$88.9 billion lost in net benefits because of over fishing, says the new UN report on oceans

The world is at risk of losing many of the benefits the oceans provides due to human activities. The United Nations released its second World Ocean Assessment (WOA II) report. And the news is not very good. Critical ocean habitats like mangroves and coral reefs continue to degrade due to pressures from human activities. These pressures include fishing, aquaculture, shipping, oil and gas exploitation, pollution and the release of greenhouse gases. WOA II is the work of hundreds of scientists from across the globe and follows an initial report published in 2015. The ocean and its ecosystems provides significant benefits to the global community such as climate regulation, coastal protection, food, employment, recreation and cultural well-being.
The number of hypoxic zones or “dead zones” have increased from more than 400 globally in 2008 to approximately 700 in 2019. The northern part of the Gulf of Mexico, the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the Bay of Bengal, the South China Sea and the East China Sea are the most affected. Around 90% of mangrove, seagrass, and marsh plant species, as well as 31 per cent of seabird species, are now threatened with extinction. Rise in ocean temperatures and changes in ocean currents driven by climate change is causing deoxygenation. The worst affected are the coastal regions of Africa, South America, South and South-East Asia and Oceania. The presence of plastics has been recorded in more than 1,400 marine species. 75% of species of sirenians, freshwater dolphins, polar bears and otters are classified as vulnerable, endangered or critically Endangered. About 33% of the world’s fish stocks, especially at higher trophic levels, have been fished to biologically unsustainable levels. Overfishing is estimated to have led to an annual loss of $88.9 billion in net benefits. The sustainability of oceans depends on joint research, capacity development and better integration of scientific knowledge and policy-making, says the report.