June 8th is World Oceans Day

• The oceans cover 71% of our planet and are home to 90 percent of the planet's living biomass. In other words, 90% of life on our planet lives in the oceans, and we still know remarkably little about what's alive down there: in the past decade alone, the Census of Marine Life discovered more than 6,000 potentially new species!
• Tiny ocean plants called phytoplankton contribute between 50 to 85 percent of the oxygen we breath.
• Scientists estimate that more than a billion types of microbes may live in the oceans.
• The oceans are seeing a massive erosion of biodiversity, and on average, this is getting worse. It's predicted that all commercially-fished species may disappear by the middle of this century.
• Up to 73 million sharks are killed each year to supply fins for the global shark fin trade. Sharks are top predators and are vital to keeping the oceans in balance – their disappearance can have a major destabilizing effect on the ecosystem.
• Overfishing isn't the only problem. Half of global CO2 emissions are absorbed by the oceans, leading to a process known as ocean acidification. This has a devastating effect on coral reefs – which are home to 25% of all marine life – leading to coral bleaching and death.

Learn more about the individual threats:

Overfishing · Predator loss · Climate change · Pollution · Habitat destruction