General stats quoted from the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy’s Final Report: An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century:
In 2001, 23 percent of the nation’s estuarine areas were considered impaired for swimming, fishing, or supporting marine species.
In 2003, there were more than 18,000 days of closings and advisories at ocean and Great Lakes beaches, most due to the presence of bacteria associated with fecal contamination.
Across the globe, marine toxins afflict more than 90,000 people annually and are responsible for an estimated 62 percent of all seafood related illnesses.
Experts estimate that 25 to 30 percent of the world’s major fish stocks are overexploited.
While coastal watershed counties comprise less than 25 percent of the land area in the United States, they are home to more than 52 percent of the total U.S. population.
On average, some 3,600 people a day are moving to coastal counties, suggesting that by 2015 coastal populations will reach a total of 165 million.
Approximately 80 percent of marine debris originates on land, either washed along in runoff, blown by winds, or intentionally dumped from shore, while 20 percent comes from offshore platforms and vessels, including fishing boats.
In 2000, the ocean economy contributed more than $117 billion to American prosperity and supported well over two million jobs.
Currently, about 30 percent of the nation’s oil supplies and 25 percent of its natural gas supplies are produced from offshore areas
Between 1978 and 1991, only 200 Kemp’s ridley sea turtles nested annually near Rancho Nuevo, which is a dramatic decline from the more than 42,000 that arrived in a massive synchronized nesting in one day in 1947. Contributing to the start of their decline was the sighting of villagers harvesting 80%, or 33,000, of the eggs that had been deposited on the beach during that incredible day.
Of the initial 8 recognized subspecies of tiger, 2 (Balinese, Javan) have become extinct and the remaining 6 (Bengal, Indo-Chinese, Sumatran, Siberian/Amur, South China, Malayan) are endangered. As of 2008, approximately 1,400 Bengal tigers are all that remain in the wilds of India and are hanging on to existence via a variety of nature preserves. On the other hand, the Siberian tiger has been reduced to a wild population of 400 to 450 individuals.
The Great plains of United States has witnessed 70% of its area fragmented, by roads and highways, into parts smaller than 385 square miles. Grasslands hold an estimated 33% of the carbon stored in terrestrial ecosystems.
The Galapagos giant tortoise species encompasses 14 subspecies of which 10 still remain in the wild. Growing to a length of up to 4 feet, and reaching ages well over 100 years, the Galapagos tortoise population is considered vulnerable primarily due to predation of offspring by invasive species such as cats and rats, and competition for food by goats. Populations were at one time under threat from passing sailors, and the threats as a whole have contributed to their decline.
