We know that healthy oceans are essential to healthy coastal communities and a healthy planet. World Oceans Day is a time to reflect on the critical role our oceans play in creating a more sustainable future.
Seafood is a primary source of protein for more than three billion people. Communities around the world depend on fish not just for food but as a driver for their local and national economies. In the United States alone, 1.7 million jobs depend on seafood.
But climate change and overfishing have put this vital food source at risk, threatened the livelihoods of fishermen and fishing communities, and made our oceans less biodiverse, healthy and resilient.
Too often efforts to address the challenges facing our oceans focus on only one aspect of the problem at the expense of others. Efforts to keep fish populations healthy can inadvertently harm fishermen.
Fishing strategies used by the seafood industry can quickly deplete fish populations. This threatens the biodiversity that keeps our oceans resilient and stable and ultimately limits our ability to have a reliable source of sustainable seafood in the future.
So how do we balance the needs of nature with the needs of people? How do we feed people around the world while supporting fishing economies and protecting our oceans?
The truth is that these aren’t competing objectives. They are connected. When we take care of fishermen by providing them with the tools and opportunities they need to fish sustainably, they take care of the fish. By keeping fish populations healthy, we create a healthy ocean environment that is ultimately more productive. Healthy oceans make us more climate resilient and ensure we can continue to provide sustainable seafood now and for the next generation.
At the Walton Family Foundation, we’re focused on supporting science-based solutions that help nature and people thrive together. We’re encouraged by the progress our grantees are making to end overfishing so fishing businesses and villages can operate for generations. Working together we are protecting key habitats and supporting the biodiversity that keeps oceans healthy. And we’re investing in tools to help fishermen create sustainable business models.
Of course, there is still a long way to go. The search for innovative, lasting answers to the challenges our oceans face is an ongoing process. With so many stakeholders, there is no one-size-fits-all response. That’s why we’re working closely with local communities that are closest to the problem. Together, we’re combining traditional approaches and localized information with strategies that have proven effective.
This includes working with our partners to help fishermen have a say in the management of fisheries they depend on for their livelihoods. In Alaska, we work with groups like Kawerak and the Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim Tribal Consortium to make sure Native peoples have a role in decision-making. In Peru, we help artisanal businesses participate in local fishery management councils. And in Mexico, we work with Comunidad y Biodiversidad to highlight women’s roles in small-scale Mexican fisheries.
We’re also looking for ways to ensure sustainable fishing benefits fishermen economically. That’s why we’re working with the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders Alliance to support young fishermen who are working to build successful businesses that prioritize conservation, accountability and sustainability.
It’s why the foundation supports Catch Invest, which helps fishermen and communities improve their businesses. And it’s why we’re partnering with organizations like Fishing Communities Coalition that help fishermen get disaster assistance when they need it.
Exploring ways to create greater demand for sustainable seafood will lead to better outcomes. In some cases, that means identifying data gaps in information on better fishing practices. In others, it's showing fishermen how sustainable practices could help their business.
The challenges that marine fisheries face today are more complex than ever. None of this work is easy – and our approach must keep evolving.
These aren’t just a series of projects. They’re part of an ongoing attempt to answer some tough questions. They allow us to learn from local knowledge and make more meaningful impact.
The challenges that marine fisheries face today are more complex than ever. None of this work is easy – and our approach must keep evolving. But, the work being done in communities around the globe shows that we can find ways to support both the ocean and the people who depend on it. We have made tremendous progress, and the success our partners have seen to date is charting a path forward to a more sustainable future.
Working together we can help create a future in which our planet and our people don’t just coexist – but flourish together.
