Research from Pew marine fellows is a critical resource for helping to protect large ocean species and can offer invaluable input as a network of high seas marine protected areas (MPAs) nears reality.
In September 2025, the United Nations General Assembly passed the high seas treaty, which sets rules to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in international waters that are not governed by a single nation. The agreement also establishes a legal framework to create the MPAs beginning this month.
Selecting the right locations for marine protected areas requires an understanding of where animals live and how they travel through the global ocean. A 2025 study provides timely insights into how iconic marine species use the high seas, and where protections could help them recover and thrive. Led by 2020 Pew marine fellow Ana M.M. Sequeira, this major international endeavor analyzed and overlaid tracking data from more than 12,000 individual animals from 111 large marine species to identify which parts of the ocean are vital for their survival.
