How much do you know about issues facing our oceans?

Yesterday have a chat with a friend. He is starting his aquaculture business and was sharing with me some facts on our ocean and current fishstocks available in the ocean.

Some of the key points that he shared hit me.

- According to survey if we go on with our current rate of Industrial fishing, there will be no more 
   fishes to be caught anymore in the sea in 20 to 30 years time.

- Many human activities on the land has effected the ocean in a very very big way.

- If we go on with the way we are, in future there might be only bred fish available for consumer.

I'm very much interested in this topic so I did some searching on Google and found some important facts about our ocean from National Geographic.

Here's are some Questions & Answers from National Geographic on our ocean :

Q: Where does most ocean pollution came from?

 Land activities?

Marine Activities?

or both equally divided?

A: More than 80% of all ocean pollution comes from land. Oil from cities and factories 

     washes down drains into ocean, runoff from fields and lawn carries fertilizer to the 

     sea, and tons of solid garbage-most of it plastic-winds up bobbing in the ocean.

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Q: Elevated water temperatures can cause coral to do what?

Bleach?

Grow too fast?

A: Coral reef are in trouble across the globe as rising greenhouse gas levels warm 

     the oceans, elevated temperatures trigger mass episodes of bleaching, in which 

     corals eject their symbiotic algae. Bleaching slows coral growth, makes them 

     susceptible to disease, and can lead to large-scale reef die-offs.

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Q: Ocean acidification is putting which animals most directly at risk?

Marine Mammals?

Shelled Animals?

Seabirds?

Bottom-feeding fish?






A: When carbon dioxide dissolves in this ocean, carbonic acid is formed. This leads to higher 
     acidity, mainly near the surface, which has been proven to inhibit shell growth in marine animals. 
     It’s also suspected as a cause of reproductive disorders in some fish. 


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Q: Industrial fishing is estimated to have wiped out what percent of large predator fish?


10%?


20%?


60%?


90%?


A: Industrial fishing, according to one survey, has wiped out perhaps 90% of large predatory fish, 
    such as swordfish, marlin, and the biggest types of tuna. Since 1950, more than 50 million tons of 
    tuna and other top predators have been taken from the pacific.


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Q: What area of the ocean is suffering the most from habitat destruction?

Coasts?

Ocean floor?

Deep sea?

A: Most areas of the world’s ocean are experiencing habitat loss. But coastal areas, with their 
    closeness to human population centers, have suffered disproportionately. 
    Habitat loss here has far–reaching impacts on the entire oceans biodiversity. 
    These critical areas, which include estuaries, swamps, marshes, and wetlands, serve as 
    breeding grounds or nurseries for nearly all marine species.

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Q: World ocean temperatures set a record in 2009. What was the average water temperature 
     worldwide in July2009?

A: In July 2009, the world’s ocean set a record for high temperatures. 
    The average water temperatures worldwide was 62.6 degrees Fahrenheit (17 degree Celsius), 
    according to the National Climatic Data Center. An El Nino weather pattern combined with 
    global warming to send the temperatures higher.

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Q: How much has the global mean sea level risen over the last century?

Not at all?

1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.6cm)?

4 to 8 inches (10 to 20cm)?

15 to 20 inches (38 to 51cm)?

A: Core samples, tide gauge readings, and, most recently, satellite measurements tell us that over 

     the last century, the global mean sea level (GMSL) has risen by 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20cm). 

     When sea level rise rapidly, even a small increase can have devastating effects on coastal 
     habitats.

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Q: Which ocean’s fish stocks have taken the hardest hit from over fishing?

Pacific?

Atlantic?

Indian?

Arctic?

A: Nearly a third of the world’s fish stocks are overfished, and the Atlantic has taken the hardest hit.

    In many regions of the Atlantic, more than 45% of stocks are overfished.

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