On September 15th-16th the third annual Our Ocean conference was held in Washington D.C. where the main focus, if you couldn't guess, were key issues that the oceans currently face. You look at these massive bodies of water that seem so powerful, with their waves and depth, and think to yourself that nothing is wrong, these waters are untouchable. But you are wrong, in reality they are fragile and it is our doing. Here are some issues that the oceans face today.

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For starters, fish stock plays a major role in the lives of many people. This is a source of food security, that provides nourishment and revenue to billions of people around the world. Actually, it is the livelihoods of roughly 10-12 percent of the worlds population. To put that into perspective, that is over 870 million people. However, fisheries are being jeopardized by unsustainable fishing. This has exhausted 90 percent of abundant fish, such as tuna, swordfish, marlin, cod, halibut, and list goes on.

Another problem oceans face is marine pollution. There are a variety of pollutant sources that are suffocating our oceans. Such pollutants include but are not limited to agricultural wastes, sewage, waste water runoff, and marine debris. Runoff consists of nutrient rich pollutants containing high concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus. These elements provide nutrients to photosynthetic organisms such as algae and cause large algal blooms. When the algae die, they decompose, which consumes oxygen. This creates oxygen depleted zones where life cannot thrive, killing marine life.

Marine debris: Trash and other solid material enters the ocean due to poor trash management by waste facilities, littering, and storm sewer runoff. It is estimated the eight million tons of plastic traffic flow into the ocean every year and doubles every decade. When debris enters the ocean it poses a risk to wildlife, marine habitats, and even health and safety concerns to humans. For instance, when a non biodegradable item enters the water it may look like food to marine life. An example is a plastic bag, which looks like a jellyfish, is consumed by a sea turtle. Keep your beaches clean!

Lastly, the ocean water has been warming due to a little thing called climate change. Warming waters threaten species such as coral. With an increase in water temperatures, corals expel the algae living in their tissue causing the coral to turn white or bleach. Also, with waters warming sea ice and glaciers are melting, causing sea levels to rise. It is predicted that by the end of the 21st century, sea levels will rise at least another one to four feet, affecting lives, coastal communities and incomes.

All in all, the ocean is great, powerful, and beautiful. It feeds billions, generates trillions of dollars, and employs millions. Life on Earth depends on the ocean. Action needs to be taken now. We need to make sustainable methods of fishing such as monitoring fishing activity and enforcing penalties on violators, effective prevention strategies of waste disposal, and reducing our carbon footprints. If we continue treating the ocean the way we do, who knows how much it will have left to offer us.

For more information go to: http://ourocean2016.org

 http://www.conservation.org/nature-is-speaking/Pag... --Highly recommend this video :)