According to The Guardian, 30 researchers took part in the study and presented some of the more pressing issues that authorities must deal with to prevent the heavy degradation of oceanic ecosystems.

Plastic waste, one of the top issues

Plastic waste is one of the more well-known issues that oceans are dealing with, as about 11 million tons of plastic materials make their way in the world's largest masses of water.

Biodegradable plastics are more present now, since consumers have demanded companies to be more wary of the environment.

The issue is that we don't exactly know what these plastics degrade into, as the rush to get them to the shelves doesn't leave scientists with much time to do proper testing.

Darker oceans

Coastal development, more powerful storms caused by climate change and permafrost are some of the things that cause dark matter accumulation in the oceans, which favors seaweed growth.

While algae are good for carbon capture, too much of it prevents sunlight from reaching deeper parts of the ocean water, changing its chemistry.

This has one positive side, in the way that it stops coral bleaching, but on the other hand fish species and other marine life might have a harder time surviving in such an environment.

Metal infested oceans

Industrial processes that leave metal residues are one of the main reasons why these toxic materials find their way in our oceans.

Once there, they can be ingested by marine life, which we then capture and eat, sometimes as delicacies.

What we sometimes eat, in essence, is the metals that we dispose of, which can generate serious health problems.

Warming waters decrease biodiversity

As global warming takes its toll on land, with wildfires and heat waves, so it does on the oceans, with warmer waters, which forces most species of marine wildlife to migrate north or south to cooler waters.

Some species, which are more resilient to heat, could come and take their place, but even so, equatorial waters are seeing a drop in the fish population and other organisms.

Poaching, a serious issue at land and at sea

Marine wildlife isn't poach-safe, unfortunately, as there are people seeking luxurious foods and objects from various fish, which can cause the endangerment of some species.

In fact, at least three fish species are currently being endangered due to the market for dried swim bladders.

This organ, considered a luxury object in some cultures, helps some fish species with floating and swimming.

Poachers will exploit even related fish that can provide the luxury item and in their pursue to catch them, they accidentally take even sharks, turtles and other wildlife.

These are some of the 15 issues that scientists found with our oceans, which we have to do something about quickly, before we lose more of our marine ecosystems and biodiversity.