research questions about life below water

14 Questions about Goal 14: Rescuing Lives Below Water

• 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
• June 8, 2019

Written by Adenike Bamigbade

Few days ago, we aired our voice on the need to #BeatAirPollution , we often pay more attention to lives on land but don’t seem to bother about lives below water. The 17 Goals have been designed to solve problems around critical areas of life and Goal 14 is as important as every other goals. Most importantly, we understand the Goals are interdependent, and lives below water contributes to economic development of a nation- this means, a neglect of Goal 14 is a rise in hunger and poverty.

Are you a Climate Change Advocate? Check out some events in June

This is why SDGs Champions like Oghenekevwe Christopher Oghenechovwen who understand the need for a thriving ocean community has taken the further steps to campaign for full protection of lives below water. To mark this year World Ocean’s Day today, Oghenekevwe Christopher Oghenechovwen  shares 14 things we need to know and protect the ocean community.

Oghenekevwe Christopher Oghenechovwen

Oghenekevwe Christopher Oghenechovwen who is currently rounding off his Bachelor’s programme in Meteorology and Climate Science at the Federal University of Technology Akure in Nigeria has 4 years experience in the ocean-climate science. He is driven by his commitment to reduce knowledge-gaps of the physical environment and have his voice stand up for communities facing environmental risks. He is a recipient of the Independent Ocean Research Contract Award – The Economist Intelligence Unit (Jul 2018).

“The ocean covers 71% of earth and so shapes our planet; it influences our weather and climate by absorbing heat and carbon dioxide; provides freshwater, food and oxygen; supports biodiversity and important ecosystems – yet, it remains largely unexplored” – Oghenekevwe Christopher Oghenechovwen

• Why does the world need Goal 14?

Oghenechovwen : Goal 14 is needed because it facilitates long-term and coherent opportunities for us to understand our ocean and seas and our impact on them, as well as to design solutions to make this impact sustainable. The ocean covers 71% of earth and so shapes our planet; it influences our weather and climate by absorbing heat and carbon dioxide; provides freshwater, food and oxygen; supports biodiversity and important ecosystems – yet, it remains largely unexplored. Human pressures fuel the issues currently facing the ocean: we over-fish and over-exploit, we pollute, and produce more carbon dioxide that the ocean can handle.

2. What are the economic values of sustaining the lives below water?

Oghenechovwen : The ocean drive the global economy and supports up to 5.4 million jobs. With a blend of solutions, existing ocean industries can be accelerated and scaled, while emerging and new ones can be unlocked. For example, marine biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, aquaculture, commerce, coastal tourism, fisheries, renewable energy, and deep sea mining.

3. How can we achieve sustainable fishing in areas that depend on it?

Oghenechovwen : This can be achieved by strengthening laws against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; ensuring subsidies and taxes are fair and according to best practices, establishment of marine protected areas, conservation areas, and replenishment zones; and use of technology such as satellites for observations, monitoring, and hazard warning.

4. What is the link between climate change and ocean health?

Oghenechovwen : Climate change is now altering marine systems and resulting in extreme ocean warming, acidification, and sea level rise. Interestingly, a healthy and resilient ocean is able to provide solutions needed for supporting climate mitigation, adaptation, and biodiversity

5. How else can we manage our solid wastes instead of turning to the ocean?

Oghenechovwen : Before thinking of dumping, we should fully explore and implement the option of reduction, reusing, recycling, or recovery. Conscious waste prevention technique does well for the ocean and society, and forms the core of a circular economy.

6. How can we improve ocean health?

Oghenechovwen : Through lowering carbon dioxide emissions, changing our consumption patterns, proper waste prevention and management, and establishment of protected areas.

7. What is the role of the government?

Oghenechovwen : For inclusive decision-making processes and implementation of plans, the government ought to always connect with other stakeholder groups, including youth and early career professionals.

8. Share ideas on practical ways young people can get involved

Oghenechovwen : We need to keep talking about it. Climate change is central to both lives on land and below the water. We need more advocates with good knowledge and insights to keep putting the policymakers on their foot and keep enlightening other Nigerians.

