Key Issues Facing The Ocean

Plastic Pollution

Right now an estimated 12.7 million tonnes of plastic – everything from plastic bottles and bags to microbeads – end up in our oceans each year. That’s a truck load of rubbish a minute.

This pollution is having a dramatic impact on ocean wildlife, the environment, our well-being and ultimately our health.

Overfishing

Of all the threats facing the oceans today, overfishing takes the greatest toll on sea life — and people.

Overfishing is catching too many fish at once, so the breeding population becomes too depleted to recover. Ninety per cent of the world’s fish stocks are described as either fully fished or over-exploited; some populations have collapsed altogether.

Marine Habitat Destruction

Most areas of the world’s oceans are experiencing habitat loss. But coastal areas, with their closeness to human population centers, have suffered disproportionately and mainly from manmade stresses. Habitat loss here has far-reaching impacts on the entire ocean’s biodiversity.

Our Incredible Ocean: Now Is The Time To Protect It

“How inappropriate to call this planet Earth when it is quite clearly Ocean”
Arthur C. Clarke
Science Writer