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With our partners St. Helena National Trust and alongside the St. Helena government marine team, we have been working to ensure better protection of 444,916 sq. km of ocean and demonstrate how a local, small-scale fishery can work with marine protection to improve livelihoods and improve conservation outcomes.
Blue Marine continues to support the effective implementation of St Helena’s Category VI MPA, ensuring that it makes genuine conservation gains and benefits the community. The MPA legislation ensures that damaging long-lining is prohibited, with only pole-and-line fishing permitted.
Another focus for Blue Marine’s St. Helena team is outreach and education, to encourage enthusiasm and support from the community for their island’s exceptional sea life. We continued to support whale shark research, education and outreach and scuba-diving scholarships, working with the St. Helena National Trust and dive centres to provide upskilling opportunities to aspiring marine professionals. The cost of initial dive training is a significant barrier to many young people in St Helena. By introducing key diving skills to young people taking a Marine Science GCSE, or those seeking experience in the marine sector, Blue Marine is helping to bridge the gap between theoretical and practical skills in marine conservation. Our Blue Media team produced a mini-documentary style video about one of the dive scholars, and followed their journey throughout the summer.
The marine environment of St. Helena protects a wide diversity of species, from whale sharks to endemic fish, humpback whales to hammerhead sharks and delicate corals. Our project here is aimed to feed into the government consultation process to deliver new, stronger marine policies and fisheries legislation to manage the marine protected area (MPA). Low-impact pole-and-line tuna fishing and accredited marine tourism within the MPA support local livelihoods, while destructive activities are now legally prohibited.
In 2023, we launched the #BeGentleToGiants campaign in St. Helena closely working with the St. Helena National Trust and St. Helena Tourism. The aim of the campaign is to celebrate and support responsible whale sharks´ code of conduct. In St. Helena, there are equal numbers of mature male and female whale sharks present, and there is evidence that the MPA serves not only as a feeding location, but also as a breeding ground for these sharks.
Timeline of Success
St. Helena’s waters were designated an IUCN Category VI MPA in 2016, allowing only sustainable use.
In 2019, the St. Helena MPA was featured in BBC Blue Planet Live.
In November 2023, the St. Helena MPA was declared a Mission Blue Hope spot for its outstanding marine life and the community’s efforts in improving global ocean health.
