The document discusses two major factors contributing to the abuse of the oceans: overfishing and pollution. While the oceans are vast, overfishing has led to a huge decrease in marine life as fishermen take more fish than is sustainable, including young fish. Pollution also damages marine life, with coastal areas like Louisiana losing 50 square miles of coastal wetlands annually and only 9% of California's original coastal wetlands remaining. However, the document maintains that if nations implement laws and partnerships to protect oceans, they can preserve and potentially restore marine life.