Overview
The global ocean teems with life, and it contributes to the vital cycles that keep people and our planet healthy. But the seas are vulnerable to overfishing, loss of habitat such as seagrasses and mangroves, ineffective fisheries management, plastic pollution, and declining biodiversity. These mounting losses affect the coastal communities that depend on the ocean for food and jobs.
Pew’s ocean work supports efforts to build collaborative governance systems to guide activities like fishing, pollution, and conservation, and to create protected areas that maintain and restore the health of marine ecosystems. These activities not only support nature, they also benefit the people who rely on marine resources for their livelihoods.
Overfishing and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing not only strain fish populations around the world, but also threaten the food security and economic livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people.
Over decades of international negotiation, the nations of the world have committed to the sustainable management of fisheries and protection of marine ecosystems. Multiple treaties and conventions require fishery managers to account for the impact of fishing activity on the health of the entire ecosystem, not just targeted fish stocks.
On 15 September 2025, a World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement to help end harmful fisheries subsidies entered into force, giving governments around the world a significant new tool in the effort to stem overfishing and illegal fishing. The historic agreement, which the WTO adopted in June 2022, will tackle one of the key drivers of overfishing by curtailing harmful subsidies – payments made by nations to commercial fishing operators to keep those businesses profitable.
The ocean is crucial for keeping the planet healthy, yet it’s under strain from damaging activities and climate change.
The ocean’s coral reefs support an estimated 25% of all known marine life yet are threatened by rising ocean temperatures and bleaching. In this “After the Fact” episode from our recurring “From Lab to Life” series, we look at ways scientists are pioneering efforts to save corals.
Our Work
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The global ocean teems with life, and it contributes to the vital cycles that keep people and our planet healthy. But the seas are vulnerable to overfishing, loss of habitat such as seagrasses and mangroves, ineffective fisheries management, plastic pollution, and declining biodiversity. These mounting losses affect the coastal communities that depend on the ocean for food and jobs.
Latest In Protect Marine Life
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Conserving natural spaces conveys benefits far beyond the gains to wildlife and their habitats. As scores of studies show, protecting and restoring lands and waters, particularly when done in close partnership with local communities, also improves people’s lives—and local economies—by increasing tourism and outdoor recreation.