Oil spills, plastics, and industrial wastes are a major threat to marine life through marine pollution. Marine biotechnology has provided greener solutions based on bioremediation, whereby marine organisms are used to clean up and rehabilitate the environment that has been polluted. Some marine bacteria, fungi, and algae possess natural metabolic processes through which they are able to degrade hydrocarbons and heavy metals as well as synthetic polymers.
Hydrocarbon-degrading marine bacteria are usually induced to enhance natural cleanup mechanisms following the occurrence of oil spills. Marine biotechnology complements such potentials by finding effective strains and maximizing the environmental conditions to enhance quicker degradation. Genetic engineering paves the way to increasing the efficiency and selectivity of microbes to pollutants.
The cost of marine bioremediation is low and is applied safely with respect to the environment as opposed to chemical or mechanical cleanup. There are also biotechnology-based monitoring instruments, like environmental DNA (eDNA), that assist in the evaluation of the level of pollution and ecosystem restoration. With the persistent increase in ocean pollution, marine biotechnology is an important aspect used to sustain marine health and sustainability in the management of the environment.
MBH/PS