Later this year, the United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, will welcome leaders from all around the world to a conference focused on the security of our oceans. High on the agenda is safeguarding marine protected areas (MPA) and addressing the growing threat posed by illegal fishing. The Stimson Center has a long track record of identifying policy and capacity building solutions for issues that have serious implications for our environment, global economic development and U.S. and global security. In the last few years, Stimson has researched and analyzed oceans as the world’s largest crime scene and identified a wide range of policy opportunities to increase ocean security, particularly focused on combating illegal fishing. We have also examined the role of technology as a tool to keep our oceans safe.

Today is World Oceans Day and in anticipation of the Our Ocean Conference taking place in September, we are releasing a first set of public policy and technology recommendations. This brief report is a snapshot of a broader and evolving body of work aimed at safeguarding our oceans and combating a wide range of natural resource crimes and challenges.