08 Jun World Oceans Day: Chile’s commitment to marine health resonates at world congress
As part of World Oceans Day, Chile celebrates its prominent role in global marine science. Researchers from the SECOS Millennium Institute and the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile actively participated in the recent One Ocean Science Congress in Nice, presenting innovative solutions to critical challenges such as illegal fishing, fisheries management, and community resilience. Their contributions strengthen Chile’s position as a leader in the pursuit of justice and sustainability for our oceans, reaffirming that ocean health is essential for both human and planetary well-being.
Every June 8th, the world commemorates World Oceans Day—a crucial date to remember the vital importance of these vast ecosystems that cover more than 70% of our planet. Beyond their immensity, the ocean is the main source of life and sustenance, producing at least 50% of the oxygen we breathe, hosting the majority of Earth’s biodiversity, and providing a primary source of protein for over one billion people. Its role in the global economy is undeniable, with projections of 40 million ocean-related jobs by 2030.
However, the ocean wonders that sustain us are now under unprecedented pressure. Overfishing has depleted 90% of large marine species, and half of the world’s coral reefs have been destroyed—clear evidence that we are extracting more than the ocean can replenish. Under the theme “Ocean Wonders: Sustaining What Sustains Us,” World Oceans Day 2025—part of the UN Decade of Ocean Science—calls for collective action to restore ocean vitality and secure a fairer, more sustainable future for all. It is a reminder of our deep connection to the sea and a call to protect it through decisions guided by curiosity, wisdom, and a commitment to collective well-being.
In this context of urgency and global action, science plays a fundamental role. From June 3 to 6, 2025, Nice, France, became the epicenter of ocean science discussions with the One Ocean Science Congress (OOSC)—a special event of the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3). This congress brought together more than 2,000 scientists from around the world with the aim of providing leaders and society with comprehensive scientific insights on the ocean’s health and future trajectory, driving informed decisions for its conservation and sustainable use.
Chilean voices at the One Ocean Science Congress
The Millennium Institute for Coastal Socio-Ecology (SECOS) of Chile had a prominent presence at the One Ocean Science Congress, reaffirming its commitment to cutting-edge research and the pursuit of solutions to the complex challenges facing our oceans. Researchers from the institute contributed key presentations, showcasing Chile’s leadership in areas such as governance, fisheries management, and community adaptation.
Stefan Gelcich, Director of the SECOS Institute and professor at the UC Faculty of Biological Sciences, who also serves on the scientific committee of the OOSC, presented the talk: “Co-producing Improvements in Enforcement Agencies’ Effectiveness to Combat Illegal Fishing.” His work emphasizes the importance of collaboration to enhance the efficiency of law enforcement agencies in addressing illegal fishing—a major threat to the sustainability of marine resources globally. On this matter, Gelcich noted:
“The ocean faces multiple threats, but it also offers solutions. At SECOS, we believe science must be at the center of decision-making, especially when tackling challenges such as illegal fishing. Our participation in the One Ocean Science Congress, along with other presentations, is helping to build a body of case studies that demonstrate the value of co-producing useful knowledge to strengthen enforcement capacity and promote fairer, more effective governance of our marine ecosystems.”
Alongside him, UC doctoral student and researcher Francisco Contreras-Drey presented on “The escape behavior of reef fishes reveals the impact of spearfishing under different management regimes.” His research offers critical insights into how spearfishing practices affect the flight responses of fish, providing valuable information for designing more effective management strategies.
Another significant contribution came from researcher and former UC student Ignacia Rivera, who presented “The survival of co-management initiatives varies according to the sets of socio-ecological characteristics driving collective action.” Rivera outlined part of her doctoral thesis, a study that “seeks to empirically understand both the persistence of co-management initiatives over time and the reasons behind their abandonment.” Her analysis focused on the Management and Exploitation Areas for Benthic Resources (AMERB) in Chile—an internationally recognized example of co-management public policy.
“We studied the age of over 700 management areas created between 1998 and 2021, and whether they remained active or had been abandoned,” Rivera explained.
Her key finding was that “once a co-management initiative is implemented, there is roughly a 75% chance it will last 15 years.” Additionally, her research identified that abandonment tends to occur in contexts where maintaining these initiatives becomes too costly or the benefits are insufficient—offering valuable lessons for adaptive governance of marine resources.
Finally, Rodrigo Estévez, associate researcher at SECOS and professor at Universidad Santo Tomás, shared his work on “Adaptation mechanisms of artisanal fishing communities amid long-term socio-ecological transformations in north-central Chile.” Estévez explained that his presentation focused on “long-term adaptive mechanisms developed by fishing communities in response to global transformations over the past 50 years.” Unlike studies that concentrate on short-term responses to specific events, his research reveals deeper strategies that allow fishing communities in northern Chile (specifically in the Coquimbo, Atacama, and Valparaíso regions) to persist in the face of complex changes.
Estévez highlighted that they observed adaptive mechanisms both at the collective level—related to “the constitution and legitimization of fishers’ organizations and their relationship with the State”—and at the individual level, where “fishers show high levels of skill acquisition and knowledge related to the sea and fishing, learned through kinship ties and self-teaching.” These mechanisms, combined with a sense of “transformative agency”—the ability to confront adverse conditions and alter their reality—are key to understanding their resilience.
In this same spirit of contributing to both knowledge and action in response to the challenges facing oceans and coastal communities, prior to the official opening of UNOC3 (June 9–13, also in Nice), Carolina Martínez, director of the Coastal Observatory and SECOS researcher, along with fellow observatory researcher Steven Mons, will represent Chile at the First International Forum of Marine Universities. This gathering will bring together higher education institutions from around the world to strengthen the commitment of universities to marine research, promote academic and scientific collaboration, and influence the global ocean policy agenda. At the close of the forum, a joint declaration will be presented to the participating UNOC3 states, underscoring the strategic role of science and education in addressing the pressing challenges facing the oceans today.