The United Nations Environmental Programme stated in a 2006 report that we are moving in the wrong direction in four areas, thus contributing to marine degradation. These areas include: sewage, marine litter, ‘nutrient’ pollution and Physical Alteration and Destruction of Habitats.[1]
“The number of coastal dead zones have doubled every decade from 1960 with the rise linked to nutrients – nitrogen and phosphorus – arising from sources such as agricultural fertilizer run off; manure; sewage and fossil fuel burning.”1
[1] United Nations Environmental Program, Concern Over Oceans Despite Receding Oil & Chemical Treats: Sewage Discharge to Destruction of Coastal Habitats Top Global Concerns for Oceans and Seas, October 2006 Press Release, http://www.unep.org