FROM THE EDITOR

For centuries, our waters have been seen as a limitless bounty of food. Day and night, fishers go out to sea hoping for a good catch, but as divers, we value the ocean as something much more than a means of sustenance: Our sanctuary is often found beneath the surface, where marine life thrives. But in the last century, the demand for seafood has skyrocketed, and fishers have resorted to unsustainable practices. Today, over 60 percent of the world’s fish stocks are fully fished, and 40 percent of recorded marine species have decreased in the last 40 years. In response, conservationists, scientists, and governments have been in continuous dialogue with local communities to protect the world’s most precious underwater ecosystems. While protected areas have been popping up more rapidly in recent years, 90 percent of marine protected areas are still open to fishing, and sufficient enforcement is still lacking. This World Oceans Day, let’s rally together to spread the beauty of the blue, for a sanctuary exists only as long as its dwellers do.