The sea plays a fundamental role in regulating the climate of the planet, it produces over 50% of the oxygen we breathe, with a function comparable to that of tropical forests, and absorbs about a third of the excess carbon dioxidereleased into the atmosphere by anthropogenic activities.
In recent years, however, fish stocks are becoming depleted, land and marine habitats are increasingly polluted by human activities, biodiversity is at risk and the oceans are becoming increasingly hot and acidic. The reckless and illegal fishing that is disrupting the entire trophic network and the ever-increasing pollution are seriously endangering the vital functions of seas and oceans on the planet.