Humans are depleting Earth's natural resources. We are using our resources at an unsustainable rate. One of our greatest resources is now beginning to be depleted due to population growth. This resource provides us with food, climate regulation, the economy, transportation and medicine. This very precious resource is the ocean. Due to overfishing, certain 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. “Ocean overfishing is simply the removal of wildlife from the sea at rates too high for the fished species to replace themselves. The first overfishing occurred in the early 1800s, when humans, searching for blubber to make lamp oil, decimated the whale population. (overfishing) In 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 harvesting vitamin-rich foods at an affordable price. So 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 failed to recover, harming the environment and the economy. A 2003 scientific study reported that "industrial fishing had reduced the number of large marine fish to just 10 percent of their pre-industrial population." (overfishing) With the collapse of these once-large fish populations, fishermen began fishing in deeper waters. With commercial fleets fishing deeper into the ocean, the balance of the ocean's biological system is beginning to be upset. A 2006 study report...... middle of paper ...... habitat destruction. By removing subsidies on fertilizer use, it would reduce the problem of marine dead zones. Legislative protection of 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. National Geographic.com. Retrieved November 24, 2013 from http://www.nationalgeographic.comDestructive Fishing. Marine Conservation.org. Accessed November 27, 2013 at http://marine-conservation.orgGarces. Mr. Diego. Marine problems: Pollution. WWF.org. Retrieved November 27, 2013, from http://wwf.panda.orgThreat 5: Habitat Destruction. SaveOurSeas.com. Retrieved November 27, 2013 from http://saveourseas.com