How Coronavirus Impacted Our Coasts: The Good, the Bad and the Future

Now that the majority of the planet has been in some form of lockdown for several months due to the Coronavirus, we can start to see what impact this massive change in our daily actions has had on our planet. Other than gaining some much needed free time and realigning our priorities, the impact of this new virus on the human population has been widely negative, yet is the same true for our oceans? Over the last few months there is no doubt that some people have pushed the ocean and its issues to the back of their minds but the waves keep rolling, the sand keeps shifting and our aquatic species keep swimming. Earth’s fragile oceans continue to need our help, so let’s take a look at their altered current condition as we begin to renew our fight to save our seas.

Let’s start with the good news. With cruise ships, fishing vessels, tour boats and yachts all moored in ports or hidden away in winter storage, our oceans have had the quietest spring in over 150 years! Out at sea this has made a huge difference to some of the largest marine species on Earth which have had a relaxing spring whilst scientists have had a once in a lifetime opportunity to study animals’ behaviour without the usual constant human disturbance. In California, a few lucky researchers were granted permission to break free from their houses and take to the waves to study whales passing through the warm waters on their annual migration. One scientist took flesh samples from the creatures as they were happily feeding on anchovy and back in the lab these samples will be analysed to detect the level of cortisol, the stress hormone, being produced. From extensive research, we already know that noise can have a massive impact on a whole host of species with porpoises changing their swimming patterns upon hearing a vessel whilst whales struggle to communicate with other members of their pod over the deep hum of container ships, often leaving young and vulnerable calves to lose their families. Troublingly, the sonar emitted from naval ships can even cause some types of whale to flee the dark depths of the ocean and rise to the surface too quickly which can cause bubbles of gas to block blood flow within their arteries and cause embolisms. Many different species from squid to seals are negatively affected by noise pollution and therefore feel more stressed when humans are around, causing the same illnesses humans suffer from when under sustained pressure. By analysing whales’ stress levels and behaviour in the recent quiet waters, scientists can finally really see the true impact our aquatic pursuits are having on these creatures. In fact, researchers hope to return to the same waters in Monterey Bay next spring when all the boats have set sail once more to compare the shift in whales’ stress levels.

With nationwide lockdowns bringing peace and quiet to our coastal shores, many other animals are thriving once more as they claim back their wild habitat for themselves. In Thailand, leatherback turtles no longer have to fight for space amongst deckchairs, beach towels and heavy feet which has allowed them to lay their eggs in peace in many beauty spots. In Phuket, the numbers of these endangered turtles are at their highest levels in 20 years and in fact, none of these beautiful creatures have been seen in the last five years due to the heavy influx of tourists. Some locals around the world who live in areas abundant with turtles are now hoping that these success stories will spur on authorities to create seasonal beach closings to protect important turtle nesting sites with the hope of boosting population numbers in the future. Similarly, flamingos have flocked to Western Albania’s lagoons as boats and tourists have all but disappeared. Even fish are beginning to thrive as many fishing fleets have remained nestled in harbours, giving the ocean the chance it needs to start recovering from decades of exploitive overfishing. In China, Spain and Italy, some of the countries with the strictest lockdown restrictions, fishing has decreased by between 50-75%. Whilst economies have felt the strain, our fishing habits have finally become more sustainable and if continued, could allow us to fish successfully for many more years to come.

One of the first benefits we noticed was the dramatic drop in emissions as planes stopped transporting travellers, employees started working from home and factories stopped needing vast supplies of goods. During Italy’s lockdown, levels of nitrogen dioxide, a greenhouse gas, dropped by 40%, helping slow the warming of our oceans and create cleaner air for us to breathe. Now that restrictions are easing, one of the other positives that is only just emerging is how individuals are rediscovering their passion for nature. Maybe they have spent their days taking long walks around their home, noticing all the little details that previously passed them by. Or maybe now families taking day trips to the calm beauty of the coastline is helping people remember just how important our seas are to them. Throughout the pandemic it seems many people have reconsidered their priorities and returned to nature as a place to find peace and in turn, they are becoming more committed than ever to protecting it.

However, of course there have been some stark ocean disasters occurring over the last few months. Some have argued that plastic has really proved its indispensability recently as this material has been essential within the medical industry, producing everything from ventilators to face masks. Yet we must remember that whilst plastic is incredibly useful, we do not need to use it in every aspect of our lives. The global pandemic has seen a new form of waste arise in the form of PPE which is now flooding into the oceans and undermining so much hard work that has occurred in recent years. Lightweight gloves and masks are so easily blown from hands and out of overfull rubbish bins where they end up in our rivers and eventually oceans where they masquerade as jellyfish and confuse our sharks and sea turtles. Did you know that if every person in the UK wore a disposable face mask every day for a year, 66,000 tonnes of waste would be produced whilst 57,000 tonnes of related plastic packaging would also be dumped? To make this worse, a single mask can remain in our oceans for 450 years. Yet it is not just masks and gloves being found on our seashores and tangled into corals, hand sanitiser bottles and packaging are also being found. With many cafes and restaurants not being allowed to open as normal, thousands have turned to takeaway services and with it, reintroduced a whole host of unrecyclable plastic that we were so close to abandoning for good. California has even lifted its plastic bag ban in a bid to stop the spread of the disease as, sadly, single-use comes back into fashion whilst Starbucks is refusing to fill reusable cups which may be contaminated.

To make the problem of plastic worse, many rescue teams have been unable to get out and help entangled animals whilst keen litter pickers have been forced to keep off the beaches for months. The last bit of bad news is that recycling has been put on hold in countries such as America and Spain. For some communities, they simply no longer have the manpower to run recycling plants whilst others are banning infected individuals from recycling their rubbish because of the risk of contaminating waste workers in sorting facilities. To make matters even worse, the recent drop in oil prices has meant that plastic is cheaper than ever to produce, making some businesses wonder if it would simply be cheaper to make products from fresh material rather than washed and recycled waste.

So the outlook for our oceans is mixed but don’t fear, multiple environmental charities have continued to work hard throughout the pandemic, just from their messy spare rooms and large kitchen tables. One of the big questions is, will governments now focus more or less on our sustainability issues? Yes, governments are very preoccupied with social and economic problems and this year’s climate change conference in November has already been postponed. Yet, the pandemic has given us an enormous opportunity to change our trajectory. We can continue on our unsustainable path or we can go forwards with nature at the forefront of our minds and use green methods to aid our recovery. Coronavirus has thrown our lives far off kilter but many of us, including authorities, have had time to re-evaluate our daily lives and realise how dependent on nature we really are. Whilst we can all opt for reusable face masks, dispose of our PPE properly and try to shop sustainably, we can also ensure governments and businesses stick to their promises to ban or reduce plastic. Many people are already backing the idea of a ‘Green’ or ‘Blue’ New Deal which sees governments halt unsustainable subsidies to large scale fishers and focus on sustainable small scale practices, ensuring that the upcoming tourism boom is environmentally friendly and helping the economy recover by investing in renewable energy and low emissions technology. The way nature has bounced back over the past few quiet months should give the world hope that our damaging actions can be reversed and transformed; now it is all up to us to walk on the new path towards a greener, healthier future for our planet.

By Neve McCracken-Heywood