---
title: "5 Destructive Quotes By Sylvia Earle"
description: "5 Destructive quotes by Sylvia Earle. Plus more from Sylvia Earle and more Destructive sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/146/sylvia-earle-1756_biodiversity_people-still-do-not-understand-that-a-li_541295.jpg"
---

> [People still do not understand that a live fish is more valuable than a dead one, and that destructive fishing techniques are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/people-still-do-not-understand-that-a-live-fish-is-more-valuable-than/)

[Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/146/sylvia-earle-1756_biodiversity_people-still-do-not-understand-that-a-li_541295.jpg)

> [Even our rules and regulations, our laws, our policies, favor the destructive nature of taking too much from the ocean and using…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/even-our-rules-and-regulations-our-laws-our-policies-favor-the/)

[Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ec/sylvia-earle-1756_destructive_even-our-rules-and-regulations-our-laws_551902.jpg)

> [We have the power to abstain from destructive behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/we-have-the-power-to-abstain-from-destructive-behavior/)

[Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/406/sylvia-earle-1756_behavior_we-have-the-power-to-abstain-from-destru_1813102.jpg)

> [I'm not against extracting a modest amount of wildlife out of the ocean for human consumption, but I am really concerned about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/i-m-not-against-extracting-a-modest-amount-of-wildlife-out-of-the/)

[Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee1/sylvia-earle-1756_amount_i-m-not-against-extracting-a-modest-amou_2223238.jpg)

> [There are now more than 4,000 places in the sea around the world that have some kind of protection. The bad news:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/there-are-now-more-than-4-000-places-in-the-sea-around-the-world-that/)

[Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/sylvia-earle-1756_around-the-world_there-are-now-more-than-4-000-places-in_2420638.jpg)

## Other authors on Destructive

## More by Sylvia Earle

> [We still have 10 percent of the sharks. We still have half of the coral reefs. However, if we wait another 50 years, opportunities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/we-still-have-10-percent-of-the-sharks-we-still-have-half-of-the/)

[Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/)

> [Health to the ocean means health for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/health-to-the-ocean-means-health-for-us/)

[Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/)

> [Evolution is not something to be feared. It's to be celebrated, embraced, and understood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/evolution-is-not-something-to-be-feared-it-s-to-be-celebrated/)

[Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/)

> [We are depleting this immense diversity and abundance of life, and it matters tremendously for the future of the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/we-are-depleting-this-immense-diversity-and-abundance-of-life-and-it/)

[Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/)

> [My mother was known as the 'bird lady' of the neighborhood. Anything injured, or any unusual creature somebody found, they would always come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/my-mother-was-known-as-the-bird-lady-of-the-neighborhood-anything/)

[Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/)

> [There is this sweet spot in time when we have an opportunity to stop killing sharks and tunas and swordfish and other wildlife in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/there-is-this-sweet-spot-in-time-when-we-have-an-opportunity-to-stop/)

[Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/)

> [The sudden release of five million barrels of oil, enormous quantities of methane and two million gallons of toxic dispersants into an already greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-sudden-release-of-five-million-barrels-of-oil-enormous-quantities/)

[Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/)

> [I've always said, 'Underwater or on top, men and women are compatible.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/i-ve-always-said-underwater-or-on-top-men-and-women-are-compatible/)

[Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/)

> [With respect to the ocean being the heart of our blue planet: We are often asked, 'How much protection is enough?' We can only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/with-respect-to-the-ocean-being-the-heart-of-our-blue-planet-we-are/)

[Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/)

> [If the sea is sick, we'll feel it. If it dies, we die. Our future and the state of the oceans are one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/if-the-sea-is-sick-we-ll-feel-it-if-it-dies-we-die-our-future-and-the/)

[Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/)

> [The ocean seemed like a sea of Eden. But now we are facing paradise lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-ocean-seemed-like-a-sea-of-eden-but-now-we-are-facing-paradise/)

[Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/)

> [When you think about the real cost of so-called cheap energy that has driven our prosperity to unprecedented levels, for some of us, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/when-you-think-about-the-real-cost-of-so-called-cheap-energy-that-has/)

[Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/)

> [When I arrived on the planet, there were only two billion. Wildlife was more abundant, we were less so; now the situation is reversed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/when-i-arrived-on-the-planet-there-were-only-two-billion-wildlife-was/)

[Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/)

