by Alice Stroud in GNRII on June 04, 2021 What is the first image that comes to your mind when asked about the lungs of the planet? Forests? Nope – think blue… something that covers 70% of the planet: the ocean! Oceans are a major carbon storage system for carbon dioxide (CO2), absorb about 30% of CO2 produced by human activities, and release at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen in the atmosphere. The ocean is home to most of Earth’s biodiversity. However, human activities are threatening fragile marine ecosystems. Threats to oceans include climate change, which is making oceans hotter and more acidic, pollution (in particular plastic pollution), and overfishing. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing activities are responsible for the loss of up to 26 million tons of fish each year, which is estimated to have an economic value of USD $10-23 billion.