Portugal is reliant on the ocean for many things like food and natural resources. However, overfishing is threatening to endanger many marine species and destroy entire habitats. Overfishing occurs when too many fish are taken out of the ocean, and the remaining fish cannot reproduce enough to return to the same population level. In Portugal, fishermen are overfishing sardines from the ocean, which is endangering the sardine species. Portugal is also facing plastic pollution in its waters, which threatens local marine life, coral reefs and fisheries. Plastic trash is landing on Portuguese shores and polluting beaches and rivers.
Portugal is hard at work trying to clean up the ocean and prevent overfishing. The oceanarium works with many different organizations that work to protect the ocean in different ways. There are many education campaigns in Portugal that educate children and adults about the importance of healthy ocean ecosystems. For example, some fish are better to eat because they are not overfished. Organizations help teach people which fish people should eat and which fish people should avoid. Other ways the oceans are being conserved is through the creation of protected marine areas. In these areas, fishing is severely limited or even not allowed. There are also efforts to help clean up the ocean. Many organizations work to clean trash from beaches, and you can even go scuba diving to collect trash underwater!
