Millions of fish and other marine life die every year because of shady practices and bad politics. From overfishing and pollution to invasive species killing everything in sight, the future looks pretty grim for the world's oceans. The world needs these oceans and, more importantly, good leadership. This is a job for the president.

In 2016 Mahi-mahi fisheries hit an all time low. Fewer of these beautiful fish were being caught than ever before. Given that the Mahi-mahi population is the fastest growing in the world there is no reason for this to be happening except for human interference. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC), a single boat can catch up to 60 of these majestic fish. With Mahi Mahi weighing up to 80 pounds, there is no reason for anybody to have 4800 pounds of fish. When the number of charter vessels that go out a day is factored into the equation, thousands of these fish are being killed every day. Now people are having to go farther offshore than ever before to find these fish because their population just can't hold up against this kind of fishing pressure.

Mahi-mahi aren't the only fish facing this. But there is hope. In 2018, the minimum length requirement for mutton snapper was changed from 16 to 18 inches and the maximum bag limit was lowered from ten to five per person. This is proof that regulations can be made stricter to help preserve these fish for the next generation. The world needs a president that cares enough to change these regulations.

Not only are fish being hunted to death but they are being killed by other human-made hazards. Lake Okeechobee has two rivers flowing from it, the Caloosahatchee and the Saint Lucie. These two rivers act as emergency drains for Lake Okeechobee when the waters get high. When the water gets high these drain into the ocean and have a disastrous effect on the local wildlife. This can be as minor as slightly lowering the salinity of the water near the mouths of the rivers to red tide killing off every living thing within 40 miles of shore. This happened in 2017 when Lake Okeechobee was dumped into the Gulf of Mexico. There were millions of dead fish lining the shore, and even a whale shark found its way to the piles of the dead. The effects are still reverberating as redfish, snook, and trout have been off limits to fishermen ever since. This is mainly because the lake has acres and acres of sugar cane plantations around it and all the fertilizers are working their way into the water and polluting it which allows things like blue green algae to grow. The president needs to change this. It could potentially save millions of animals and all that would need to happen is that the water needs to be redirected elsewhere.

While native species are being killed, invasives are being added. In south Florida the canals are loaded with invasives such as Mayan cichlids and oscars. One of the most prolific invasives is the common pleco. These are plant eating catfish that can grow up to three feet long. They have few natural predators because they have a bony armour plating that covers most of their body and spines on their fins. They are outcompeting other animals for food and are leading to a decline in manatee populations by eating all the seagrass. While most of the year this isn't a problem because manatees are saltwater animals, in winter they move inland and they starve to death because plecos have been running rampant.

And these aren't the only problem fish. The bullseye snakehead has been released into the waters of southeast Florida where they have become the apex predators. They will eat anything they can fit into their mouth with the big ones eating baby alligators and even fully grown ducks. These aren't even the worst invasive fish around. The lionfish is a visitor from Indonesia that has an unrestricted rule over the reefs of Florida. A coral reef is the single most biodiverse ecosystem on the planet and these lionfish are eating everything. While the freshwater species have alligators and birds eating them, these guys have nothing. They are covered in venomous spines and even sharks won't dare come anywhere near them. This has given them a buffet of juvenile snapper and grouper to eat whenever they want, and nothing is going to get in their way. But the downfall of most of these species is that they are absolutely delicious. People have noticed this and have started fishing for them. Even some companies have been getting onboard with Seminole Scuba making a lionfish containment tube for spearfishermen that don't want to get stabbed by their dinner.

While the mistakes of previous world leaders have already taken their hold on the waters of the world, there is still hope. Someone could stand up for the environment and help the creatures too little to be seen by the rest of the world. Things have already begun to change for the better. Legislators are passing laws and citizens are gathering petitions while more and more fisherfolk are entering tournaments to catch invasive species. These steps have already begun reversing some of the problems, and there is still hope for bright futures and clean waters.