Woods Hole, Mass. (June 5, 2025) -- A team of international scientists, including from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution , have tracked over 100 marine megafauna species, identifying the most critical locations in our global oceans for better marine conservation efforts, and the establishment of effective Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), according to new research published in Science .
The global UN-endorsed research project, MegaMove, involves almost 400 scientists from over 50 countries, showing where protection could be implemented specifically for the conservation of marine megafauna. Current Marine Protection Areas include only 8 per cent of the world's total oceans, which the UN High Seas Treaty seeks to expand to 30 per cent.
The research found that the targets of the current Treaty which have been signed by 115 countries but still to be ratified, are a step in the right direction. These will be key to assisting conservation but insufficient to cover all critical areas used by threatened marine megafauna, suggesting that additional threat mitigation measures are also needed.
Some of the ocean's best-known creatures – known as marine megafauna – include sharks, whales, turtles, and seals. They are typically top predators with critical roles in marine food webs, but face growing threats from humans' environmental impact.
"The impacts of a changing ocean on marine megafauna are already evident," said Camrin Braun , assistant scientist and ocean ecologist at WHOI, and a co-author of the study. "Our recent work tracking marine predators, including an earlier WHOI-led study , indicates changes in the ocean are expected to fundamentally alter the status quo for where these species are and how they live."
Simon Thorrold is a senior scientist in biology at WHOI, and a co-author on the study. "Conservation and management efforts need to plan for ongoing changes in ocean ecosystems. Bringing together data from hundreds of scientists is a really effective way to collectively address the international protections needed for these important species."
The Australian National University (ANU) marine ecologist and research lead author, Associate Professor Ana Sequeira , said the study's goal is to identify areas used by marine megafauna for important behaviors like foraging and corridors used for migration, and these areas can only be identified by tracking animal movements.
"We found that the areas used by these animals overlap significantly with threats like fishing, shipping, warming temperatures, and plastic pollution," she said. "The 30 per cent protection goal is seen as helpful but insufficient to protect all important areas, meaning that additional mitigation strategies are needed to alleviate pressures beyond areas that will be protected."
The research also links to UN Sustainable Development Goals, Goal 14 on water, and specifically, to Goal A of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to halt human-induced extinction of threatened species.
Sequeira is the research director and founder of MegaMove, a global scientific project she launched in 2020. "MegaMove brings together an international network of researchers to provide innovative research to advance the global conservation of marine megafauna."
"Our research shows that, in addition to protected areas, implementing mitigation strategies like changing fishing gear, using different lights in nets, and traffic schemes for ships will be key to alleviating current human pressure on these species," she added.
Study co-lead author Dr Jorge Rodríguez, from Instituto de Física Interdisciplinar y Sistemas Complejos, added: "We've outlined the top areas for 30 per cent protection, ranking them based on their use by marine megafauna species. Our analysis identifies which areas in the global ocean these species are using as residencies or migratory corridors. We specifically focused on ranking higher those areas used for these important behaviors by the largest number of species.
"But the bottom line is, even if the whole 30 per cent protection were selected in key areas used by marine megafauna, it would still not be enough to conserve them," Associate Professor Sequeira added.
"Adaptive management approaches, and stronger mitigation strategies are critical components of the coordinated international approach necessary to conserve these species into the future," added Braun. "We need all the tools we can if we are going to successfully balance conservation goals with human uses in a changing ocean."
About Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, non-profit organization on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930, its primary mission is to understand the ocean and its interaction with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate an understanding of the ocean's role in the changing global environment. Top scientists, engineers, and students collaborate on more than 800 concurrent projects worldwide—both above and below the waves—pushing the boundaries of knowledge and possibility.
