July 14, 2025
On July 12, Shark Stewards hosted a screening of David Attenboroughʻs Ocean and other short films at our annual ocean education event in Kailua-Kona Hawaii. This impactful film premiered at the UN Ocean Conference June 8, 2025. In Ocean, Sir David so eloquently highlights the numerous threats to the ocean and marine life, particularly bottom trawling. A major source of hope at the UN conference and in the film, is the establishment of no-take marine protected areas (MPAs), including the Channel Islands MPAs in California, and the Papahānaumokuākea in Hawaiian waters.
At the 2025 UN Ocean Conference, over 20 new marine protected areas (MPAs) were announced, with some countries pledging to create or expand existing MPAs. A study by the Marine Conservation Institute says that 12 countries made commitments that would translate to an additional 1.6% of the global ocean being protected if implemented. French Polynesia announced the world’s largest MPA, spanning 5 million square kilometers, with 1.1 million square kilometers designated as highly or fully protected. Samoa also pledged to implement five MPAs, banning certain activities and regulating others, resulting in 25.6% of its national waters being fully protected
While the California MPAs remain protected in state waters, the federal marine protection in the Pacific are now at risk under the Administration. One painful irony in the filmʻs conclusion is Hawaiian cultural practitioner and champion for the Papahānaumokuākea MNM, Pelika Andrade overlooking the remote islands, the same waters that have recently been opened by the Trump Administration to commercial fishing under Executive Order.
These large protected areas protect endangered seals, whales, seabirds and sharks, but also benefit fishing. Research indicates a 54% increase in yellowfin tuna catch rates and a 12% increase in bigeye tuna catch rates in nearby waters following the monument’s expansion. Overall, catch rates for all fish species combined have also increased by 8%.
These islands and waters host countless species from endangered whales to sharks, but also serve as areas of significant cultural and religious value to Native Americans and Hawaiians.
Please join us by adding your voice to defend legal protection of our Sanctuaries and Monuments, and block the opening of US Marine Protected Waters to commercial fishing.