RESTORING THE OCEANS COULD FEED 1 BILLION PEOPLE A HEALTHY SEAFOOD MEAL EACH DAY
Oceana campaigns worldwide for policy change that can restore and increase ocean biodiversity and abundance.
The Campaign
Oceana campaigns in the countries that control about one third of the world’s wild fish catch in order to win policy victories that can increase biodiversity in our oceans and deliver more seafood to the future.
What animal protein requires no fresh water, produces little carbon dioxide, doesn’t require arable land and provides healthy protein at a cost per pound lower than beef, chicken, lamb or pork, making it accessible to the world’s poor? The answer: wild fish.
Unfortunately, studies show that irresponsible fishing has reduced many wild fish populations to historically low levels right at the moment when the world needs its oceans more than ever.
There are already 7 billion people on Earth, and this figure is expected to grow to a staggering 9 billion people by 2050. The planet must produce 70 percent more food to meet the coming hunger needs, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Right now, 795 million people on this planet suffer from hunger, and we don’t have enough arable land and fresh water to feed 2 billion more without incurring severe losses to the natural world.
But there is a solution. Studies show that by implementing better and proven management measures we can potentially increase the global fish catch by up to 15 percent from current levels. We can rebuild ocean biodiversity and abundance and be able to feed a billion people a healthy seafood meal each day.
What Oceana Does
WINNING POLICY CHANGE THAT CAN INCREASE OCEAN BIODIVERSITY AND ABUNDANCE
Oceana runs campaigns to win policy change proven to increase abundance and biodiversity, such as: stopping overfishing through the establishment of science-based catch limits, reducing bycatch, or the incidental catch of non-targeted animals, and protecting important marine habitat.
OCEANA’S COUNTRY-BY-COUNTRY APPROACH
International action through the United Nations and other global bureaucratic bodies is difficult, expensive and time-consuming. Instead, Oceana focuses on the countries that control the world’s fish catch. Just 29 countries and the EU control more than 90 percent of the world’s seafood catch. Oceana is already campaigning in countries that control about a third of the world’s wild fish catch. Learn more about Oceana’s efforts to Save the Oceans and Feed the World in the United States, Europe, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile and Philippines.
