(09-06-09) On the occasion of this celebration, some governmental and private environmental organizations have given their views on the most urgent actions to mitigate the deterioration of the underwater world and on the need to take more care of our Oceans and investigate more about them.

    The World Oceans Day is celebrated due to a Canadian initiative (Canadians are who massacred thousands of seals every year). The celebration is relatively recent, and it is supported by the UN Convention on the Oceans Law.

    Oceans cover two thirds of the Earth's surface and, through their interactions with the atmosphere, lithosphere and biosphere; they play a major role in shaping the conditions that make different forms of life on the planet possible.

    In addition to be habitat for a vast collection of plants and animals, of which we have not discovered one third yet, oceans provide food, energy and resources to people.

    In 1994, the international community decided something very important for the protection of the oceans when United Nations Convention on the Oceans Law came into effect. One of the main tasks in the campaign was to work for the marine flora and fauna, and to preserve tuna, shark, swordfish and marlin populations.

    In 1997 United Nations General Assembly designated the year 1998 as International Year of the Ocean, and some years later the "World Day" was created. This day environmentalist and environmental organizations around the world, as well as government entities, communicate their proposals and actions to get a better world.

    Here they are some boxes where some of the many press releases and statements that have occurred in connection with this celebration can be looked up. Some of them suggest ideas and proposals, others denounce abuses and destruction of marine life and others take the opportunity to present new projects on seminars.

   One of the agencies that joined the movement on June 8th was the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which published a series of new guidelines to manage correctly the seas.

    This guide may be used by all countries. It describes the steps to fish in a responsible way, and the protection of the species living in deep waters.

    United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has launched a Web site that identifies and explores the world marine protected areas. The new system allows users to get information about these areas in order to investigate the species and ecosystems that inhabit both polar oceans and tropical seas.

    UNEP pointed out that less than 1% of the ocean surface is protected, while the protected areas of land are 12%.