. So, your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to get educated and take action. The Mission Blue website is a good place to start. National Geographic have partnered up with Ocean Conservancy, The Environmental Defense Fund, SeaWeb, The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and The SEAlliance in a bid to restore health and productivity to the ocean, to inform and inspire sustainable seafood choices and provide practical tips to do your bit.

Photo by Enric Sala

There’s a Seafood Decision Guide, interactive World Seafood footprint, ambassador interviews, a KidSafe Seafood Program and a Seafood Quiz. I DARE YOU to take it. Do you have any idea what impact our appetite for seafood is having on the oceans? I hate to admit that my results were appalling, there’s so much I didn’t know about the devastating impacts of over-fishing, who the worst offenders are and the ocean-friendly seafood substitutes you can make (if you must eat it at all).

Photo David Gregs, Alamy

Sign up and stay informed about how you can help protect the oceans:

About Ingrid Schroder

A Sydney-side freelance graphic designer, photographer & yoga teacher - I find myself turning to nature for guaranteed revival from the crazy pace of city life - be it digging in my garden, capturing natural beauty through a lens, floating in the ocean, practicing yoga or out exploring this incredible planet we all call home. Follow me on twitter @Cohabitaire