The Next Great Extinction Crisis Is Under Way Under the Sea [View all]

[Omaha Steve]

Overfishing, pollution, and climate change have contributed to a devastating decline in marine life.



Manta ray. (Photo: Getty Images)


http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/09/16/ocean-wildlife-population-down-half?cmpid=tpdaily-eml-2015-09-16

SEP 16, 2015 Taylor Hill is an associate editor at TakePart covering environment and wildlife.

Imagine the outcry if half the life on land had disappeared over the past 45 years.

That’s what has happened in the world’s oceans, according to a new report that finds that global populations of marine species have plummeted 49 percent since 1970.

Certain fish that people rely on for food suffered even steeper declines: Populations of tuna, bonito, and mackerel dropped by 74 percent, according to the study, which was compiled by the World Wildlife Fund and reviewed by researchers at the Zoological Society of London.

By compiling data from 2,337 individual sources, including population estimates from scientific studies and databases, the researchers were able to estimate the changes in species populations from 1970 to 2012.

FULL story at link.


Sea cucumber. (Photo: Jeff Rotman/Getty Images)