The most frequently found item in beach cleanups are pieces of plastic. The next four items are plastic foam, plastic utensils, pieces of glass and cigarette butts.
A single cod can lay up to nine million eggs in a season, but only one egg in a million will survive to be an adult cod.
The American (Maine) lobster can grow to more than 45 pounds--about as much as a four-year-old child.
The word chowder is derived from the French chaudiere, a cauldron aboard ships which fisher-men would combine their catch to make a fish stew.
A lobster sheds its shell, called a carapace, six to eight times before its first birthday.
The ocean cover about 140 million square miles, or nearly 71% of the Earth's surface.
A swallow of seawater may contain millions of bacterial cells, hundreds of thousands of phytoplankton and tens of thousands of zooplankton.
The blue whale, the largest animal on our planet ever (exceeding the size of the greatest dinosaurs) still lives in the ocean; it's heart is the size of a Volkswagen.
Fish supply the greatest percentage of the world's protein consumed by humans.
90% of all volcanic activity on Earth occurs in the ocean. The largest known concentration of active volcanoes (approximately 1,133) on the sea floor is located in the South Pacific.
Oceans absorb between 30% and 50% of the carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuel. Carbon dioxide is transported downwards by plankton.
In one year, three times as much rubbish is dumped into the world's oceans as the weight of fish caught.
Atlantic sea water is heavier than Pacific sea water due to its higher salt content.
Sharks attack some 50-75 people each year worldwide, with perhaps 8-12 fatalities, according to data compiled in the International Shark Attack File (ISAF). Shark kill less people each year than elephants, bees, crocodiles, lightning or many other natural dangers. People kill somewhere about 50 million sharks every year through fishing activities.
The speed of sound in water is 1,435 m/sec - nearly five times faster than the speed of sound in air.
The Arctic produces 10,000-50,000 icebergs annually. The amount produced in the Antarctic regions is inestimable. Icebergs normally have a four-year life-span; they begin entering shipping lanes after about three years.
Swordfish and marlin are the fastest fish in the ocean reaching speeds up to 121 kph in quick bursts; bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) may reach sustained speeds up to 90 kph.
Because the architecture and chemistry of coral is so similar to human bone, coral has been used to replace bone grafts in helping human bone to heal quickly and cleanly.
Penguins "fly" underwater at up to 55 miles per hour.
A group of jelly fish is called a smack.
Substances from marine plants and animals are used in scores of products, including medicine, ice cream, toothpaste, fertilizers, gasoline, cosmetics, and livestock feed.
Giant kelp, the fastest growing plant in the ocean, can grow up to 2 feet per day. Under optimal conditions, giant kelp can grow to a length of more than 100 feet in little more than a year and can grow to a maximum of 200 feet.
If the ocean's total salt content were dried, it would cover the continents to a depth of 500 feet.
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