Focus Area
Environmental Conservation
Location
Global
Beneficiaries
Communities reliant on seafood for nutrition and livelihoods, including vulnerable coastal populations, low-income consumers, and future generations facing growing global food insecurity
Safavi's Role
Partner-supported advocacy initiative
Key Impact
Contributed to policy change efforts aimed at restoring ocean biodiversity and enabling sustainable seafood supply for up to 1 billion people
Project Overview
Ocean Biodiversity as a Food Security Solution
Oceana’s campaign centers on a critical global insight: wild fish are one of the most efficient, equitable, and environmentally sustainable sources of protein available. Requiring no fresh water, minimal land, and producing lower greenhouse emissions than land-based animal proteins, wild fish represent a vital component of future food systems—especially for the world’s most vulnerable.
Yet, decades of overfishing and destructive practices have driven many wild fish populations to historic lows. At a time when the global population is projected to exceed 9 billion by 2050—and with 795 million people already facing hunger—restoring ocean abundance is both an ecological and humanitarian imperative.
Through this campaign, Oceana advocates for proven, science-based policies that can rebuild marine ecosystems and increase the global fish catch by up to 15 percent—enough to provide a healthy seafood meal to 1 billion people each day.
Beneficiary Profile
The campaign’s impact spans a wide spectrum of global populations:
Low-income communities in developing countries with limited access to affordable protein sources
Coastal populations dependent on small-scale fisheries for food and income
Future generations who face the long-term consequences of biodiversity loss and climate-driven ecological decline
Global consumers seeking sustainable seafood options in an era of resource scarcity
Safavi's Role
The Safavi Philanthropic Initiative provided support to Oceana’s “Save the Oceans, Feed the World” campaign as part of its broader mission to back evidence-based solutions to systemic global challenges. This support helped advance targeted policy advocacy in key jurisdictions where reform can have outsized impact on global fish populations and food access.
Safavi’s contribution aligned with Oceana’s country-by-country strategy, focused on nations that control a substantial portion of the world’s wild fish catch. These include the United States, European Union member states, Brazil, Chile, Belize, Canada, and the Philippines—regions where policy wins can significantly alter the future trajectory of ocean health and human nutrition.
Project Gallery
Impact Achieved
Thanks to Oceana’s campaign, with support from partners like Safavi:
National governments adopted or strengthened science-based catch limits to prevent overfishing
Critical marine habitats were designated for protection
Reduction of bycatch practices helped preserve non-targeted marine species
Policy change campaigns expanded to reach over a third of the world’s wild fish catch zones
Public awareness increased around the role of oceans in global food security
These policy wins support long-term ecosystem resilience and the equitable distribution of ocean-derived protein sources.
Purpose & Signifigance
This initiative aligns with Safavi’s strategic focus on high-leverage solutions to global humanitarian and environmental challenges. By supporting Oceana’s evidence-backed approach, Safavi advances its mission to help create a more dignified and sustainable world—one where biodiversity is protected not as an abstract value, but as a practical necessity for human survival.
The campaign reflects a belief in systemic, policy-driven impact, and the importance of intervening at the level of institutions to produce scalable and durable change.
Future Outlook
Oceana continues to expand its campaigns to additional high-impact countries, focusing on measurable victories in marine policy and biodiversity protection. Safavi remains open to future partnerships that align with its core values of human dignity, sustainability, and cross-sectoral impact.
The global food crisis is ongoing, but with continued support and collaboration, initiatives like “Save the Oceans, Feed the World” offer a path toward a more nourished and resilient planet.
