Protecting our Water Beings and Oceans Critical to Our Survival

At NWAC, we are doing our part to shed light on the importance of protecting our water

The ocean covers over 70% of the planet and produces at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen. It’s also home to most of the biodiversity found on earth. Biodiversity and conservation are critical to our planet’s survival.

Yet today, all the oceans on our planet are facing an environmental crisis caused by humans.

Fish have become a main source of protein for more than a billion people around the world, yet fish stocks are being harvested without recognition paid to the ocean’s ecological importance to our planet and to human life. Indeed, the ocean is key to the global economy, with an estimated 40 million people employed by ocean-based industries by 2030.

About 90% of big fish populations are depleted, 50% of coral reefs are destroyed, and we are taking more from the ocean than can be replenished.

To protect and preserve the ocean and all it sustains, we must create a new balance, rooted in true understanding of the ocean and how humanity relates to it. We must build a connection to the ocean that is inclusive, innovative, and informed by lessons from the past.

NWAC is working with Indigenous women across Canada to advise government, through the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, on the importance of protecting our water beings and oceans. Please see our Fish and Fish Habitat Protection (FFHP) Platform for more information and sign up for continued updates at www.nwac.ca within the Policy section and Fisheries.