Increase marine protected areas

ONLY 7% OF THE GLOBAL OCEAN IS CURRENTLY PROTECTED.

LESS THAN 3% OF THE GLOBAL OCEAN IS IN MARINE PROTECTED AREAS WITH STRONG ENOUGH REGULATIONS TO SAFEGUARD BIODIVERSITY.

sources: World Database on Protected Areas | 30 x 30 — Protecting at least 30% of the ocean by 2030. Marine Conservation Institute. marine-conservation.org.

"INDUSTRIAL FISHING IS THE LARGEST HUNTING OPERATION ON THE PLANET AND TARGETS MORE THAN HALF THE OCEAN SURFACE...

MORE THAN 1000 SPECIES ARE THREATENED WITH EXTINCTION DUE TO FISHING."

"Marine protected areas (MPAs), and in particular fully protected marine reserves, have proven much more effective than other actions... in protecting and restoring biodiversity, increasing yields in adjacent fisheries, and enhancing ecosystem resilience... On average, species richness is 21% higher and biomass of fish is six times greater within marine reserves."

“The Global Deal For Nature” Dinerstein et al. 2019

30% Ocean Protection by 2030

"SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT TO SECURE A HEALTHY, PRODUCTIVE, AND RESILIENT MARINE ENVIRONMENT, AT LEAST 30% OF THE WORLD'S OCEAN MUST BE SAFEGUARDED IN A NETWORK OF WELL MANAGED MPA'S...

It has been shown that protected areas that do not allow industrial extraction such as long-line fishing or deep-sea mining are crucial to restore and protect biodiversity." - Marine Conservation Institute

sources: map illustration demonstrating 30% global oceans conservation scheme envisioned by Greenpeace, University of Oxford, and University of York. current marine protected areas – World Database on Protected Areas | quote: 30 x 30 — Protecting at least 30% of the ocean by 2030. Marine Conservation Institute. marine-conservation.org.

Illegal Fishing

ONLY 6% OF WILD CAUGHT SEAFOOD IS CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE.

“Despite growing concern about where our food comes from, consumers are frequently served the wrong fish – a completely different species than the one they paid for... [ Seafood Fraud] creates a market for illegal fishing by making it easy to launder illegally caught seafood products.”

Source:  The Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. “Seafood Fraud: The Consequences” Oceana. Image: John Wallace, NOAA/NMFS/NWFSC/FRAMD. via wikimedia commons.

"ILLEGAL FISHING NOT ONLY JEOPARDIZES FOOD SECURITY, IT ALSO COMPROMISES THE HEALTH OF THE OCEANS."

“Global Fishing Watch allows anyone with an internet connection... to track the activities of the world’s largest fishing vessels... [helping] governments monitor [their] waters... and fishery managers, conservation organizations and fishermen identify potential unauthorized activity.”

Image: Fishing activity off the coast of Peru, tracked by Global Fishing Watch. quote: GlobalFishingWatch.org.

TOP FISHING COUNTRIES

BY IMPLEMENTING SUSTAINABLE FISHING PRACTICES AND ESTABLISHING MARINE PROTECTED AREAS, WE COULD RESTORE OCEAN ECOSYSTEMS AND INCREASE GLOBAL FISH CATCH AT THE SAME TIME.

The most productive parts of the ocean are under the jurisdiction of just 29 Countries & the EU, representing 90% of wild ocean fishing. They have the power to protect and restore our oceans. 5 countries lead the way with sustainable fisheries while the most destructive practices still account for 40% of global catch.

Sources: Andrew Sharpless, Oceana. “Countries Where Fisheries are Sustainable” Oceanos.