We depend on the oceans a great deal. The threats to marine life are many. The sea supports 12.5 million fishermen and produces 90 millions tonnes of fish annually. The economic and biological disasters of overfishing are felt keenly in small communities. Today, they are found in over 100 tropical countries, mostly in less developed regions where they provide a major source of food for millions.
Reefs also provide protection against wave action.
In Southeast Asia where barrier reefs have been lost or destroyed, there is no longer protection against coastal storms which have increasingly damaged homes, destroyed villages, and ruined agricultural crops. Recently, the stabilizing force of reefs was recognized clearly when one Caribbean island dynamited a section of its reefs to provide better access to windy areas for wind-surfing tourists. This changed local currents and water flow, and the entire beach was transported away, taking with it both tourism value, and coastal protection. Fragile coastal habitats, including seagrass beds, are destroyed for marinas and ports. Tropical reefs are dynamited for fish and aquarium trade.