Legendary ocean researcher Sylvia Earle shares astonishing images

of the ocean and shocking stats about its rapid decline.

There are several changes we are seeing. One big change is within
50 years, we've taken and eaten more than 90% of the big fish in the
sea, nearly half of the coral reefs have disappeared, and there has
been a mysterious depletion of oxygen in large areas of the Pacific.
With every drop we drink, every breath we take, we are connected to
the sea no matter where we live. Most of the oxygen in the
atmosphere is generated by the sea. Over time, most of the planets’
organic carbon has been absorbed and stored there. The ocean
drives weather, stabilizes temperature, shapes earth’s chemistry, and
much more.
It not only drives global warming, but it’s changing ocean chemistry,
making the sea more acidic. It’s bad news for coral reefs, planktons,
and us.
We should be thinking of the real cost. For every pound that goes to
the market, more than 10 pounds — even 100 pounds— may be
thrown away as bycatch. This is the consequence of not knowing that
there are limits of what we can take out of the sea.
There are more than 4,000 places in the seas around the world that
have protection. The bad news is, you have to look hard to find these
places on Google Earth. Protected areas do rebound, but they take
time to restore.
We need new ways to generate power. We need new and better ways
to cope with poverty, wars, and diseases. We need many things in
order to keep and maintain the world as a better place, but nothing
else will matter if we fail to protect the ocean. Our fate and the ocean
are one.
Sylvia’s wish is that we would use all means at our disposal to ignite
public support for a global network of marine protected areas— hope
spots large enough to save and restore the ocean.