Individuals and the companies they work for can make good environmental decision by routinely recycling materials, find new uses for products and choose to use less polluting materials. Governments at both the municipal and the federal level need to restrict or ban toxic substances like the PCBs which are currently outlawed. What is most important is the education of the public and administrators in particular. People in a position to make decisions should know about the conse uences of such activities as releasing untreated effluent into coastal waters or allowing ships to clean out their tanks in a harbor. By limiting the use and disposal of polluting materials, governments and industries can halt if not repair the damage to marine ecosystem.