The Southern Ocean is facing increasing pressure from industrial fishing for krill – the keystone species for whales, penguins and seabirds that is harvested by humans for health supplements and to feed salmon farms. Meanwhile humpback whale populations have rebounded since the global ban on whaling in the 1980s, resulting in increased competition with the fishing industry for the krill.
Blue Marine secured the additional protection by bringing scientific evidence and political advocacy to the SGSSI government’s MPA review process, and successfully making the case for increasing the no-take area under the UK’s jurisdiction within the existing MPA.
Since 2015, Blue Marine has been part of Great Blue Ocean, a coalition of six NGOs that works with the UK government and local communities to help protect the seas around the UK Overseas Territories. In 2024, Blue Marine worked closely with Pew Bertarelli Global Ocean Legacy to increase by 166,000 sq km the area around SGSSI that is completely closed to fishing.
Photos by: Johnny Briggs The Pew Trusts
Blue Marine Foundation has helped transform the isolated UK Overseas Territory of Ascension Island into a vast no-take zone where marine life proliferates.
The marine protected area (MPA) of 445,000 sq km around the South Atlantic island is part of a UK conservation programme that safeguards 4.4 million sq km of ocean – the largest and most diverse in the world.
Located in the Atlantic between South Africa and South America, this UK Overseas Territory is the world’s remotest inhabited island. Yet the small community here has protected an area of ocean three times the size of the UK.
We respect your privacy. By subscribing to our email list, you agree to our Terms & Conditions.
We respect your privacy. By subscribing to our email list, you agree to our Terms & Conditions.