From 9–13 June 2025, the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) convened in Nice, France, with a strong call to accelerate global action to conserve and sustainably use the ocean. With Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14) as its foundation, the conference focused on the need for multilateral cooperation, enhanced knowledge-sharing, and greater investment in ocean protection.
Marine Beacon reflects many of these priorities in practice. As an EU-funded Horizon Europe project, it brings together partners across science, industry, and policy to address a critical challenge: reducing bycatch of protected, endangered, and threatened species (PETS) in the Northeast Atlantic and High Seas.
Delivering on Global Commitments Through Regional Action
UNOC3 emphasised that achieving SDG 14 requires translating international commitments into practical action. Marine Beacon is piloting new approaches to monitor and mitigate PETS bycatch, with a focus on real-world application across Europe.
By working closely with fisheries and authorities, the project supports more sustainable practices while helping protect vulnerable marine species and habitats. This approach contributes directly to restoring marine ecosystems, a key priority highlighted at the conference.
Enabling Better Monitoring and Decision-Making
One of UNOC3’s core messages was the need to improve the science-policy interface and make marine data more useful for decision-making. Marine Beacon is directly contributing to this through the development and deployment of next-generation monitoring technologies, integrated data systems, and risk assessment tools.
The project is advancing work on AI-supported bycatch detection, electronic logbooks, and smart trawl systems that help reduce PETS bycatch in real time. Initiatives such as Game of Trawls — now being refined within Marine Beacon — combine underwater imaging, acoustic sensors, and onboard analytics to support more selective fishing practices. Partners are also developing environmental DNA (eDNA) protocols that can increase the availability of fishery-independent data, particularly for data-poor species.
In parallel, the project is refining species distribution models, post-release mortality tagging protocols, and bycatch risk assessment methods. These feed into the creation of decision-support tools that can inform management reforms and help authorities meet their obligations under frameworks such as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and Good Environmental Status (GES) targets.
This integrated approach, combining technological innovation with collaborative field trials and modelling, will support smarter, more adaptive fisheries governance in line with the ocean commitments reaffirmed at UNOC3.
Looking Ahead
2025 has been recognised as a critical year for ocean action, with several global treaties and frameworks moving toward implementation. 2025 is also an important year for Marine Beacon, as the momentum generated by the advancement of the project’s research begins to yield tangible progress on bycatch reduction, sustainable fisheries, and ecosystem recovery.
By advancing integrated, evidence-based approaches to marine conservation and management, Marine Beacon is helping to deliver on the priorities outlined at UNOC3 — supporting a healthier, more resilient ocean for future generations.