For generations, we considered the ocean's bounty limitless. We were confident the seas would feed the world.

Now, we are running out of fish.

  • At least 60 percent of the world's 200 most valuable fish species are either overfished or fished to the limit. Some, like Atlantic halibut and bluefin tuna, have been fished to the brink of commercial extinction.
  • Overfishing, destructive fishing practices, inadequate management and degradation of habitat have pushed numbers of Atlantic salmon, sharks, swordfish and other species to all-time lows.
  • primary reason for the loss of marine species is habitat destruction, caused by development and pollution. The conversion of coastal areas into urban and industrial sites and for tourism and residential use have had serious consequences.
  • About 80 percent of all pollution in the sea comes from land, including sewage, industrial waste and agricultural runoff.
  • In some estuaries, more than 80 percent of key nursery habitat has been lost to development.
  • With an estimated 75 percent of the world's population expected to live within 50 miles of the coastline by the year 2010, demands for coastal space and resources will accelerate and so will the loss and destruction of habitat.