The United Kingdom recently announced its plans to establish the largest marine reserve the world has ever seen. It will be located around the Pitcairn Islands and consume around 322,000 square miles. The Pitcairn Islands are a British owned territory in the South Pacific and home to about 50 people, but also to 1,249 species of fish, birds and marine mammals.

 

The creation of the reserve was originally petitioned for by Pew Charitable Trusts in conjunction with the National Geographic Society among other local groups, and they are all praising this good news. Matt Rand, director of Pew Charitable Trusts affiliated project, Global Ocean Legacy, said in a statement, “With this designation, the United Kingdom raises the bar for protection of our ocean and sets a new standard for others to follow…Through this designation, British citizens are playing a vital role in ensuring the health of our seas. The Pitcairn Islands Marine Reserve will build a refuge of untouched ocean to protect and conserve a wealth of marine life.”

 

The motivating threat to local ocean life that spurred the creation of the reserve is illegal fishing activities. Alongside the creation of the marine reserve will be the creation of a satellite network to appropriately monitor vessels and ensure that they are not breaching the law by fishing in the reserve. An astounding one in five fish are believed to be caught illegally, outside of national or international regulations, accounting for $20 billion in the world’s fish market. This reserve at the Pitcairn Islands will join the UK’s repertoire of marine reserves which include those around the Chagos Islands and in the Indian Ocean.