Science Impact Area
Fisheries are a lifeline for coastal communities and a cornerstone of global food systems, providing essential nutrition for over 3 billion people and livelihoods for more than 60 million globally. When managed sustainably, they not only protect marine ecosystems and biodiversity but also bolster national economies, fuel local markets, and contribute to trade and tourism. Sustainable fisheries help stabilize food supply chains, reduce poverty, and build climate resilience.
Fisheries around the world are under mounting pressure. Overfishing, illegal and unregulated practices, habitat destruction, and pollution are depleting fish stocks and destabilizing marine ecosystems. Climate change is shifting ocean temperatures and currents, disrupting species migration and breeding patterns.
As ocean systems change rapidly due to climate change, the data needed to evaluate the health of fisheries must keep pace. Without urgent action and the implementation of science-backed sustainability frameworks, the world risks losing a critical source of food, income, and ecological balance.
OceanX works with local partners, national governments, and regional agencies to strengthen science-based fisheries management. We conduct fish population surveys, stock assessments, and species identification using state-of-the-art technologies aboard the OceanXplorer. By augmenting traditional methods with next-generation tools such as eDNA, we enable faster and most cost-effective evaluation of fish species that can help managers make informed decisions about catch limits and spatial distribution of fishing effort.
Our work contributes to regional and national fisheries policies aligned with the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and global sustainable development goals, helping to safeguard global nutrition and ensure the ocean’s abundance is preserved for future generations.