Marine Bioprospecting a Promising Future Venture and Precautionary Measures to Maintain Its Sustainability

Marine genetic diversity is huge and as per the latest data on World Register of Marine Species (2023,  http://www.bbou.org/ ) around 2,42,000 (2,45,644 in 2014) valid species has been on record (Kingdoms Animalia—2,06,378; Chiromista—20,381; Plantae—10,418; Protozoa—638; Archaea—116; Fungi—1,378; Viruses—115) (Bouchet et al., Frontiers in Marine Science 10, 2023 for reference). Organisms related to 34 phyla (77 classes) are represented in this ecosystem (Briggs, J.C., 1995. Species diversity: land and sea. In: Briggs JC (ed) Chap. 13 Developments in Paleontology and Stratigraphy, vol. 14, pp. 371–389. Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0920-5446(06)80063–4). Utilization of the marine bio-resources for food and other general purposes has been as old as mankind. Research on deriving bio-active compounds from marine bioresources have shown that bacteria, bacterial associates, fungi and fungal associates, microalgae, seaweeds, corals, sponges, polychaetes, crustaceans, molluscs, echinoderms, tunicates, ascidians, fishes, mammals etc. are promising groups for yielding compounds. This chapter provides selected data on the above area and found that these compounds are effective as: anticancer, anti-inflammatory, neurological, anti-oxidant, anti-malarial, anti-bacterial and many other diseases, namely, Alzheimer’s disease. A few drugs also have been commercialized after proper approval. Precautionary measures are necessary for the sustainability of these precious resources.