Five Opportunities to Improve Ocean Health for People and Nature

The ocean is vital for all life on earth. It provides food and livelihoods, produces oxygen, regulates weather systems, holds cultural significance for many around the world and is home to a dazzling array of wildlife.

Yet it is at risk from illegal fishing and overfishing, deep-sea mining, pollution, and other threats.

When world leaders convene at the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference – 9 to 13 June in Nice, France – they can push for action on global agreements that would improve the ocean’s health. Here are five opportunities for progress:

1. Protect the high seas.

World governments in 2022 agreed to protect 30 percent of the ocean by 2030. To achieve that global goal, also known as “30 by 30,” protecting more of the high seas is a must. Although the high seas cover two-thirds of the ocean that lie outside the jurisdiction of any country, only 1 per cent is protected.

Dozens of countries have ratified the 2023 U.N. high seas treaty or have indicated they intend to soon. And a number of governments have signaled their ambition to ratify it by the June Conference, which will bring the U.N. closer to reaching the 60 ratifications required for the treaty to enter into force, paving the way for the establishment of marine protected areas on the high seas.

2. Curb harmful fisheries subsidies.

Meaningful conservation goes beyond protecting areas of the ocean—it also requires effective management.

Worldwide, governments give out $22 billion annually in harmful subsidies that drive overfishing – funding that primarily goes to industrial fishing fleets, many of which would not be profitable without government subsidies. Only 10 more countries need to ratify the 2022 World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies for it to enter into force and begin limiting certain harmful subsidies.

The U.N. Ocean Conference is an opportunity for countries to get their ratifications over the finish line and push for progress on additional rules being negotiated at the WTO to curb even more damaging subsidies beyond the scope of the agreement.

3. Implement an international moratorium on seabed mining.

Scientists know that deep-sea mining, if it begins, would cause irrevocable damage to the planet’s fragile deep-sea environment and biodiversity, and they are only beginning to understand the impacts mining could have on ecosystem services, which are benefits humans derive from the natural environment, such as carbon cycling and the healthy functioning of fisheries.

The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is negotiating a global regulatory framework to govern future seabed mining and safeguard sensitive deep-ocean ecosystems. However, due to concern over harm to the marine environment, dozens of governments, private companies, scientists and non-governmental organizations have called for the ISA to enact a moratorium on deep-sea mining in international areas beyond the jurisdiction of any country. Governments should express their support for such a moratorium during the Conference.

4. Enhance fisheries safety and management.

Operators who fish illegally often cut corners with how they manage their vessels and treat workers, so agreeing on minimum safety standards would level the playing field and help end practices that place crews at risk. It would also increase inspections and encourage improved coordination among national authorities, which would reduce illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

The 2012 Cape Town Agreement established minimum safety standards for fishing vessels, and although the country ratification threshold for the treaty has been met, more needs to be done. Countries that sign on also need to declare how many vessels they have over a certain size that are eligible for the treaty’s safety provisions, and that number is still short of the 3,600 needed for the treaty to enter into force. Governments should advance this effort during the U.N. Ocean Conference to fight illegal activities and strengthen fisher safety.

5. Rein in plastic pollution.

U.N. member governments are negotiating a global treaty that would reduce the world’s plastic pollution, which not only harms wildlife and ecosystems but also puts human health at risk – microplastics have been found in human livers, kidneys and brains.

To be successful, the treaty must create legally binding rules that would reduce pollution at every stage of the plastic life cycle, from production to disposal. The June Conference offers a chance to urge world leaders to maintain momentum and ambition ahead of plastics treaty negotiations, which resume in August.

With five years left to meet the world’s 30 by 30 conservation goal and an urgent need to improve the management of marine ecosystems, it’s time for world leaders to champion ocean health. The U.N. Ocean Conference presents an opportunity for governments to make progress on global agreements that can ensure the protection and sustainable use of the ocean and its resources for generations far into the future.

Elizabeth Wilson leads The Pew Charitable Trusts’ environmental policy team.