The living ocean drives planetary chemistry, governs climate and weather, and otherwise provides the cornerstone of the life-support system for all creatures on our planet, from deep-sea starfish to desert sagebrush. That's why the ocean matters. If the sea is sick, we'll feel it. If it dies, we die. Our future and the state of the oceans are one.
Sylvia EarleGlobally sharks have been killed for their fins, for their cartilage, for their livers, for their meat. But mostly what has driven some species of sharks to near extinction - including the hammerhead shark - is the new luxury taste for shark fin soup.
Sylvia EarleThere is an enormous amount to be learned about the sea; like most wildernesses, it has great potential.
Sylvia EarleNo creature on Earth ever has organized themselves in ways that we have, with the capacity to alter the nature of nature the way we have.
Sylvia Earle