Humans are depleting the earth's natural resources. We are using our resources at an unsustainable rate. One of our greatest resources is starting to run out due to our growing population. This resource provides us with food, climate regulation, economy, transportation and medicine. This very precious resource is the ocean. With overfishing, some fishing practices, marine pollution and habitat destruction we are diminishing our most precious natural resource. The ocean provides us with many valuable resources that we cannot replace, so we need to make a change. “Overfishing in the ocean is simply the taking of wildlife from the sea at rates too high for the species being caught to replace them. The first case of overfishing occurred in the early 1800s, when humans, seeking blubber for lamp oil, decimated the whale population.” (overfishing) By the mid-1900s, common fish such as Atlantic cod, herring, and California sardines were on the brink of extinction due to overfishing. In the 20th century, international efforts focused on bringing together vitamin-rich foods at an affordable price. Therefore there has been an international increase in fish. In 1989, 90 million tons of fish and various bycatch were taken from the ocean. Since 1989, fish populations have been unable to recover, thus damaging the environment and the economy. A 2003 scientific study reported that “industrial fishing had reduced the number of large ocean fish to just 10% of their preindustrial population.” (overfishing) As these once-large fish populations collapsed, fishermen began fishing in deeper waters. With commercial fleets fishing in the ocean's depths, the balance of the ocean's biological system is beginning to upset. A 2006 study reports… half the paper… habitat destruction. Eliminating subsidies on fertilizer use would reduce the problem of marine dead zones. Legislative protection on vital ecosystem areas such as coral reefs will protect the environment. By making the small changes listed above we can begin the process of preserving the ocean. The ocean provides us with many valuable resources that we cannot replace, so we need to make a change. Works Cited Overfishing. National Geographic.com. Retrieved November 24, 2013, from http://www.nationalgeographic.comDeceptive Fishing. MarineConservation.org. Retrieved November 27, 2013, from http://marine-conservation.orgGarces. M. Diego. Marine problems: pollution. WWF.org. Retrieved November 27, 2013, from http://wwf.panda.org Threat 5: Habitat destruction. SaveOurSeas.com. Retrieved November 27, 2013, from http://saveourseas.com