The Society of Testing Laboratory Analysts of Nigeria (SoTLAN) has decried the under-utilisation of the country’s ocean and water resources.

The Acting President of SoTLAN, Dr Femi Oyediran, conveyed the association’s viewpoint on Wednesday in an interview with newsmen in Lagos.

According to him, Nigeria can get a lot of benefits by utilising the resources of the ocean optimally and protecting them for future generations of its citizens.

“Nigeria is not making the best use of its ocean resources. The marine environment is the abode of largest ecosystems but we are not exploiting the resources to the fullest.

“If properly utilised the vast ocean and water resources can bring the country out of the current economic recession,” he said.

Oyediran said that a healthy ocean was fundamental in efforts to curb the effects of climate change globally, adding that human activities had taken their toll on the health of the ocean.

The acting president, who is also an ecologist and toxicologist, said that poor methods of fishing as well as water management and transportation had resulted in serious pollution of the ocean environment.

According to him, they have also posed a threat to fishing and other marine populations.

“The ocean is absorbing the products of our activities like emissions from vehicles and carbon dioxide from other sources, as we destroy trees and do not plant enough tress to absorb them.

“However, if the carbon is too much, it will cause ocean acidification, which is not good for us and the marine environment,’’ he added.

Oyediran said that there was an established balance in nature, adding that whenever there was a shift in any area, it would affect the other areas.

He advised the citizens to always focus on sustainable consumption and production patterns.

He said that conscious efforts should be made to remove waste, shipwrecks and other debris from the ocean, as they often made the ocean to become warm.