Scientific support can continue to be encouraged by organisations such as the Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP). Ongoing scientific work must continue in order to understand the scale and scope of the problem. However, adopting a precautionary approach would mean that this uncertainty should not be used to limit immediate efforts to reduce impacts and to mitigate their effects. Linking business and industry to such issues could be facilitated by the work of the World Ocean Council as a global industry alliance committed to Corporate Ocean Responsibility (www.oceancouncil.org).