The world’s oceans provide a lifeline to millions of people around the world, extending far beyond the fishing industry. It is estimated that the ocean contributes around $2.3 trillion to the global economy each year, and 70% of this income is dependent on maintaining a healthy ocean.
If we continue to exploit the ocean at the current rate, it won’t be long before a lot of the damage becomes irreversible. However, it is not too late to change course - by putting the ocean first, together we can heal the ocean. One of the ways we can do this is by stopping the current trend of overfishing and reducing it to a sustainable level – and that’s exactly what Blue Marine Foundation wants to achieve.
Blue Marine Foundation is dedicated to restoring the ocean to health by addressing overfishing, one of the world’s biggest environmental problems.
How do they do this?
Blue Marine’s strategy is broadly split into two areas – pressuring authorities to look after the ocean and helping local communities in their efforts to protect the ocean.
Their key strategic interventions are as follows:
- Securing marine protected areas to ensure the protection of at least 30% of the ocean by 2030
- Developing models of sustainable fishing proving that low-impact fishing benefits marine life, local fishers, and communities
- Restoring marine habitats to revive and protect vulnerable and threatened species and to sequester carbon
- Tackling unsustainable fishing by highlighting poor practice and developing solutions
- Connecting people with the sea and enhancing ocean understanding across generations
Some of their most recent achievements include:
- Pressuring the UK Government to pass a byelaw that protected 300 square kilometres of seabed off the Sussex coast from damaging trawl fishing in 20212
- Successfully opposing *EDF’s plan plans to proceed with the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station without appropriate mitigation or compensation measures in place for the marine environment in 20223
(*EDF Energy, a British integrated energy company, wholly owned by the French state-owned EDF (Électricité de France), with operations spanning electricity generation and the sale of natural gas and electricity to homes and businesses throughout the United Kingdom.)
As a global business, sustainability is at the very heart of what we do, which is why we are thrilled to join hands with the Blue Marine Foundation and other charities to drive positive change in the world and create a meaningful impact.
We are incredibly grateful to Blue Marine Foundation for carrying out such significant work and we will be supporting their ambitions through the Apex Foundation. The recent Apex Group Purpose Beyond Service charity gala dinner raised over £650,000 for four charities, including Blue Marine Foundation. We hope to raise even more in the future so we can continue to support their work.
About the Apex Foundation
The Apex Foundation is a not-for profit entity that supports charitable initiatives and projects promoting and making a difference to three key areas: the preservation, conservation and protection of the environment; women’s empowerment and economic independence; and education and social mobility.
Find out more information on the Apex Foundation