> [I've had the joy of spending thousands of hours under the sea. I wish I could take people along to see what I see,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/i-ve-had-the-joy-of-spending-thousands-of-hours-under-the-sea-i-wish/)

[Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/)

> [The observations that have developed over the years have given us perspective about where we fit in. We are newcomers, really recent arrivals on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-observations-that-have-developed-over-the-years-have-given-us/)

[Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destructive/sylvia-earle/#itemlist",
            "name": "5 Destructive Quotes By Sylvia Earle",
            "numberOfItems": 5,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "People still do not understand that a live fish is more valuable than a dead one, and that destructive fishing techniques are taking a wrecking ball to biodiversity.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Sylvia Earle"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/people-still-do-not-understand-that-a-live-fish-is-more-valuable-than/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/146/sylvia-earle-1756_biodiversity_people-still-do-not-understand-that-a-li_541295.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/146/sylvia-earle-1756_biodiversity_people-still-do-not-understand-that-a-li_541295.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/146/sylvia-earle-1756_biodiversity_people-still-do-not-understand-that-a-li_541295.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“People still do not understand that a live fish is more valuable than a dead one, and that destructive…” — Sylvia Earle",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "Even our rules and regulations, our laws, our policies, favor the destructive nature of taking too much from the ocean and using techniques that are horribly destructive. We know they don't work. We know it's not sustainable.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Sylvia Earle"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/even-our-rules-and-regulations-our-laws-our-policies-favor-the/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ec/sylvia-earle-1756_destructive_even-our-rules-and-regulations-our-laws_551902.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ec/sylvia-earle-1756_destructive_even-our-rules-and-regulations-our-laws_551902.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ec/sylvia-earle-1756_destructive_even-our-rules-and-regulations-our-laws_551902.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Even our rules and regulations, our laws, our policies, favor the destructive nature of taking too much from…” — Sylvia Earle",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "We have the power to abstain from destructive behavior.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Sylvia Earle"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/we-have-the-power-to-abstain-from-destructive-behavior/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/406/sylvia-earle-1756_behavior_we-have-the-power-to-abstain-from-destru_1813102.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/406/sylvia-earle-1756_behavior_we-have-the-power-to-abstain-from-destru_1813102.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/406/sylvia-earle-1756_behavior_we-have-the-power-to-abstain-from-destru_1813102.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“We have the power to abstain from destructive behavior.” — Sylvia Earle",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "I'm not against extracting a modest amount of wildlife out of the ocean for human consumption, but I am really concerned about the large-scale industrial fishing that engages in destructive practices like trawling and longlining.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Sylvia Earle"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/i-m-not-against-extracting-a-modest-amount-of-wildlife-out-of-the/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee1/sylvia-earle-1756_amount_i-m-not-against-extracting-a-modest-amou_2223238.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee1/sylvia-earle-1756_amount_i-m-not-against-extracting-a-modest-amou_2223238.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee1/sylvia-earle-1756_amount_i-m-not-against-extracting-a-modest-amou_2223238.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“I'm not against extracting a modest amount of wildlife out of the ocean for human consumption, but I am…” — Sylvia Earle",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "There are now more than 4,000 places in the sea around the world that have some kind of protection. The bad news: You have to look hard to find them. What you find instead is destructive fishing, mining, gas and oil exploration.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Sylvia Earle"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/there-are-now-more-than-4-000-places-in-the-sea-around-the-world-that/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/sylvia-earle-1756_around-the-world_there-are-now-more-than-4-000-places-in_2420638.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/sylvia-earle-1756_around-the-world_there-are-now-more-than-4-000-places-in_2420638.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/sylvia-earle-1756_around-the-world_there-are-now-more-than-4-000-places-in_2420638.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“There are now more than 4,000 places in the sea around the world that have some kind of protection. The bad…” — Sylvia Earle",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destructive/sylvia-earle/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destructive/sylvia-earle/",
            "name": "Destructive Quotes by Sylvia Earle",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destructive/sylvia-earle/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/146/sylvia-earle-1756_biodiversity_people-still-do-not-understand-that-a-li_541295.jpg"
            },
            "description": "5 Destructive quotes by Sylvia Earle. Plus more from Sylvia Earle and more Destructive sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destructive/sylvia-earle/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destructive/sylvia-earle/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Topics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Destructive",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destructive/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "Sylvia Earle",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destructive/sylvia-earle/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```