9. What are you doing to improve ocean health?

Oghenechovwen : Currently, I am involved in strategy, research, and support on ocean sustainability, climate change, and youth engagement issues.

10. Share how other young people can join you do what you do

Oghenechovwen : A story I did last year also answers this. “Becoming a Climate Ambassador; 4 things you can do”. READ HERE

11. In the article you shared, you mentioned that we should remain optimistic, can you give more insights on that?

Oghenechovwen : It is tiring when our advocacy drive is not yielding any result but we have to stay resilient. We need more young people to continue the campaign.

12. How can we take these campaigns offline?

Oghenechovwen : Communities are everything. Membership in a community creates more freedom and opportunity for sustainably driving aspirations, new ideas, and actions. We can share in tabling events, via virtual spaces, during walks, at town hall meetings or the market, on the bus, wherever.

13. There are few young people like you advocating for this: what is your motivation?

Oghenechovwen : I am driven by my commitment to reduce knowledge-gaps of the physical environment and have my voice stand up for communities facing environmental risks.

14. How do we get more young people to drive Goal 14?

Oghenechovwen : Learning more about climate change comes with an unceasing sense of responsibility that we must commit to. A responsibility to stand up and become a leader for our climate. A responsibility to influence people, beliefs, and sectors so better decisions are made, so the environment is seen as an important system and the possibilities for solving climate change is actualized.

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The Ocean: Life Below Water and Why it Matters

Key questions >>>

• Why does the ocean matter? How is the ocean important for sustainable development?
• What does the sustainable blue economy offer us?
• What are the ocean knowledge gaps?
• How do we need to develop a multidisciplinary ocean science?

The ocean covers around three-quarters of the earth's surface and contains more than 90% of living species on our planet. The ocean is also the single largest ecosystem in the world, and it provides food for billions of people worldwide, as well as maritime transport, renewable energies, and other goods and services like regulating, cultural and supporting services. 

Nevertheless, the ocean is not indestructible, and our footprint is very large. Overfishing, toxic pollution, invasive species, nutrient over-enrichment, habitat degradation and destruction, biodiversity loss, dependence of a growing global population on its goods and services, and coastal development, all threaten the sustainability of coastal ocean ecosystems ( Vanderweerd in Sherman and McGovern, 2011). Ocean acidification is also a growing threat that may be more important than warming, pollution and overfishing (Roberts, 2011).

Why Does the Ocean Matter?

Oceans mean different things for different people: life, passion or wonderment; vastly important; a very important source of life and energy; an incredible source of food and amazing source of biodiversity; it's wild, exciting, terrifying and exhilarating; means a lot to me, if something happens I will not have the fun I’m used to; it's a livelihood, it's been there for generations and hopefully will be there for generations to come.’ (Adapted from video excerpt, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, 2011, in Muñoz-Sevilla and Le Bail 2017).

According to the World Wildlife Fund, the ocean is currently valued at $24 trillion dollars. The goods and services from marine environments add up to an additional $2.5 trillion yearly. This means the ocean would have the seventh-largest GDP in the world.  However, the value of the ocean relies on its current output, which in turn depends on its conditions. Climate change, ocean acidification, habitat destruction, pollution and overfishing are endangering the ocean and threatening its value and the security and livelihood of the three billion people who depend on it. Most of these people live in Small Island Developing States, they are among the ones who contribute least to these issues, but they are the ones at most risk, as they’re already vulnerable. ( Hoegh-Guldberg 2015)

Agenda 2030: SDG 13 and SDG 14

A historical change has been taking place for the past 23 years, from Agenda 21 to Agenda 2030. At the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992, more than 178 countries adopted Agenda 21. The Millennium declaration was adopted after the 2000 Millennium Summit in New York. 10 years after the Rio Earth Summit, in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that were adopted during the Earth Summit in Johannesburg, ocean issues were included in the conversation for the first time. 

