On World Ocean Day, Oceana calls for urgent action to restore the health and abundance of the ocean. This year’s UN theme, “Reimagine,” reflects a simple truth: the ocean can recover if we make a fundamental shift in our behaviour. Rather than increasing extractive pressure to make up for diminishing resources, Oceana urges decision-makers to allow nature to rebuild what has been damaged, and to effectively protect what remains well preserved for future generations.
“Reimagining our relationship with the ocean means giving it a break –halting destruction and letting ecosystems recover,” said Vera Coelho, Oceana’s Executive Director and Vice-President in Europe. “A healthy ocean is not a luxury; it is essential for people and the planet. It provides food, sustains millions of livelihoods, supplies clean energy, and protects us from the worst impacts of climate change.”
Five priorities to save the ocean
From depleted fish stocks to damaged habitats and mounting pollution, human pressure has pushed marine ecosystems to the brink. Yet, solutions rooted in science and best practice exist and have been enacted into law for years or even decades. Oceana highlights five urgent actions governments must take to restore the ocean to health and abundance:
- Enforce laws aimed at protecting the ocean and ensuring sustainable human uses
- Effectively protect and restore marine habitats
- Fish within sustainable limits to allow fish populations to recover
- Increase transparency at sea and end impunity for illegal activities
- Stop pollution at its source
“Preserving marine ecosystems and ensuring prosperous livelihoods in the long-term go hand in hand. It is not a choice between the two,” added Coelho. “The challenge in Europe is no longer a lack of legislation. It is about implementation, turning commitments into tangible change at sea. The EU has more ocean than land – 5.37 million km2 versus 4.22 million. We must give the ocean the attention its vastness and value deserve”.
