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Did you know that up to half of the UK's wildlife is found in the ocean?
The seas around our shores are home to an amazing variety of animals, including dolphins, turtles, sharks and sea horses, as well as the mighty orca - the killer whale. We even have corals, including deep-sea coral reefs - rich and diverse like those found in the tropics.Our seas also contain some of Europe's most important fishing grounds, which provide us with our great national dish - fish 'n' chips.
Yet, slowly and surely, we're wrecking our seas. We pollute them, we poison them, we exploit them - so much so that we've reached crisis point. Now, marine wildlife and people's livelihoods are at risk.
Among the threats facing our oceans are over-fishing, pollution from land and sea, mineral extraction, climate change and invasive species foreign to our seas.
To help combat these and other problems, WWF began the Oceans Recovery Campaign in 2000 to lobby the governments of Westminster, Holyrood, Stormont and Cardiff to take urgent action to protect this most neglected area of our natural heritage. In particular, the campaign has pushed for:
An increase in the number of Marine Protected Areas to cover at least 10 per cent of our seas to help protect marine wildlife. |
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The introduction of Fishing-Free Zones to help fish stocks recover. |
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Integrated marine legislation |
