Last week, we looked at some interesting facts we learned while writing our new Ocean workshop. We ended on a worrying note, learning about The Great Pacific Garbage Patch; unfortunately, this is only one of the issues facing the world’s oceans.
1) Around 5 trillion plastic items are floating in our oceans; the number is growing.
2) Around 10% of dead sea life is entangled in plastic bags.
3) Seabird populations have fallen by 70% in recent years, with the most significant threats being habitat loss and the fishing industry.
4) Coral bleaching is a severe problem facing reefs – so far, there have been six mass bleaching events, whitening of the reefs due to disruption of symbiosis between coral and algae, associated with reef devastation from chemical pollution and an increase in temperature.
5) The most considerable loss recorded was in 2016, when the Great Barrier Reef lost 30% of its coral.
6) One large-scale survey found 90% of sea birds and 52% of sea turtles have ingested plastic.
7) The Atlantic cod population is at a critically low level due to overfishing.
8) Human-generated noise can create a problem for marine life by interrupting the communication and navigation of different species.
9) Between 1970 and 2012, the oceans experienced a 50% species loss.
10) All seven species of sea turtles are endangered or critically endangered, with the most significant threat being fishing equipment.