Copper has been a principal biocide used in antifouling marine paints for over 100 years. Even with the advent of Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement, copper was still used in the paint along side the Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement biocide. With the pending ban in 2003 on the use of Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement as a marine antifouling biocide, copper is also coming under increased scrutiny for this use. This paper looks at the broader view of copper’s existence as a natural occurring substance in the ocean environment as well covering anthropogenic copper some of which is introduced from antifouling marine paint. The purpose of this broader view is to develop an understanding of the relationship of both natural and anthropogenic copper in the ocean environment. With this understanding,scient ific data can be better utilized to make critical decisions as to the future role of copper in antifouling coatings.