In 2012, at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (also popularly known as Rio+20), member states adopted the document titled “The Future We Want”, which set the process of developing the sustainable development goals (SDGs) building on the MDGs. Finally, during the UN Sustainable Development Summit in 2015, seventeen SDGs were adopted which are an integral part of the 2030 Agenda.  

Progress of SDG 14 in 2019

The expansion of protected areas for marine biodiversity and existing policies and treaties that encourage responsible use of ocean resources are still insufficient to combat the adverse effects of overfishing, growing ocean acidification and worsening coastal eutrophication. As billions of people depend on oceans for their livelihood and food source, increased efforts and interventions are needed to conserve and sustainably use ocean resources at all levels. 

• Ocean acidification is caused by the uptake of atmospheric CO 2 by the ocean, which changes the chemical composition of the seawater. Long-term observations over the past 30 years have shown an average increase of acidity of 26 percent since pre-industrial times. At this rate, an increase of 100 to 150 percent is predicted by the end of the century, with serious consequences for marine life. 
• To achieve sustainable development of fisheries, fish stocks must be maintained at a biologically sustainable level. Analysis reveals that the fraction of world marine fish stocks that are within biologically sustainable levels declined from 90 percent in 1974 to 66.9 percent in 2015. 
• As of December 2018, over 24 million km 2 (17.2 per cent) of waters under national jurisdiction (0–200 nautical miles from a national border) were covered by protected areas, a significant increase from 12 percent in 2015 and more than double the extent covered in 2010. The protected areas increased from 31.2 per cent in 2000 to 44.7 per cent in 2015 and to 45.7 per cent in 2018. 
• Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing remains one of the greatest threats to sustainable fisheries, the livelihoods of those who depend upon them and marine ecosystems. Most countries have taken measures to combat such fishing and have adopted an increasing number of fisheries management instruments in the past decade. 
• Small-scale fisheries are present in almost all countries, accounting for more than half of total production on average, in terms of both quantity and value. To promote small-scale fishers’ access to productive resources, services and markets, most countries have developed targeted regulatory and institutional frameworks. However, more than 20 per cent of countries have a low to medium level of implementation of such frameworks, particularly in Oceania and Central and South Asia.

The Ocean Decade

To recognize that more needs to be done to mitigate the global decline in ocean health, in December 2017, the UN declared 2021 to 2030 as the decade of ‘Ocean Science and Sustainable Development’. 

The Ocean Decade will strengthen international cooperation in all levels by strengthening dialogues, developing partnerships, developing capacity-building and leveraging investment, while supporting the entire 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. Other critical goals include improving ocean literacy and education to modify social norms and behaviors, and creating new models for ocean action.

The Ocean Decade aims to include science-informed mitigation and adaptation policies around the world and share knowledge with coastal communities who are most vulnerable to the changes of the ocean. (Claudet et al. 2019)

The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Ocean 

From Little Blue Letter, Glen Wright

• Marine creatures are enjoying some quiet time as underwater noise levels drop. Scientists are studying these effects on marine mammals.
• ​From Florida to Thailand, the number of sea turtles nests has increased on the now-empty beaches. The rapid recovery of marine wildlife in coastal areas shows how extensive our impacts are and highlights the importance of protected areas. 
• Fishers around the world are struggling with decreased demand, lack of sanitary conditions and logistical challenges. In some countries, like India, food security of the communities may be affected by this disruption of supply chains.
• PADI and Rash’R are producing (non-profit)  reusable face masks made from Ocean plastic , with designs based on sea animals!

Final Remarks

We can all take small steps towards protecting our ocean. Reduction of single-use plastic, responsible fish consumption, avoiding ocean harming products, and making your voice heard can all directly contribute towards a healthier ocean. However, more indirect approaches can be taken by reducing the amount of greenhouse gases produced by our daily activities and, therefore, reducing our carbon footprint. Reducing red meat consumption, consuming locally sourced products and using personal vehicles less are all examples of small steps we can take towards reducing our impact. The sum of individual actions can truly make a difference in the fate of our ocean.

