Ocean conservation. The oceans make up more than 70 percent of the earth's surface and provide homes to vast numbers of living species. They also help keep the world's climate from becoming too warm. Oceans do this by storing carbon dioxide gas and preventing too much of the gas from entering the atmosphere. Atmospheric carbon dioxide warms the earth by absorbing heat from the sun.

People catch millions of tons of ocean fish and shellfish each year. This catch yields a major source of animal protein in many countries. Increasingly, people also eat such ocean species as seaweed, sea urchins, and other marine organisms. Medical science uses chemicals from some marine organisms to fight cancer and other diseases. In addition, oceans and their shores provide people with recreational activities, including boating, fishing, and swimming.

Many international conservation problems involve marine animals and other ocean resources. International agreements and rigorously enforced limits on catch have saved certain international fishing areas, such as those for Pacific halibut. On the other hand, the commercial hunting of whales remains an international problem. Because of overhunting, several species of whales verge on extinction. The International Whaling Commission (IWC), an organization devoted to conserving whales, recommends that all nations should completely stop commercial whale hunting. But not every country has agreed with this recommendation.

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