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Human activities affect marine life and marine habitats through overfishing, habitat loss, the introduction of invasive species, ocean pollution, ocean acidification and ocean warming. These impact marine ecosystems and food webs and may result in consequences as yet unrecognised for the biodiversity and continuation of marine life forms.
Studies in animals have found similarly harmful health effects, but more research is needed to understand the full impact on various species and their environments.
Plastic pollution has the potential to poison animals, which can then adversely affect human food supplies. [161] [162] Plastic pollution has been described as being highly detrimental to large marine mammals, described in the book Introduction to Marine Biology as posing the "single greatest threat" to them. [163]
While marine pollution can be obvious, as with the marine debris shown above, it is often the pollutants that cannot be seen that cause most harm.. Marine pollution occurs when substances used or spread by humans, such as industrial, agricultural and residential waste, particles, noise, excess carbon dioxide or invasive organisms enter the ocean and cause harmful effects there.
Animal agriculture worldwide encompasses 83% of farmland (but only accounts for 18% of the global calorie intake), and the direct consumption of animals as well as over-harvesting them is causing environmental degradation through habitat alteration, biodiversity loss, climate change, pollution, and trophic interactions. [176]
Noise pollution can also affect marine animals. There are many sources of noise in the world's oceans, such as the sounds produced by commercial shipping, sonars and acoustic deterrents. [14] Unnatural noise levels can negatively affect reproductive behaviour, such as courtship behaviours.
Animals affected by oil should be cleaned and allowed to recover from stress. [2] Animals should be kept in a quiet and warm environment while they recover. [2] Direct contact with oil or oiled wildlife can be hazardous to human health, [1] so it is recommended that treatment be performed by people who have received training. [2]
Pollutants affect different species in different ways so a pollutant that is bad for one might not affect another. Air pollutants: Most air pollutants come from burning fossil fuels and industrial emissions. These have direct and indirect effects on the health of wildlife and their ecosystems.