Published 2026-06-12 · data 2018 · relative marine biomass units
Fish biomass is a sliver of ocean life
We think of the sea as fish. By mass, tiny plankton and invertebrates dominate — fish are a visible minority.
Fish are the face of the sea — plankton own the mass. This grid divides marine animal biomass (illustrative) (2018 snapshot) into colored bands — Microbes & plankton, Invertebrates, and 2 more groups — using equal squares so you compare shares, not country size on a map.
1 cell = 1 relative marine biomass units (0.1% of marine animal biomass (illustrative)) · 1,000 cells
Context
The 2018 figures from OWID — Biomass put Invertebrates at 42% of marine animal biomass (illustrative) and Microbes & plankton at 38% — about 1,000 relative marine biomass units in this edition's rounding.
/ OWID marine biomass shares, rounded to illustrative 1,000 units.
Bar-On et al. / OWID marine biomass shares, rounded to illustrative 1,000 units.
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Credit this grid as Inagrid — https://inagrid.com/e/2026-06-12-ocean-biomass