Video: What are the biggest threats to the oceans?

You only have to look at the top ocean conservation stories of the year to see that the health of oceans is deteriorating. Recently, the Great Barrier Reef saw its worst coral bleaching on record, with 35% killed by bleaching, according to scientists. And only a few weeks ago, researchers revealed that five islands in the Solomon archipelago had disappeared due to rising sea levels.

As shown through its support of The Ocean Awards, Y.CO is just as concerned about ocean conservation as we are. Through its active CSR programme, Y.CO also supports a number of charities and partners that are focussed on ensuring the yachting lifestyle is sustainable and enjoyed responsibly.

In the final video of our series, we asked some of our esteemed guests at the inaugural Ocean Awards to share what they thought the biggest threats to the oceans are.

“The biggest threat to the ocean is humanity,” says Amber Nuttall, ambassador for marine conservation charity Blue Marine Foundation.

Nuttall continued: “I’m afraid we have done some completely dreadful things in the past, and therefore think it’s our right to continue to do so in the future. We know too much about what’s sustainable and what we should or shouldn’t be doing and we need to act on it now.”

Three people cited overfishing as the biggest cause of concern. Ben Goldsmith explained: “We’ve developed ships that are so large with nets that are really long that are able to hoover out everything that lives in the ocean. If that continues, there’ll be nothing left.”

“Overfishing is everywhere,” warned Charles Clover. “It’s endemic and it’s too much.” This sentiment was echoed by Andrew Winch, who added: “We’ve got to be very careful in the future to help the oceans survive.”

M.P Oliver Letwin had a strong message for how to safeguard against all these dangers: “What we have to do is to defend ourselves against those threats by preserving the ecology of the oceans just as we do the land.”