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NEARLY THREE BILLION PEOPLE RELY ON FISH AS A MAJOR SOURCE OF PROTEIN. OVERALL, FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE ASSURE THE LIVELIHOODS OF 10–12 PER CENT OF THE WORLD’S POPULATION. 60 PER CENT OF THE WORLD’S POPULATION LIVES WITHIN 100KM OF THE COAST. MARINE VERTEBRATE POPULATIONS DECLINED 49 PER CENT BETWEEN 1970 AND 2012. POPULATIONS OF FISH SPECIES UTILISED BY HUMANS HAVE FALLEN BY HALF, WITH SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SPECIES EXPERIENCING EVEN GREATER DECLINES. ABOUT ONE IN FOUR SPECIES OF SHARKS, RAYS AND SKATES IS NOW THREATENED WITH EXTINCTION, DUE PRIMARILY TO OVERFISHING. TROPICAL REEFS HAVE LOST MORE THAN HALF THEIR REEF-BUILDING CORALS OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS. WORLDWIDE, NEARLY 20 PER CENT OF MANGROVE COVER WAS LOST BETWEEN 1980 AND 2005. 29 PER CENT OF MARINE FISHERIES ARE OVERFISHED. IF CURRENT RATES OF TEMPERATURE RISE CONTINUE, THE OCEAN WILL BECOME TOO WARM FOR CORAL REEFS BY 2050. SEABED MINING LICENCES COVER 1.2 MILLION SQ KM OF OCEAN FLOOR. MORE THAN FIVE TRILLION PLASTIC PIECES WEIGHING OVER 250,000 TONNES ARE IN THE SEA. OXYGEN-DEPLETED DEAD ZONES ARE GROWING AS A RESULT OF NUTRIENT RUN-OFF. THE OCEAN GENERATES ECONOMIC BENEFITS WORTH AT LEAST US$2.5 TRILLION PER YEAR. JUST 3.4 PER CENT OF THE OCEAN IS PROTECTED, AND ONLY PART OF THIS IS EFFECTIVELY MANAGED. INCREASING MARINE PROTECTED AREA COVERAGE TO 30 PER CENT COULD GENERATE UP TO $US920 BILLION BETWEEN 2015 AND 2050.