Collectively, we need to form a global ocean community, acknowledging that all of our actions have an impact on the ocean (Claudet et al. 2019). And, although it is incumbent on each of us to take steps to protect the ocean, collective action is also required. New models for ocean action, which are collaborative, intergenerational, cross-cultural, and multi-sectoral, are needed in the coming decade, in order to protect our beloved ocean. 

The ocean is our life support system, it connects every one of us, you can think of the ocean as the blue heart  of this planet, but then we look after that heart and we know how we are damaging it and it needs intensive care. We know that scientists, politicians and stakeholders are talking to each other, but it isn’t just up to them, each and every one of us can make the difference, even if the difference might be small, after all individual small drops of sea water can make up the vast ocean . (Adapted from video excerpt, Plymouth Marine Laboratory 2011, in Muñoz-Sevilla and Le Bail 2017).

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A Comprehensive Overview of SDG 14: Life Below Water_Final

• First Online: 23 November 2022

Cite this chapter

• Sergio Rossi 2  

587 Accesses

1 Citations

An important part of the health of the oceans depends on a good balance of the biogeochemical cycles. Both climate change (in its broadest sense, from the warming of the oceans to acidification) and the introduction of excess nutrients or heavy metals have caused, in many places, distortions in the balances between chemical elements, organisms and detritus. A series of scenarios have been created in which the excess or absence of certain components are distorting carbon fluxes or biomass accumulation. Such changes are not new at all, but now are accelerating and we have to be ready to understand and manage the repercussions that they may have locally and globally. An increase in nitrogen and phosphorus due to land changes in the Amazon, together with other local phenomena, are promoting an uncontrolled increase in Sargassum , which moves every year with the currents until it invades the Caribbean coast, for example. There is such inertia in the entry of these nutrients into the ocean that it becomes difficult to manage them, and even in areas where there is already a much more exhaustive control of the agricultural or industrial activities that promote them, the proliferation of micro and macro algae seems unstoppable. The microbial composition and also the seasonality are key points that have to be considered, especially when certain physical phenomena are weakened such as upwelling (and the related nutrient supply) or the ocean currents (and the related nutrient transport). Several models are based not only on temperature changes (which affect the availability of macro and micronutrients) but also on coastal morphology and local current dynamics. Such models are complex but very useful to understand, locally, what may happen with a cascade effect, such as the relationship of biogeochemical cycles with primary productivity and, in turn, with biomass production. Climate change is greatly affecting this nutrient availability, not only because the physical-chemical balance may be changing, but also because the organisms that process these nutrients are also changing and their ability to recycle may be affected. Acidification also enters this equation, which makes some microelements less available, or makes some species (for example, coccolithophorids) less capable of completing their life cycles, compete for nutrients or suffer more predation because they have more fragile structures. Latitude must also be taken into account in these changes, both due to the effects of climate change and the direct impacts of human activities that have profoundly transformed many ocean environments. In certain areas the predominance of the impact on biogeochemical cycle comes from the direct action of humans (e.g. fertilizers, farming, etc.), but in others the predominance comes from the warming or acidifying effect due to climate change. Thus, for example, the most accelerated changes in the Arctic are having very rapid effects on these biogeochemical cycles, both due to the increase in temperature and acidification and also due to the fact that the dynamics and coverage of the ice are changing. In this area, the direct impacts by pollution and eutrophication are replaced by climate change accelerating paths. Associated with these changes in nutrient cycles is the decrease in available oxygen that alters the physiological capacities of some organisms. The increase in temperature, the decrease in primary production and the slowdown in currents in various parts of the planet are affecting the response capacity of organisms, from benthic to pelagic. No less important is also the fact that stormy phenomena of different types are increasing in frequency and intensity. Storms and hurricanes are also responsible for the distortion of biogeochemical cycles, in some cases impoverishing biomass production and its quality for the following trophic levels. It is a very complex scenario in which the physiology and adaptability of many organisms is at stake, and which we will have to understand in order to properly manage marine resources in the near future.

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Rossi, S. (2023). A Comprehensive Overview of SDG 14: Life Below Water_Final. In: SDG 14: Life Below Water. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-19467-2_1

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Sustainable Development Goal 14

Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.

