Oceans under threat

A hurricane over the ocean. Scientists are finally starting to see how humans are affecting the oceans through fishing, climate change and pollution Photograph: Doug Allen/Getty

Direct human activity such as fishing have a substantial impact on oceans and ecosystems Photograph: Chris Radburn/PA

Cargo containers on the MSC Ines ship at Felixstowe port, Suffolk. Container ships and traffic cause pollution in the ocean Photograph: David Levene/freelance

The MSC Ilona, a container ship, leaking oil from its fuel tanks into the South China Sea after a collision in 2004. The heavy oil leak spread into a slick about 17km long and up to several hundred metres wide Photograph: AFP

Ramlet el-Baida beach in Lebanon, polluted with heavy fuel oil in 2006 Photograph: Ramzi Haidar/AFP

A Filipino man wearing oil soaking rubber gloves holds a dead fish after the sunken tanker off the coast spilled its 500,000 gallons of oil into the ocean in 2006. The spill has affected more than 200km of coastline, covering beaches and mangroves in black sludge Photograph: Joe Hares/EPA

An aerial viewn of damage to seagrass near Crane Key in Florida Bay. Scientists also found that mangroves, seagrass and other ecosystems were also threatened by human activity Photograph: Everglades National Park/AP

Coral reefs off Saba Island in the Caribbean. Coral reefs and rocky reefs have been heavily damaged Photograph: Stephen Frink/Corbis

Fish swim amongst bleached coral near Keppel Island in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Coral bleaching which is caused by above average water temperature is a side effect of climate change Photograph: Ove Hoegh-Guldberg/AP

An aerial view of Ocean Beach USA. Coastal development is another factor affecting oceans Photograph: Amy Toensing/Getty

Ice falls from the Perito Moreno glacier in Argentina. The oceans at the poles are less affected but melting ice sheets will leave them vulnerable in the future, scientists say Photograph: Natacha Pisarenko/AP

South African surfers run into the ocean in Cape Town. Humans will always use the oceans for a variety of purposes, but a way to limit the impact needs to be found Photograph: Nic Bothma/EPA