There is a feedback loop between OCEAN health and Climate Change. They each affect the other. A healthy ocean acts like a storage area for CO2 to keep climate in balance. Today we can see many signs of adverse ocean health caused by man through overfishing. With respect to overfishing the oceans by giant national fishing fleets, the term BYCATCH comes up. This means any fish or mammal that is UNINTENDED to be caught but ends up in the huge nets and most end up dying. China is the #1 overfishing nation, but the US is also in the top 10. 1/3 of all sharks and rays are in danger of extinction due to overfishing. Bycatch is the leading cause of death of 300,000 whales and dolphins per YEAR - turtles and seals are also killed.
1/2 of the world's human population depends on fish for their major source of protein. Since 1970 global populations of mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians have declined by 70%.
Bycatch eliminates much smaller fish that eat algae that grow on coral reefs. When these fish are overfished, the algae grows uncontrollably and the reefs suffer as a result. This creates an extreme disruption in the ocean ecosystem. 75% of mankind's CO2 production needs to be absorbed by the world's oceans to keep things in balance and avoid global warming. The oceans need to be healthy to do that work. Overfishing is one of many examples of human causation of ecological problems!
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