Visit almost any coastline around the world, and you’ll probably find people enjoying the beach and sea. Our oceans cover 71% of the earth’s surface so it’s easy to think there must be an endless supply of fish out there.
But overfishing, climate change and pollution have had a devastating impact on the whole marine ecosystem. Millions of people rely on fishing to make a living, and even more of us rely on the nutrition that eating fish and seafood provides.
We need to change both what we put into our oceans and what we take out. Making our global fishing industry sustainable and tackling pollution would mean the sea continues to provide fish (and fun) for years to come.
Facts and figures
75%
The ocean covers three quarters of the Earth’s surface and represents 99 percent of the living space on the planet by volume.
1million
The marine and coastal resources and industries is estimated at 1,027,058 tonnes per year (Nigeria Fish Production, 2015)
12%
Fishing and fish farming support the livelihoods and families of about 21 million people, which comprises about 12% of Nigeria population (AGRONigeria, 2017).
240,000 barrels
An average of 240,000 barrels of crude oil are spilled in the Niger delta areas of Nigeria threatening ocean safety (Oil Spill Data, 2018)
100,000 metric tonnes
Nigeria generates 600,000 metric tonnes of plastic waste per year of which over 100,000 metric tonnes finds its way into the ocean (The Nigeria Voice, 2017).
