Global Ocean Health was conceived in 2006 when long-time fisheries journalist Brad Warren learned that ocean acidification (OA) stood to hurt a lot of people he knew and cared about, souring productive waters that have fed his own family for generations. Brad rallied colleagues in fisheries, the scientific community and the conservation world and built this program to give those who depend on healthy seas a chance to defend their livelihoods.

We started with a simple hypothesis that has since been proved; indeed it is now the central axiom of many initiatives to confront OA: when the health of the ocean itself is threatened, the strongest champions are people who depend on it for a living.

We organize the scientific, policy, and communications support they need to stand up for the sea that feeds an estimated 3 billion people. We help fishermen, seafood growers, and the businesses and communities that depend on them learn to document, survive, and combat the effects of OA on marine resources. We pilot new methods to detect and reduce harm. We work with partners at every level to build resilience in fisheries and marine waters. And we help build and refine the tools that are needed to reduce the immense waste streams of modern civilization that are turning the seas “hot, sour and breathless.”