Principles for sustainable governance of the oceans

Pressures being exerted on the ocean ecosystems through overfishing, pollution, and environmental and climate change are increasing. Six core principles are proposed to guide gov-ernance and use of ocean resources and to promote sustain-ability. Examples of governance structures that embody these principles are given. The world’s oceans are fundamental to the development and sustain-ability of human society, the maintenance of peace, and the health of the biosphere. But the pressure being exerted by humanity on global resources is such that even the vast oceans are being impacted, and we urgently need a new paradigm for governance of ocean resources in the face of growing uncertainty. A recent workshop in Lisbon, Portugal (1), sought to identify the principles upon which such a new paradigm could be based. The Problem