Marine Animal Welfare

Marine Protected Areas Welfare Benefits

Well-enforced marine protected areas improve welfare of marine animals by reducing fishing pressure, habitat destruction, and human disturbance.

Key Facts

Highly protected marine areas (HPMAs) exclude all commercial fishing and extractive activity
Fish and invertebrate populations inside HPMAs recover significantly within a few years of protection
Megafauna including sharks, rays, and cetaceans show increased use of protected areas
Only 8% of global ocean is in protected areas and less than 3% is highly protected
Poorly enforced MPAs with permitted extractive activities provide limited actual protection

Welfare Considerations

Genuinely protected marine areas improve welfare of marine animals at scale by reducing suffering from fishing, habitat destruction, and disturbance; expansion and enforcement are both critical.

What You Can Do

Support expansion of highly protected marine areas in your country
Advocate for enforcement capacity investment in existing marine protected areas
Learn about the marine species whose welfare your local MPA protects