As the ocean industrial revolution gains pace the need for protection is urgent

The New England seamount chain in the north Atlantic Ocean is home to forests of deep-sea corals, such as this spiral coral, and is a migratory route for endangered right whales. Photograph: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research/AP

The ocean is often seen as the last wild frontier: a vast and empty blue wilderness where waves, whales and albatrosses rule. This is no longer true. Unnoticed by many, a new industrial revolution is unfolding in our seas.

The last several decades have seen exponential growth in new marine industries. This includes expansion of offshore oil and gas, but also exponential growth of offshore renewables, such as wind and tidal energy.