On July 1, 2024, the Sea Around Us initiative based at the University of British Columbia’s Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries will turn 25.
Still in its young adult years, the project’s accomplishments are no small feat.
From being the only provider of comprehensive global marine fisheries catch data, to estimating that over one-third of their catch is underreported, to assessing the biomass trends of +2,500 fish populations throughout the world and discovering global declines of popularly consumed species, the Sea Around Us has spent a quarter century at the forefront of fisheries science to back marine conservation efforts.
These and many of the other milestones that are presented in this timeline could have not been reached without the work of the over 200 people from 40 countries who have been part of the Sea Around Us in different capacities. From students to research assistants, from project managers to volunteers, everyone has played a key role in making this initiative successful.
To acknowledge everyone’s contribution, we have produced a report titled Twenty-five Years of the Sea Around Us: Focus on People 1999 – 2024, which is now available on our website.
We hope this report allows readers to have an overview of and better understand the immense effort that was required to bring to life and maintain a project of this magnitude.
We also hope that those who have joined our ranks through the decades will appreciate seeing themselves and others on these pages.