J.H.'s Fishing Wharf

Saltwater ecosystems such as oceans, lagoons, estuaries and salt marshes make up more than seventy percent of our planet's surface.

Saltwater aquatic ecosystems are host to a vast variety of organisms and species ranging from plankton, whales and lots of different species of fish such as sea bass, flounder, mackerel etc. There are also many types of birds, such as gulls and shorebirds. Many marine species rely on saltwater ecosystems for food and protection from predators, but unfortunately certain marine animals, such as whales, are close to extinction.

Seagrass, salt marshes and mangrove forests ares some of the most productive areas on Earth, and coastal habitats make up about one third of all biological marine productivity. Food and shelter for the highest diversity of marine life can be found in saltwater aquatic ecosystems like coral reefs.

Saltwater ecosystems are also important to humans, we rely on them as a source of food as well as financial income. These habitats are home to species that are used for agriculture and industry in products ranging from food additives, crop fertilizers, animal fodder and even cosmetics. Some estuaries and saltwater marshes have even served as sediment sinks that filter runoff from land, while reefs and mangroves help protect coastlines from erosion. But however important these ecosystems are to our well-being and our environment, human activities such as development of coastal areas, industrial pollution and over-exhaustion of resources such as fish etc. have done much damage to marine life. Unless we take steps to protect these saltwater aquatic ecosystems, biodiversity in marine life will continue to be under serious threat.