Virusi su sveprisutna komponenta u morskom mikrobnom planktonu. Unatoč svojoj sitnoj građi oni predstavljaju značajnu biomasu u morskom okolišu. Morskih virusa ima više, u izobilju, od morskih bakterija te su značajni agensi za kontrolu morskih bakterija i fitoplanktona te predstavljaju veliku silu iza biokemijskog ciklusa. S obzirom na koncentraciju od otprilike 10 milijuna virusnih čestica po mililitru površinske vode virusi su najabundantniji biološki entiteti u oceanu. Većinom su ti virusi bakteriofagi, što znači da inficiraju bakterije. Virusni patogeni inficiraju veliki spektar evolucijski različitih grupa morskih organizama. Naše znanje je pretežito usmjereno na ekonomske posljedice virusnih zaraza i na zaštitu organizama (najčešće onih vrsta od ekonomske i gospodarske važnosti) koji su ugroženi. U marikulturnoj industriji, virusne zaraze mogu uzrokovati velike gubitke u produkciji. Današnje spoznaje o bolestima morskih riba, uzrokovanih virusima, još su uvijek nedostatne. Do sada je kod riba koje cijeli svoj životni ciklus ili samo jedan njegov dio provedu u morskoj sredini utvrđeno nekoliko virusnih bolesti (limfocitis, virusna nekroza eritrocita, sindrom čiravosti bakalara, encefalitis, virusna hemoragijska septikemija, zarazna hematopoezna nekroza, zarazna nekroza gušterače, chum reovirusna infekcija, branhionefritis, rabdovirusna infekcija jegulja). Dosad smo saznali kako su virusi veliki posrednici u životnim funkcijama morskih zajednica abiotičkim čimbenicima mora. Daljnja su istraživanja nužna kako bismo shvatili funkcioniranje života u moru. Možda nam ta saznanja u budućnosti pomognu u nekim drugim disciplinama, kao što su ekologija i očuvanje mora i morskih zajednica.

Viruses are an ubiquitous component in marine microbial plankton. Despite their small size, they represent significant biomass in the marine environment. Sea viruses are more abundant than marine bacteria and are important agents for controlling marine bacteria and phytoplankton and are a great force behind the biochemical cycle. Considering the concentration of about 10 million viral particles per milliliter of surface water, viruses are the most compliant biological entities in the ocean. Most of these bacteriophages are viruses, which means they infect bacteria. Viral pathogens infiltrate a large spectrum of evolutionary groups of marine organisms. Our knowledge is predominantly focused on the economic consequences of viral infections and on the protection of organisms (most often of those kinds of economic and economic importance) that are endangered. In a mariculture industry, viral infections can cause major production losses. Today's discovery of sea-fish diseases caused by viruses is still inadequate. Up to now, in the fish that has been diagnosed with several viral diseases (lymphocytes, erythrocyte viral necrosis, cod buckwheat syndrome, encephalitis, viral hemorrhagic septicemia, contagious hematopoietic necrosis, contagious pancreatic necrosis, chum reovirus Infection, bernophoreitis, rabdovirus ejaculation). So far, we have learned that viruses are a major mediator in the marine life functions of abiotic factors. Further research is needed to understand the functioning of life in the sea. Perhaps this knowledge in the future will help in some other disciplines, such as ecology and conservation of the sea and the marine communities.