There is evidence that at least some sections of the public are aware of our dependency on the marine environment. For instance, as early as 1999, 75% of people in a US survey believed that the health of the ocean is important for human survival (Ocean Project 1999). When focusing on environmental matters related to the marine environment specifically, several environmental topics are of particular interest to the public, such as climate change, chemical pollution and ocean acidification (e.g. Vignola et al.