1. What Are the Major Threats to Aquatic Biodiversity?
Habitat loss
Invasive species
Pollution
Climate change
Overexploitation
… All in the “face” of the growing HUMAN POPULATION.

2. Natural Capital Marine Ecosystems Ecological Services
Economic Services
Climate moderation
Food
CO2 absorption
Animal and pet feed
Nutrient cycling
Pharmaceuticals
Waste treatment
Harbors and transportation routes
Reduced storm impact (mangroves, barrier islands, coastal wetlands)
Coastal habitats for humans
Figure 8.5: Marine systems provide a number of important ecological and economic services (Concept 8-2). Questions: Which two ecological services and which two economic services do you think are the most important? Why?
Recreation
Habitats and nursery areas
Employment
Oil and natural gas
Genetic resources and biodiversity
Minerals
Building materials
Scientific information
Fig. 8-5, p. 172

3. Habitats for many species Transportation corridors
Natural Capital
Freshwater Systems
Ecological Services
Economic Services
Climate moderation
Food
Nutrient cycling
Drinking water
Waste treatment
Irrigation water
Flood control
Groundwater recharge
Hydroelectricity
Figure 8.15: Freshwater systems provide many important ecological and economic services (Concept 8-4). Questions: Which two ecological services and which two economic services do you think are the most important? Why?
Habitats for many species
Transportation corridors
Genetic resources and biodiversity
Recreation
Scientific information
Employment
Fig. 8-15, p. 181

4. 900,000
800,000
700,000
600,000
500,000
Fish landings (tons)
400,000
1992
300,000
Figure 11.7: Natural capital degradation.
This graph illustrates the collapse of Canada’s 500-year-old Atlantic cod fishery off the coast of Newfoundland in the northwest Atlantic. Beginning in the late 1950s, fishers used bottom trawlers to capture more of the stock, reflected in the sharp rise in this graph. This resulted in extreme overexploitation of the fishery, which began a steady decline throughout the 1970s, followed by a slight recovery in the 1980s, and then total collapse by 1992, when the fishery was shut down. Despite a total ban on fishing, the cod population has not recovered. The fishery was reopened on a limited basis in 1998 but then closed indefinitely in 2003 and today shows no signs of recovery. (Data from Millennium Ecosystem Assessment)
200,000
100,000
1900
1920
1940
1960
1980
2000
Year
Fig. 11-7, p. 257

5. Deep sea aquaculture cage
Fish farming in cage
Trawler fishing
Spotter airplane
Purse-seine fishing
Sonar
Drift-net fishing
Long line fishing
Float
Buoy
Figure 11.8: This diagram illustrates several major commercial fishing methods used to harvest various marine species (along with methods used to raise fish through aquaculture). These fishing methods have become so effective that many fish species have become commercially extinct.
lines with hooks
Deep sea aquaculture cage
Fish caught by gills
Fig. 11-8, p. 259