How healthy are our oceans?

Determining ocean health requires an approach that integrates social, economic, and environmental information. The Ocean Health Index does this by measuring progress towards widely held goals that represent key benefits and services provided by marine ecosystems. By analyzing these goals together we obtain a comprehensive picture of the state of the ecosystem, as explained in the following infographic. 
At the global scale, we measure ten goals. But at the regional scale, such as in British Columbia, these goals can be tailored to reflect local priorities and better inform policy and management practices.

Ten global Ocean Health Index goals

A healthy ocean provides:
  1. Food Provision: The aim of this goal is to maximize the sustainable harvest of seafood in regional waters from wild-caught fisheries and mariculture (ocean-farmed seafood). Globally, seafood supplies over three billion people with at least 15% of their protein needs, with average annual global consumption reaching 17 kg of fish per person.
  2. Artisanal Fishing Opportunity: This goal measures the opportunity for small-scale fishers to supply catch for themselves and their families, members of their local communities, or sell in local markets. Artisanal fishing alleviates poverty and provides food security, social well-being, and cultural heritage to millions.
  3. Natural Products: This goal evaluates the amount of ocean-derived natural resources that are sustainably extracted from living marine resources (such as shells, sponges, corals, seaweeds, fish oil, and ornamental fishes). Natural products from the ocean are important contributors to local economies and comprise a lucrative international market.
  4. Carbon Storage: This goal captures the area and condition of coastal habitats that store and sequester atmospheric carbon (such as salt marshes, mangroves, seagrasses). Despite their relatively small global extent, the contribution of vegetated coastal habitats to carbon storage and sequestration per unit area is much greater than that of their terrestrial counterparts.
  5. Coastal Protection: This goal assesses the amount of protection provided by marine and coastal habitats serving as natural buffers against incoming waves. Coastal habitats provide protection from inundation and erosion that result from sea-level rise, tsunamis, and storm surge.
  6. Coastal Livelihoods and Economies: The goal captures the coastal and ocean-dependent livelihoods (job quantity and quality) and productive coastal economies (revenues) produced by marine-associated sectors. People rely on the ocean to provide stable livelihoods and thriving coastal economies through fishing, mariculture, transportation and shipping, energy production, tourism and other marine-dependent sectors.
  7. Tourism & Recreation: This goal captures the value people have for experiencing and enjoying coastal areas through tourism and recreation. Tourism and recreation activities are crucial cultural services provided by the ocean and coasts, including activities such as whale watching, snorkeling, sailing, recreational fishing, beach-going, and birding.
  8. Sense of Place: This goal captures the level of protection for iconic species (e.g., salmon, whales, sea turtles) and geographic locations (e.g., vistas, landmarks, ritual grounds) that contribute to the public’s aesthetic connections to and cultural identity with a given region.
  9. Clean Waters: This goal measures the degree to which coastal waters are free of contaminants, such as oil spills, chemicals, eutrophication, harmful algal blooms, disease pathogens, and floating or coastal trash. People value marine waters and coasts that are free of pollution and debris for aesthetic, recreational, and health reasons.
  10. Biodiversity: This goal captures the conservation status of native marine species and key habitats that serve as a proxy for the suite of species that depend upon them. People value the existence of native species and habitats, even without directly using or enjoying them.

Calculating the Ocean Health Index

Ocean Health Index scores are calculated for each goal separately and then combined to get an overall score on a scale of 0-100. Goal scores are represented by the length of the petals in a flower plot, and the overall score is in the center.

This flower plot shows scores from the 2014 global assessment, where all of Canada’s oceans were assessed together. Incorporating local information, our work will evaluate ocean health at a finer resolution with goals tailored to the region, providing scores for several sub-provincial regions in BC.

The Ocean Health Index framework was published in the scientific journal Nature in 2012 (Halpern et al.). We have since used this framework to complete yearly assessments for each coastal country and territory. We also conduct smaller-scale studies and support independent assessments led by other groups. 

To learn more about calculating the Index and other regional assessments that have been conducted please visit:
www.OceanHealthIndex.org 
www.OHI-Science.org