Sustainable Development Goal 14 is to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development, according to the United Nations.

The visualizations and data below present the global perspective on where the world stands today and how it has changed over time.

The UN has defined 10 targets and 10 indicators for SDG 14. Targets specify the goals and indicators represent the metrics by which the world aims to track whether these targets are achieved. Below we quote the original text of all targets and show the data on the agreed indicators.

Target 14.1 Reduce marine pollution

Sdg indicator 14.1.1 reduce marine pollution.

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 14.1.1 is the “(a) index of coastal eutrophication; and (b) plastic debris density” in the UN SDG framework .

Target: “Prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution” by 2025.

Unlike most SDGs, which are set for the year 2030, this indicator is targeted for 2025.

More research: Further data and research on marine pollution can be found on the Our World in Data topic page on plastic pollution .

Target 14.2 Protect and restore ecosystems

Sdg indicator 14.2.1 protect and restore ecosystems.

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 14.2.1 is the “number of countries using ecosystem-based approaches to managing marine areas” in the UN SDG framework .

Countries who have implemented ecosystem-based approaches to managing marine areas are shown in the interactive visualization.

Target: “Sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans” by 2020.

Unlike most SDGs, which are set for the year 2030, this indicator was targeted for 2020.

Target 14.3 Reduce ocean acidification

Sdg indicator 14.3.1 reduce ocean acidification.

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 14.3.1 is the “average marine acidity (pH) measured at agreed suite of representative sampling stations” in the UN SDG framework .

The interactive visualization reports trends in the mean seawater pH, measured at the Aloha station in Hawaii. A pH of less than 7 means that a substance is acidic, lower values indicate greater acidity.

Ocean acidification is a consequence of increasing carbon dioxide emissions. Ocean water and carbon dioxide combine to form carbonic acid, as there is more carbon dioxide produced through emissions more gets absorbed by the ocean.

Target: “Minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels” by 2030.

More research: More research and data on the impacts of climate change can be found in the Our World in Data climate change impacts data explorer .

Target 14.4 Sustainable fishing

Sdg indicator 14.4.1 fish stocks within sustainable levels.

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 14.4.1 is the “proportion of fish stocks within biologically sustainable levels” in the UN SDG framework .

Fish stocks are classified as "within biologically sustainable levels" if their abundance is estimated to be equal to or greater than the level that can produce the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) . The MSY is the largest long-term average catch that can be taken from a fish stock under prevailing environmental and fishery conditions.

Fish stocks become overexploited when fish are caught at a rate higher than the population can support and the ability of the stock to produce its MSY is jeopardized.

Target: “By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics.”

Unlike most SDG targets, which have a target year of 2030, this indicator is set to be achieved by 2020.

More research: Further data and research on fisheries can be found at the Our World in Data topic page on fish and overfishing .

Target 14.5 Conserve coastal and marine areas

Sdg indicator 14.5.1 protected marine areas.

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 14.5.1 is the “coverage of protected areas in relation to marine areas” in the UN SDG framework .

Target: By 2020 “conserve at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, consistent with national and international law and based on the best available scientific information.”

Unlike most SDG targets, which have a target year of 2030, this indicator was set to be achieved by 2020.

Additional charts

• Threatened fish species
• Share of ocean that is protected

Target 14.6 End subsidies contributing to overfishing and illegal fishing

Sdg indicator 14.6.1 combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 14.6.1 is “the degree of implementation of international instruments aiming to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing” in the UN SDG framework .

Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.

Target: “Prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies which contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and refrain from introducing new such subsidies” by 2020. 1

Target 14.7 Increase the economic benefits from sustainable use of marine resources

Sdg indicator 14.7.1 income from sustainable fisheries.

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 14.7.1 is “Sustainable fisheries as a proportion of GDP in small island developing States, least developed countries and all countries” in the UN SDG framework .

The value added of marine capture fisheries indicates the prominence of marine fish related activities in the country’s economy and its importance for livelihoods. Stocks that are fished at sustainable levels are able to support the communities and industries which rely on them, without compromising reproduction and long-term sustainability. By contrast, a stock that is exploited to a point where it cannot replenish itself will ultimately provide sub-optimal long-term economic returns for stakeholders.

