The world's oceans are under extreme pressure from overfishing, pollution and coastal development, two major commissions have warned. Global fish catches have declined in recent years, despite the use of increasingly sophisticated equipment - including satellite tracking. Moreover, some scientists say that 90 percent of the world's large predator fish - such as swordfish and tuna - have disappeared. Scores of proposals on oceans have been introduced in Congress this year, but none has passed. While 3,600 Americans a day move to coastal communities - bringing new development that eats up wetlands and increases runoff pollution from motor oil, farm fertilizer and lawn chemicals - no public agency has the responsibility for coordinating onshore development with ocean health. Meanwhile, new fisheries-management techniques are offering hope in North America and Europe that overfished species like cod can recover. And the White House has created a new Cabinet-level committee to coordinate oceans policy.

Marcia Clemmitt is a veteran social-policy reporter who joined CQ Researcher after serving as editor in chief of Medicine and Health, a Washington-based industry newsletter, and staff writer for The Scientist. She has also been a high school math and physics teacher. She holds a bachelor's degree in arts and sciences from St. Johns College, Annapolis, and a masters degree in English from Georgetown University.