Odyssey Maritime Discovery Center: Maritime Fun Facts

Maritime Fun Facts: Interesting Nuggets of Information About Shipping, Oceanography and Fisheries

Shipping Facts:

	95 percent of import and export tonnage of the United States moves by ship (2001Cornell Maritime Press reports on U.S. Secretary of the Navy).
	A ship laden with one metric ton of goods sails farther and creates less pollution on one gallon of fuel than an equally laden plane, train or truck (American Association of Port Authorities – AAPA).
	The National weight of the shipping trade is 2,111,700,000 metric tons. Washington weight is 49,273,000 metric tons (U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration – MARAD).
	The #1 world port by total cargo is Singapore and by container is Hong Kong. The #1 national port by total cargo is South Louisiana and by container is Long Beach/Los Angeles. The #1 regional port by total cargo is Valdez (AAPA).

Oceanography Facts:

	Oceans and marginal seas account for nearly 71 percent of the Earth’s surface (Congressional Research Service Report -CRS).
	Almost 98 percent of the Earth’s water is contained in the oceans and sea ice (CRS) Another 1-2 percent is contained in glaciers and polar ice and only ~1 percent is freshwater (Ocean Planet Smithsonian - OPS).
	It is estimated that the oceans’ current characteristics (salinity, density, etc.) were formed more than 1.5 billion years ago (CRS).
	The average depth of the ocean is more than 12,000 feet (CRS). The deepest point is 35,802 feet (Ocean Voice International - OVI).
	At the deepest point in the ocean the pressure is more than 8 tons per square inch, or the equivalent of one person trying to support 50 jumbo jets. (OPS).
	No sunlight penetrates below 3,280 feet. (CRS).
	The ocean is a vast reservoir of heat. To a depth of 8 feet, the surface waters of the ocean hold as much heat as the entire atmosphere (CRS).
	Continental shelves account for about 8 percent of the entire ocean area (CRS).
	If all ocean salt dried, it would cover the continents to a depth of 5 feet (CRS).
	If mined, gold suspended in ocean water would yield 9 pounds per person (CRS).
	There are as many as 6 million diatoms in a cubic foot of water (OVI).
	The area of the Pacific Ocean is larger than all the land combined (OVI).
	The world’s oceans contain 328 million cubic miles of sea water (OVI).
	Less than 30 percent of coral reefs in Japan, the Philippines and Costa Rica are in good or excellent condition (OVI).
	There are 372,384 miles of world coastline. Canada has the most with 15 percent (OPS). The U.S. coastline (including territories) is 13,056 miles (CRS).
	The U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) (including territories) is 3,362,600 square nautical miles (CRS).
	Worldwide, 37 percent of people live within 60 miles of the coast (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - FAO).

Fisheries Facts:

Most of the major fisheries are located on the continental margins (CRS).

Wetlands associated with estuaries provide food and habitat critical to 70 percent of U.S. marine commercial and sport fisheries (CRS).

The world’s oceans contain (OVI):

	58 species of seagrasses
	less than 1000 species of cephalopods (squid, octopus, nautilus)
	1000 species of sea anemones
	1500 species of brown algae
	7000 species of echinoderms (seastar, urchin, sea cucumber)
	13,000 species of fish
	50,000 species of mollusks

Global fish production exceeds that of cattle, sheep, poultry or eggs (OVI).

The global total marine fish catch in 1999 was 96,457,384 metric tons (FAO). The U.S. catch was 4,465,449 metric tons, and regional catch (WA, OR, AK) was 2,192,475 metric tons (National Marine Fisheries Service - NMFS).

Value of the catch in 1997 globally was $83 billion (FAO), nationally was $3.6 billion, and regionally was $1.3 billion (NMFS).

The percentage of fisheries in need of management worldwide (fully exploited, overexploited, depleted and recovering) is 75 percent (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - NOAA).

The percentage of fish caught for human consumption is over 75 percent (FAO).

There were 1,256,841 fishing vessels deployed globally in 1995 (FAO).

Commercial marine fisheries in the U.S. discard up to 20 billion pounds of fish each year, twice the catch of desired commercial and recreational fishing combined (OPS).