The world is watching: it’s time to honour our oceans

My grandfather, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, revealed the wonders of the ocean. Through his films and expeditions, he offered a first glimpse into a hidden realm, sparking a global fascination with the sea.

For millions, it was the first time they truly saw the beauty and abundance beneath the surface. My father, Philippe Cousteau, carried that legacy forward. He was among the first to sound the alarm that the ocean was changing and that the ecosystems my grandfather had captured were beginning to disappear. Today we are losing that life at an alarming rate. Coral reefs are bleaching. Entire species are vanishing. Industrial fishing fleets chase dwindling stocks across the globe.

These are no longer isolated problems. They are signs of a system in collapse. Over the course of my own lifetime, I’ve watched the ocean I grew up in disappear bit by bit, reef by reef, species by species. The ocean is remarkably resilient, and it can recover. But that recovery will depend on our willingness to act with urgency and ambition.

Among the few safeguards we have left are marine protected areas (MPAs), which exist to give the ocean room to recover. When well-designed and well-enforced, these areas become fountains of life, supporting marine biodiversity and replenishing surrounding fisheries.

But that promise is only real if we truly protect them. Today only 8% of the ocean is protected – far short of the 30% goal that governments around the world have pledged to reach by 2030. Time is running out and progress is lagging.

In many parts of the world – including much of Europe, and the United Kingdom – bottom-trawling inside MPAs is still allowed. This is one of the most destructive forms of fishing. Massive, weighted nets are dragged across the seafloor, bulldozing everything in their path– sharks, starfish, ancient corals. Nothing is spared. These nets destroy irreplaceable underwater habitats like cold-water corals, seagrass meadows, and kelp forests. It’s like clear-cutting a national park to catch a few rabbits – and doing it over and over again.

And much of what’s caught isn’t even wanted – dead or dying marine life is simply dumped overboard. Allowing this kind of destruction in areas labelled as “protected” makes a mockery of the term. It undermines public trust and it erodes the very ecosystems we are meant to be safeguardingBold action is just as critical beyond national waters. The high seas, which cover nearly two-thirds of the ocean, remain largely ungoverned and vulnerable. The High Seas Treaty offers the first real framework to safeguard biodiversity in these vast international waters, but time is slipping away to bring it to life.

At the same time, transparency at sea remains elusive. So much of what happens offshore – from overfishing to human rights abuses – takes place out of sight. Without clear, public information on who owns the vessels, where they operate, and what they’re catching, effective stewardship is impossible.

What we can’t see, we can’t manage. This week, world leaders are gathering in Nice, France, for the United Nations Ocean Conference. It is a moment for leadership. France gave the world Jacques Cousteau and through him, the vision of a sea worth protecting. It can do so again. The world is watching. It is not too late, but there is no time to waste.

Alexandra Cousteau is a senior adviser to advocacy organisation Oceana, the international advocacy organisation dedicated to ocean conservation

Photograph by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images