Oceans
A healthy ocean is essential to healthy communities and a healthy planet. In today’s world, the challenges that our ocean and the life within it face – including climate change and overfishing – are more complex and interconnected than ever.
The seafood we eat comes from all around the world. We can harness the demand for sustainable seafood to support ocean-friendly practices so nature and people can thrive together. With the right tools, the market can drive demand for sustainable seafood. That creates incentives for fishers to use and advocate for nature-friendly practices. All of which fosters a healthy ocean and healthy communities.
We also believe that real change must be guided by the people who are most reliant on a healthy ocean. Our Ocean Initiative investments build the capacity of fishing communities to advocate for better practices and leverage opportunities to maximize the social and economic benefits that sustainably managed fisheries provide. Working together, we can make restoring global fisheries the sustainability success story of the 21st century.
Americans want to know where the seafood they eat comes from and that responsible fishing practices are being used.
- 70% of Americans want their seafood to be sourced sustainably.
- 72% want the ability to track seafood through the supply chain.
- Strong majorities of Americans back common-sense actions and stronger regulations to track and trace seafood.
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January 17, 2020Fish are key to human well-being – and a thriving natural world
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May 18, 2021It’s becoming easier and more convenient to find seafood raised and caught sustainably. Here’s a primer on what to look for
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October 13, 2022The Peruvian artisanal squid fleet accounts for more than 45% of the worldwide landings of the jumbo flying squid (JFS) fishery, the largest invertebrate fishery worldwide. Nevertheless, most vessels involved in the fishery lack secure tenure rights and operate within the informal economy. Interviews and a survey directed to ship-owners allowed identification of three economic regimes under which the fleet operates and estimation of annual operating costs, revenues, and added value. Our results show that the fishery has high economic importance in Peru, accounting annually for 9–15% of the total Peruvian fisheries sector’s GDP.
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August 26, 2022Climate change is causing fish stocks to shift and is altering their productivity and availability. This is already creating issues with access to stocks and the allocation of harvest opportunity to fishers. The changing access to fishery resources creates problems at the social and economic level, such as issues of fairness and equity among fishermen. These problems feed back into management systems which are often already strained, and can adversely impact fishery participants, processors and related communities.
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January 8, 2020On average, fish stocks are increasing where they are assessed
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October 23, 2024Women have always been integral to Yanett Castro’s community in the shallow lagoons off Sinaloa. Today, her all-female fishing cooperative is making it official
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October 21, 2024From fish processor to boat owner to industry leader and activist, Elsa Vega has been breaking barriers for women in a male-dominated realm
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June 7, 2024This World Oceans Day, we're inspired by the progress our grantees have made to secure a healthy future for our oceans