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Covering over 70% of the Earth’s surface, the ocean represents our planet’s largest habitat, containing 99% of the living space on the planet. This vast area supports the life of nearly 50% of all species on Earth.

So why do we treat it so badly?

From the massive floating plastic waste island in the Pacific to the nuclear fallout from Japan, medical waste, over fishing and more, we're sadly guilty of horribly abusing our oceans.

Well I'm happy to report some good news -- REALLY good news, from the surface. A new study revealed that undersea life at the Cabo Pulmo National Park of Mexico rebounded by more than 460% over 10 years after imposing a 15-year ban on fishing and other extractive activities. “People who object to marine protected areas, especially to strong protection like here, often say there is no proof that they work,” says Elliott Norse of the Marine Conservation Biology Institute in Bellevue, Wash., who was not involved in the new study. “Well, this is the proof. It's an awesome success story. See the link above.

And in another great story, the Micronesian Islands have created a shark sancturary two-thirds the size of the United States — 2 million square miles. Sharks have been dying at horrific rates mainly from being overfished due to the popularity of shark fin soup, which I find crazy. Sharks have a particular disadvantage because of their reproductive cycle— they can't reproduce quickly or abundantly.

http://www.npr.org/2011/08/07/138996118/fighting-decline-micronesia-crea...

But there's more! The Bahamas just joined Palau, the Maldives and Honduras in prohibiting commercial shark fishing, a multi-million dollar industry that has led to the estimated killing of 73 million sharks worldwide a year.

The hope is that a new shark sanctuary in the Bahamas will protect the shark population in the area without impacting the Bahamian economy. Deputy prime minister, Brent Symonette, admitted that while there may be a market for shark fishing, “the overriding concern for the environment is far greater.”

http://positivenews.org.uk/2011/environment/4745/bahamas-bans-commercial...

I'm so glad we're taking action to help protect our ocean and it's creatures. it's got us covered. Let's do something for it.