We've only seen about 5% of the ocean as a whole. We're just getting started as far as ocean exploration is concerned. It's our life-support system, and we're just beginning to understand how it functions and really why it matters to everyone everywhere.

[on dealing with environmental issues, particularly those concerning the oceans] I tell people I come from a different planet, because I do. The world that I knew as a child doesn't exist anymore. The planet I knew is gone...The bad news is there, but the good news is we've got the knowledge, we can see what the future will bring if we keep doing stupid things.

We're destroying the ancient systems in the oceans as if they will constantly renew, and now we know they don't. The transition has been gradual and become more intense because our destruction has become more widespread and obvious.