Ocean Health and Human Health are Inextricably Linked

Human health and environmental health are inextricably linked.  For Pacific Islanders, this is especially true for the ocean-human health connection. Marine organisms are of great value to Pacific Islanders ecologically, economically, and culturally. These “biocultural resources” are essential for traditional practices, nutrition and food security, and their population declines from human-induced stressors affect the physical, cultural  and mental health of stakeholders.   Pacific Islanders have some of the highest rates of coronary heart disease, diabetes, cancers and other non-communicable diseases tied to lifestyle changes resulting from the loss of marine resources, as well as from exposure to pollutants.  Marine organisms are also sentinels for the effects of environmental stressors, including pesticides, plastics, and radionuclides, on human health, and can be studied at various levels, from molecules to ecosystems.  Marine organisms can take up, trophically-transfer and bioaccumulate toxicants in their tissues, and are a conduit for ingestion by human seafood consumers.  A transdisciplinary collaboration between environmental and biomedical researchers resulted in the application of techniques developed from pharmacology to determine the effects of environmental toxicants on coral reproduction and the subsequent resilience of coral reef ecosystems of ecological, economic, and cultural value to the people of the Pacific.  These studies have expanded from chemical toxicants to the potential effects of the release of radioactively contaminated cooling water from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant disaster of 2011 into the Pacific Ocean that commenced in 2023 and is planned to continue for over 30 years.  The vitality and sustainability of ocean ecosystems are already compromised because of human activities and stressors including those resulting from overfishing, climate change and pollution. The continued dumping of pollutants into the ocean is unnecessary and irresponsible.  As marine pollution is both a transboundary and transgenerational issue, effective actions for source control and reduction are urgent if we are to leave a legacy of a healthy ocean for future generations.