coasts and oceans > factfile > valuing the oceans
Valuing the oceansPosted: 12 Oct 2004
Oceans ecosystems provide goods and services worth at least $21 million a year, over half of this from coastal ecosystems. The haul of seafood alone is valued at around $70 billion a year and provides direct employment to 200 million small-scale and commercial fishers.
In addition, as many as half a billion people draw their livelihoods indirectly from the sea: processors, packers, shippers, and distributors of seafood; shipbuilders and outfitters; and those working in marine based tourism and recreational fishing.
Coral reefs have been valued at $47,000 per square foot just for their shore protection functions alone. In Puget Sound, Washington State, just one-third of a hectare of eelgrass is valued at over $400,000 annually in energy derived and nutrition generated for oyster culture, fisheries and waterfowl.
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