{"id":9103,"date":"2025-06-06T10:41:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-06T14:41:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/edfish\/?p=9103"},"modified":"2025-12-03T16:53:05","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T20:53:05","slug":"the-health-of-our-oceans-and-international-collaboration-go-hand-in-hand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/edfish\/2025\/06\/06\/the-health-of-our-oceans-and-international-collaboration-go-hand-in-hand\/","title":{"rendered":"The Health of Our Oceans and International Collaboration Go Hand in Hand"},"content":{"rendered":"

By: Kristin Kleisner, Marie Hubatova, and Karly Kelso<\/p>\n

Recent geopolitical shifts and trade tensions have rocked the international community, and our vast oceans, far from being immune, are often on the front lines.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Shifts in U.S. foreign policy, such as a retreat from robust international engagement under the Trump administration, risk undermining decades of hard-won progress in fisheries health and marine conservation. Such decisions are short-sighted for the nation’s economy and for the many communities and industries that rely on healthy, productive seas. Historically, the United States has been an effective force in international fisheries management and ocean science that helped to drive crucial conservation measures. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But as global power dynamics shift, the urgency for unified, ambitious action to protect our seas, bolster local economies, and tackle the climate crisis has never been more critical.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Our ability to conserve and collectively manage our oceans is an undeniable litmus test for the health of international relations and collaboration\u2014and vice versa. When cooperation flourishes, our oceans benefit; when it falters, the damage is felt not only by marine ecosystems but also by the fabric of global partnerships.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The ocean, after all, waits for no nation. Its challenges\u2014 from climate-change-induced warming and acidification to rampant overfishing and pervasive pollution\u2014 are relentless, transboundary, and demand a united, international approach.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

EDF, along with nations around the world, is attending the <\/span>UN Oceans Conference<\/span><\/a> (UNOC) this month to ensure the world can collectively grasp the helm and navigate towards a sustainable future for our oceans. Here\u2019s why EDF sees international collaboration as key to healthy seas, and how we\u2019re making an impact at UNOC:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Vibrant oceans demand global teamwork<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To protect our oceans, our forums and processes for global collaboration must remain strong. The fundamental nature of marine ecosystems makes international cooperation indispensable:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n