Photo Gallery Our Endangered Oceans
Recent studies indicate that our world's oceans may be in danger. Not only are CO2 emissions resulting in a rise in ocean water acidity, but overfishing is putting serious pressure on global fisheries. Here, a man in Yemen carrying a swordfish to market in November.
Warming coastal waters have been found to be harmful to coral reefs. Rising acidity may also be dangerous to the creatures that build reefs.
In addition, overly-acidic ocean waters might have adverse effects on the ability of shell fish to build their shells. Here, Dungeness crabs from a November catch in San Francisco.
According to a recent study, some two-thirds of global coastal waters are already being exploited, with most of the remaining one third being in the Arctic and Antarctic.
Fish remains a key part of diets around the world. But only a vast expansion in global fisheries have allowed the supply of fish to remain constant in markets around the world. Now, though, the limits may have been reached.
Fisheries around the world are reporting collapse. Even as fishing boats go far and wide in search of fish, the total annual catch appears to be dropping.
