OceAn science OceAn science OceAn science

Rationale
Waters from the open ocean, coasts, coastal watersheds, and Great Lakes present health
risks to people through the consumption of contaminated seafood or drinking water
(containing pathogens, toxins, or current or emerging contaminants); direct contact
through recreation, work, and weather events; and indirect contact such as breathing salt
air that may contain algal toxin aerosols. Illnesses due to the consumption of contaminated
shellfish and finfish are estimated to affect hundreds to thousands of people per year 27 .
However, these figures are uncertain due to major gaps that exist in illness reporting and
epidemiological knowledge of seafood-caused 28 human illnesses 29 . Given the number and
diversity of marine organisms and associated pathogens, the ocean should not be overlooked
as a potential reservoir of pathogenic threats to humans 30 . Isolating the causes and
impacts of these hazards will help protect human health and safeguard the quality of the
seafood supply.
In addition to providing a wealth of known resources such as food, the ocean is full of
potential human-health assets. In recent decades, scientists have discovered whole new
ecological communities in the ocean with unique biochemical systems, such as those associated
with thermal vents and hydrocarbon seeps. These communities, along with ones
yet to be discovered, hold huge possibilities for development of products to improve human
health and well-being. Prior discoveries that now have practical applications include
pharmaceuticals (i.e., anti-cancer drugs), diagnostics (i.e., endotoxin detection), molecular
probes (used in biochemical process/disease research), and nutrients (e.g., xanthophyll
feed additives derived from algae) 31 .
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