1998 Year of the Ocean Ocean Living Resources 



observance of the Year of the Ocean to a future wherein the ocean's Uving resources are used 

 sustainably. Not only does the Year of the Ocean observance provide an opportunity for federal 

 managers to communicate to the public and to bridge the gap between perception and today's 

 best available science, it will provide avenues through which the public and user groups can 

 participate in the important decisions regarding marine living resources. 



THE STATUS AND TRENDS OF LIVING MARINE RESOURCES 



Knowledge about marine species and ecosystems lags far behind that of terrestrial 

 systems. In the last two decades, discoveries in the ocean have been made that have shaken the 

 foundation of human understanding of what is in the sea. These discoveries have highlighted 

 how little is still known about the oceans, and have led to greatly increased estimates of overall 

 marine biodiversity. Recent discoveries have ranged from a new large cetacean — the pygmy 

 beaked whale {Mesoplodon peruvianus) — first recorded in 1991, to the discovery in 1997 of an 

 entire new deep-sea ecosystem of eyeless worms living in symbiosis with bacteria that feed on 

 methane ice in the Gulf of Mexico. Contributing to the improved understanding of the state of 

 marine life that has been acquired in recent decades have been improved information gathering 

 techniques, more stringent reporting requirements, advances in technology, cooperation among 

 states, academia, and other nations, and increased outreach to stakeholders, user groups, and 

 others. 



Yet, as the U.S. government and its partners in marine resource management observe the 

 Year of the Ocean, it is important that the limitations regarding human understanding of marine 

 organisms, their habitats, and the factors that affect them be recognized. Notwithstanding the 

 important strides that have been made, what relatively little is known about the state and trends 

 of marine living resources is concentrated in the areas of commercially exploited species, 

 protected marine mammals and turtles, and certain commercially significant and accessible 

 coastal ecosystems such as wetlands and coral reefs. 



Until recently, the oceans were thought to be a limitless source of food and natural 

 resources, and a limitless sink for human pollution. Trends for living marine resources during the 

 last few decades, however, have convinced many observers that human activities are reaching 

 and often exceeding the productive limits and recuperative potential of the ocean. Many fishery 

 resources are being overexploited, and the ability of many species and ecosystems to recover 

 from overutilization or excessive pollution is limited. The following section summarizes what is 

 known about the status and trends of fisheries, protected species, coral reefs, and coastal 

 wetlands. 



Fisheries 



Among the best known ocean living resources are wild populations offish and shellfish 

 that are harvested commercially and used directly and indirectly as human food. Worldwide, 

 there are 15 to 20 million fishers, 90 percent of whom are small-scale fishers; moreover, fisheries 



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