• Question: What percentage of marine animals have been pushed to extinction due to humans?

    Asked by supercalifishagelisticexpialidocious to Dave, Glo, Sean on 23 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Dave Sproson

      Dave Sproson answered on 23 Jun 2011:

      I’ll have to leave this one to Sean – it’s much more his area! Though, to say what percentage have been pushed to extinction, you would have to know the total number of species in the ocean, and I really don’t think we have a clue how many there are!

    • Photo: Sean Clement

      Sean Clement answered on 23 Jun 2011:

      Well, my immediate answer would be too many! In truth however, I don’t know. One of the saddest examples of aquatic creatures being pushed to extinction by man is a species of river dolphin from the Yangtze River Dolpin, found only in the middle to lower reaches of the Yangtze river in China. Apparently, nerl 12% of the entire population of the planet lives within the catchment area of the Yangtze river, so you can imagine the kind of human pressure put on the river. Over the years, pollution and dodgy fishing practices causes the population to dwindle until, in 2006, an expedition along the length of the river recorded no sightings of the dolphins, leading to the conclusion that they are no extinct. This is, as far as we know, the first extinction of a Marine mammal resulting entirely from human endeavour. Sadly, it’s unlikely to be the last…

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