New Science Makes the Strongest Case Yet for Protecting the Sargasso Sea Hope Spot

Edited by Dr David Vousden, the SEDA is a culmination of more than four years of work with contributions from over 25 experts. It was produced with the support of the UNDP-GEF Sargasso Sea Stewardship Project, a part of the FAO-led Common Oceans Program, and the French Facility for Global Environment’s five-year ‘SARGADOM’ project.

“The Sargasso Sea provides ecosystem benefits of enormous global importance,” Dr David Vousden, Chief Technical Advisor for the report, said. “The Sargasso Sea is a sentinel ecosystem for monitoring global ocean-climate linkage, and it is a superhighway for iconic marine animals as well as supporting a unique open-ocean habitat with its own endemic organisms.”

Mission Blue’s connection to the Sargasso Sea extends beyond its designation as a Hope Spot. As a global catalyst, convener, and connector for ocean protection, Mission Blue works to elevate places where science, stewardship, and political will can come together to drive meaningful conservation action. The Sargasso Sea is one such place: an open-ocean ecosystem whose health is tied to migratory species, climate regulation, high seas governance, and the future of international ocean protection. The SEDA provides a critical scientific foundation for advancing the collective stewardship this remarkable ecosystem urgently needs.

The report identified that:

• The Sargasso Sea is one of the Earth’s most iconic ecosystems and faces threats from cumulative stressors.
• The Sargasso Sea provides migratory corridors and spawning grounds for eels, whales, turtles, and fish, linking multiple oceans and economies.
• The Sargasso Sea constitutes less than 1% of the ocean, but the area continues to sequester an outsized net 7% of the global carbon pump, making it a vital mitigator of climate change.
• The wealth of scientific data collected on the Sargasso Sea over time, along with the realisation that this is an increasingly stressed high-seas ecosystem facing multiple climate change-related threats, makes it an ideal candidate as a ‘sentinel’ ecosystem for monitoring the global ocean-climate linkage.
• The Sargasso Sea is a major ocean shipping route, posing risks for cetaceans in the form of ship strikes and noise pollution, as well as potential threats from vessel discharges and other oil-related impacts.
• Less than 0.5% of global high seas fisheries take place within the Sargasso Sea. These are dominated by two subsidized distant-water pelagic longline fleets that target species of high ecological and economic importance.
• There is growing interest in fishing for squid and other mesopelagic species in high seas areas like the Sargasso Sea. These are important prey species that, if removed from the ecosystem, could have catastrophic effects on the food chain.
• The Sargasso Sea is the only known spawning area for two species of endangered anguillid eel, the European and American eel, which support a massive international food trade and are now in severe decline. These unique high-seas spawning grounds are currently unregulated.
• Seabed mining is a possible future threat that has the potential to damage or destroy unique and slow-growing deep-sea ecosystems and cause wide-ranging ecosystem pollution.

© Mission Blue | Fish in the Sargasso Sea.

© Philippe Rouja | Sargassum seaweed floating on the surface of the ocean.

The SEDA will form the basis for the negotiation of a Strategic Action Programme for the ongoing conservation and stewardship of the Sargasso Sea, which will be agreed by Sargasso Sea stakeholders, including Sargasso Sea Commissioners and representatives of the signatory governments of the Hamilton Declaration. The Sargasso Sea Commission has been working to conserve this iconic high seas area for more than a decade. Signed in 2014, the Hamilton Declaration is a non-binding political agreement signed by interested countries, including the US, the UK and Bermuda for the voluntary conservation of the Sargasso Sea ecosystem.

“The Sargasso Sea has attracted global interest in its conservation for over a decade,” said Dr David Freestone, Executive Secretary of the Sargasso Sea Commission. “Now is our chance to protect this iconic ecosystem under international law. The Strategic Action Programme being developed for the Sargasso Sea could include a proposal for its recognition by the BBNJ Conference of the Parties.”

The finalisation of the SEDA comes as the Governments of Bermuda and the UK are launching a new initiative, in the wake of the coming into force of the BBNJ Agreement, to widen participation of States and civil society in efforts to strengthen the stewardship of the Sargasso Sea – Hamilton II. This non-binding declaration would provide a mechanism for Governments and civil society organisations to signal political support for the development of a collective ABMT proposal under the BBNJ Agreement for the Sargasso Sea.

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More about Sargasso Sea Commission projects:
The FAO-led Common Oceans Program is a global partnership funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), promoting sustainable fisheries and conservation of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ).

The French Facility for Global Environment SARGADOM project focuses on strengthening the conservation of two iconic high seas sites: the Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic and the Thermal Dome in the Eastern Tropical Pacific.

About Mission Blue

Founded by legendary oceanographer Dr Sylvia Earle, Mission Blue mobilises science, leadership, and public will to secure strong, lasting protection for the ocean. Through its global network of Hope Spots, Mission Blue works with scientists, Champions, and partners to advance marine protected areas where protection can deliver the greatest impact—supporting the goal of protecting at least 30% of the ocean by 2030.