New Internationalist – September 2019

THE SEA

LIVING

SEA

Up to 10

million species

live in coastal

waters.^1

17,000 species

thrive in the dark

deep sea.^1

38,000

different kinds

of microbes

exist in 1 litre of

seawater.^1

25% of the

ocean’s

inhabitants

are directly

dependent on

coral reefs.^2

But warming

seas have

bleached to

death 50% of

Australia’s Great

Barrier Reef

since 2016.^3

1 billion

people are

dependent on

fish as their

primary source

of protein.^2

10 -12% of

the global

population

depend on

fishing as

a source of

income.^2

12 million tonnes of plastic

waste ends up in the sea per year,

of which 80% comes from poor

waste management on land.^7 Most

is microplastic – particles that are

smaller than 5 millimetres – which

sea creatures mistake for plankton.

In some places there are 6 kilos of

plastic for each kilo of plankton.^4

Other major ocean pollutants

include: oil, radioactive material,

persistent organic pollutants (POPs)

such as PCBs (polychlorinated

biphenyl), chemicals including

arsenic, lead, cyanide, mustard gas

and mercury, sewage, and nitrates

and phosphates from industrial

farming which go into the sea to

create dead zones.^2

Every year approximately 2.6 billion

litres of oil leak into the oceans.

One litre of oil can contaminate

a million litres of drinking water.^2

FEWER FISH IN THE SEA THAN EVER BEFORE

4

ALERT!

27,000 species

are threatened

with extinction.^5

Most critically

endangered:

Hawksbill Turtle,

Vaquita, Blue

Whale, Kemp’s

Ridley Sea Turtle,

Steller Sea Lion,

Hammerhead

Shark, Fina Whale,

Hector’s Dolphin,

Hawaiian Monk

Seal, Green Sea

Tu r t l e.^6

1,000

to 2, 500

g/km^2

1,000

to 2, 500

g/km^2

1,000

to 2, 500

g/km^2

1,000

to 2, 500

g/km^2

50

to 200

g/km^2

50

to 200

g/km^2

0

g/km^2

Surface currents

Plastic garbage patches

in the subtropical gyres

0- 50

g/km^2

1,000

to 2, 500

g/km^2

Indian Ocean

Gyre

North Pacific

Gyre

South Pacific

Gyre

North Atlantic

Gyre

South Atlantic

Indian Ocean Gyre

Gyre

North Pacific

Gyre

South Pacific

Gyre

North Atlantic

Gyre

South Atlantic

Gyre

Where does all the PLASTIC waste wind up?^4

ACID SEA

The seas are 30%

more acidic than

in 1950 due to

rising CO 2 levels.

At this rate acidity

will be a further

140% higher

by 2100.^2

SEA OF PLASTIC

100

80

60

40

20

0

1974

Per cent

■ Overfished ■ Fully fished ■ Underfished

1984 1994 2004 2013

MOLLUSCS

Mussels, snails,

cephalopods

ECHINODERMS

Sea urchins,

sea cucumbers,

sea stars

CRUSTACEANS

Shrimp, lobsters,

copepods

CORALS

Tropical and

cold-water

corals

FINFISH

Herring,

tuna, cod

Q Positive effect

Q No effect

Q Negative effect

Acidification – some

species adapt,

most don’t^4

Fishfarming now accounts for half of the 167

million tons of fish products consumed worldwide^2

24 NEW INTERNATIONALIST