The Gulf oil spill is a tragedy. It is a stark reminder that our planet’s ocean and shorelines are extremely vulnerable. And it underscores the challenges inherent in the drive to extract fish, oil, gas, minerals and other commodities from the ocean for human use. Read a statement from CI on the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

If it's raining where you are, the ocean played a role. If you drove to work, the seas are absorbing the carbon dioxide from your car. If you ordered seafood for lunch, it may have traveled halfway around the world to land on your plate.

No matter where you live on Earth, what you do affects the ocean – and what happens to the ocean affects you.

The ocean covers more than two-thirds of the world's surface. In the past 50 years we have learned more about Earth's ocean than in all of preceding human history. But, at the same time we learned more, we lost more.

VIDEO: Turning the Tide

The amount of marine life we extract to feed ourselves is astronomical, and some of our fishing methods – dynamite fishing, bottom trawling, cyanide fishing, and other techniques – cause great damage to current and future fish stocks and to the underwater world in which they thrive. Today, 90 percent of the ocean's top predators are gone. Entire populations of fish, and the communities and economies they support, have collapsed. Seafloors look like war zones. Corals have been bleached white from chemical runoff. Dead zones – vast swaths of ocean that can no longer support life – are spreading throughout the marine realm.

These critical issues don't deter us. With our partners, we've embarked on a scientific mission that will tell us exactly where species and marine ecosystems are most threatened and what actions we can take to reverse them. Our research to date has already helped strengthen three protected “Seascapes” in critical marine areas around the world.

READ MORE: Scaling Up Success

Our partnerships are diverse. Some of the industries we work with to protect marine life may surprise you:

• We work with businesses like Wal-Mart and McDonald's to help them develop sustainability guidelines for the fish they sell to consumers.

• We partner with the cruise industry to help them understand their impact on the oceans, and make operational adjustments to protect marine life and coastlines.

• We advise policymakers on effective ways to balance economic necessities with the health of our oceans.

From the beaches to the deserts to the mountain tops, the ocean affects everyone. We're working to keep it safe and productive balancing the needs of both people and nature.

EXPEDITION BLOG: As part of a CI-organized Rapid Assessment off the northeastern coast of Madagascar, an international team of marine scientists spent the three weeks exploring ecosystems, documenting species – and reporting back to us about their experiences.