1.   Other marine life expected to suffer included coral reefs, algae and sea grass.

2.   As the oil sinks, it will kill coral reefs and sea grass, while on the coastal mudflats it will obliterate algae.

3.   The disappearance of sea grass from the Mediterranean is leading to underwater deforestation which may threaten the majority of marine life, according to a report form Greenpeace.

4.   The report shows that heavy metals, oil spills, insecticides, fishing and tourism all contribute to the decline of the sea grass.

5.   As well as housing thousands of species of algae, fish and molluscs, the sea grass generates oxygen and has been dubbed the lungs of the sea.

6.   France has already adopted legislation to protect the sea grass, after having found that half of the sea bed coverage had gone.

7.   As a result, deadly algae blooms began to occur, choking off and killing great expanses of the sea grasses that produce and sustain so much organic life.

8.   Because sea grass absorbs nutrients, its loss further stimulates algae growth.

9.   -- An infusion of fresh water has sparked the renewed growth of a sea grass that provides prime habitat for shrimp.

10.   But when they mature, they use their finely serrated jaws to tear vegetation, and they stick to sea grass and algae.