Target: By 2030 “increase the economic benefits to small island developing States and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism.”

Target 14.a Increase scientific knowledge, research and technology for ocean health

Sdg indicator 14.a.1 research resources for marine technology.

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 14.a.1 is the “proportion of total research budget allocated to research in the field of marine technology” in the UN SDG framework .

Target: “Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, in order to improve ocean health and to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries, in particular small island developing States and least developed countries by 2030.” 2

More research: Further data and research on fisheries can be found at the Our World in Data topic page on research and development .

Target 14.b Support small scale fishers

Sdg indicator 14.b.1 support small scale fishers.

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 14.b.1 is the “degree of application of a legal/regulatory/policy/institutional framework which recognizes and protects access rights for small-scale fisheries” in the UN SDG framework .

Target: “Provide access for small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets” by 2030.

• Global wild fishery catch by sector

Target 14.c Implement and enforce international sea law

Sdg indicator 14.c.1 implementing international sea law.

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 14.c.1 is the “number of countries making progress in ratifying, accepting and implementing through legal, policy and institutional frameworks, ocean-related instruments that implement international law, as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea” in the UN SDG framework .

This indicator is measured as the progress countries have made towards the ratification and accession, as well as implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Note that the visualization only shows data for countries that replied to the questionnaire on the ratification, accession and implementation of UNCLOS.

Target: “Enhance the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources by implementing international law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea” by 2030. 3

Full text: “By 2020, prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies which contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and refrain from introducing new such subsidies, recognizing that appropriate and effective special and differential treatment for developing and least developed countries should be an integral part of the World Trade Organization fisheries subsidies negotiation.”

Full text: “Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, taking into account the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology, in order to improve ocean health and to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries, in particular small island developing States and least developed countries.”

Full text: “Enhance the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources by implementing international law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which provides the legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources, as recalled in paragraph 158 of “The future we want”

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Sustainable Development Goal 14 - Life Below Water: Towards a Sustainable Ocean

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In 2017, the United Nations proclaimed a Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development , to be held from 2021 to 2030. The aim is to provide a common framework so ocean science can fully support countries' actions to sustainably manage the ocean and more ...

Keywords : Sustainability, Sustainable Development Goals, SDG14, Blue Economy, UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, Fisheries, Pollution, Climate Change Impacts, Climate Change Mitigation, Ocean Governance, Biodiversity, Marine Plastics, Transformation Maps

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Life below water

Ending overfishing: an urgent need to protect our oceans.

[goal: 14] calls for the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans. Overfishing can lead to the depletion of marine resources and can endanger the livelihoods of millions of people. In 2021, an average of 11.6 kilograms of fish per person was caught at the global level. Establishing marine protected areas can be an important tool for managing ocean resources.

↓ Read the full story

Global fish production has reached an all-time high

Global fish production has expanded significantly since 1950, tonnes of fish, crustaceans, and mollusks.

Source: FAO. 2023. Fishery and Aquaculture Statistics. Global production by production source 1950-2021 ([link: https://www.fao.org/fishery/en/topic/166235 FishStatJ]). In: FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Division. Rome. Updated 2023.

A third of the world’s capture fish stocks are overfished

The proportion of overfished stocks has reached 35 percent, share of assessed fish stocks by sustainability level.

Source: FAO. 2022. [link: https://doi.org/10.4060/cc0461en The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022. Towards Blue Transformation]. Rome.

Overfishing is worse in some fishing areas

Share of assessed fish stocks that are overfished (by fao major fishing area), overfishing can lead to declining fish populations, reduced fish size, and the extinction of fish species, understanding overfishing through a kobe plot, dots represent fish stocks.

Source: NOAA Fisheries. 2022. Stock SMART data records. Retrieved from [link: https://apps-st.fisheries.noaa.gov/stocksmart?app=plot-stock-condition Stock SMART].

More than a third of shark and ray species are threatened

Status of assessed species of sharks and rays.

Source: Dulvy, Nicholas K., et al. 2021. [link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982221011982 "Overfishing drives over one-third of all sharks and rays toward a global extinction crisis."] Current Biology 31 (21): 4773-4787.e8.

Fishing-vessel technology has made it easier to catch fish

The size of the global fishing fleet is estimated at more than 4 million vessels, total number of fishing vessels by region.

Source: Rousseau, Y., J. Blanchard, C. Novaglio, P. Kirsty, D. Tittensor, R. Watson, and Y. Ye. 2022. [link: https://doi.org/10.25959/MNGY-0Q43 Global Fishing Effort]. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS). University of Tasmania (UTAS).

Reducing bycatch by fishing vessels is a challenge

Source: Tara Lambourne, Shutterstock. A turtle on deck of a fishing trawler caught as bycatch.

Shrimp trawling may result in levels of bycatch that surpass 80 percent

Percentage of capture.

Source: Mendo, Jaime, et al. 2022. [link: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0268128 "Bycatch and discards in the artisanal shrimp trawl fishery in Northern Peru."] PLOS ONE (Public Library of Science) 17 (6): 1-13.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) cover 8.2 percent of coastal waters and oceans

covered by MPAs

National waters

International waters, 44 countries protect more than 10 percent of their national waters, percentage of total marine area covered by mpas.

Source: UNEP-WCMC and IUCN. 2022. [link: https://www.protectedplanet.net Protected Planet:] The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM) [Online], November 2022, Cambridge, UK: UNEP-WCMC and IUCN.

MPA coverage is lower in international waters than in national waters

Marine protected areas in world database on protected areas (wdpa), fish stocks are also affected by climate change, the livelihood of fishing communities is threatened by overfishing, large-scale fisheries account for 60 percent of the global catch from capture fisheries, share of tonnage.

Source: FAO, Duke University, and WorldFish. 2023. [link: https://doi.org/10.4060/cc4576en Illuminating Hidden Harvests – The contributions of small-scale fisheries to sustainable development]. Rome.

As much as 80 percent of the fishing that occurs in international waters is by fishing vessels that carry automatic identification systems (AIS).[reference: [link: https://globalfishingwatch.org/our-technology/ Global Fishing Watch]. Our Technology.]

High and upper-middle-income countries are responsible for most trackable fishing

Trackable fishing activity by high-income countries.

Source: Total apparent fishing hours for each 0.1° x 0.1° degree cell in 2021. [link: https://globalfishingwatch.org/dataset-and-code-fishing-effort/ Global Fishing Watch] vessel data was aggregated by the vessel's country of origin and then by the country's income level.

Learn more about SDG 14

In the charts below you can find more facts about SDG {activeGoal} targets, which are not covered in this story. The data for these graphics is derived from official UN data sources.

SDG target 14.5

In 2021, the world’s average proportion of Marine Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) covered by protected areas (%) was 45 percent, but coverage varies widely among countries.

Average proportion of marine key biodiversity areas (kbas) covered by protected areas by country, 2021 (map) and world level, 2000-2021 (bottom left).

* Key biodiversity areas meet certain criteria regarding threatened biodiversity, geographically restricted biodiversity, ecological integrity, biological processes, and irreplaceability.

Source: [link: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/dataportal/SDMXMetadataPage?14.5.1-ER_MRN_MPA Global SDG Indicators Database]. United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). DOWNLOAD

SDG target 14.6

Many countries have taken important steps to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, but more concerted efforts are needed.

Progress by countries in the degree of implementation of international instruments aiming to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (level of implementation: 1 lowest to 5 highest), 2020-2022.

* This chart only includes countries with reported data for 2020 and 2022. For a list of instruments please see metadata for indicator 14.6.1 in the UN SDG database.

Source: [link: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/dataportal/SDMXMetadataPage?14.6.1-ER_REG_UNFCIM Global SDG Indicators Database]. United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). DOWNLOAD

UN SDGs Goal 14; LIFE BELOW WATER THE SD AGENDA (17 Goals for People, for Planet)

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