Bringing Back The Fish

The European Union’s Nature Restoration Law, enacted in August 2024 with €8.3 billion annually, is a bold step to heal its lands and seas, targeting 20% restoration by 2030 and all ecosystems by 2050. Now, the BRICS nations—Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and new members Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, plus proposed partners like Indonesia and Nigeria—must follow suit with a BRICS Ocean Restoration Policy. Representing over half the world’s population, these nations can lead nature-based ocean restoration to revive fish harvests across all oceans, securing food and sustainability for billions. We can do it—here’s how.

A Collective BRICS Commitment with Regional Power

Home to over 3.5 billion people, the BRICS bloc—expanded in 2024 and potentially growing with partners—wields immense influence. A BRICS Ocean Restoration Policy could emulate Europe’s model: a shared fund via the New Development Bank, tailored to each nation’s capacity, allowing Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and newcomers to craft plans for their ocean regions. Proposed partners like Indonesia and Nigeria could join, amplifying the effort. Funding could scale to match or exceed the EU’s €8.3 billion, driving restoration across vast maritime zones.

Each nation could target 20% of degraded marine habitats by 2035, focusing on high seas and commons:

• Brazil: South Atlantic (sardines, tuna).
• Russia: Arctic Ocean, North Pacific (cod, pollock).
• India: Indian Ocean (mackerel, tuna).
• China: East/South China Seas, Western Pacific (yellow croaker, squid).
• South Africa: Southern Atlantic, Indian Ocean (pilchards, hake).
• Egypt: Mediterranean, Red Sea (sardines, mullet).
• Ethiopia: Indian Ocean via trade (tuna, shared stocks).
• Iran: Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea (shrimp, tuna).
• Saudi Arabia: Red Sea, Arabian Sea (grouper, tuna).
• UAE: Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea (mackerel, sardines).
• Indonesia: Pacific, Indian Oceans (tuna, skipjack).
• Nigeria: Gulf of Guinea (sardinella, shrimp).

This flexibility lets BRICS lead globally, restoring oceans that feed their people and beyond.

Ocean Restoration: The Heart of the BRICS Promise

Global oceans are in peril—overfishing and acidification have decimated stocks like Brazil’s sardines, Russia’s cod, and India’s mackerel. With over half the world’s population in BRICS nations, ocean restoration is urgent. A BRICS policy could prioritize ocean pasture restoration—fast, affordable, and proven—to revive these fisheries.

Ocean pastures, depleted by nutrient loss, thrive when phytoplankton is restored with mineral dust, sparking life from fish to whales. My North Pacific work boosted salmon catches from 50 million to over 225 million fish. For BRICS, this scalable method could rejuvenate high seas and commons, from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean, with minimal cost and massive returns.

Reviving Global Fisheries: A BRICS Win

Envision Brazil’s South Atlantic sardine fleets thriving, Russia’s Arctic cod filling nets, India’s Indian Ocean mackerel feeding millions, China’s Pacific squid rebounding, and South Africa’s pilchards flourishing. New members like Egypt could see Mediterranean sardines return, Iran’s Persian Gulf shrimp abound, and Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea grouper thrive. Partners like Indonesia and Nigeria could restore Pacific tuna and Gulf of Guinea sardinella. This is achievable with ocean pasture restoration, feeding over 3.5 billion and exporting globally.

Every dollar invested yields jobs, food security, and cultural renewal—Brazil’s ports, India’s markets, and South Africa’s coasts reborn. BRICS’ vast maritime reach makes this a global win.

Blue Carbon Powerhouse: A Climate Triumph

Ocean pasture restoration doubles as a climate solution. Restored pastures could capture over a billion tonnes of CO2 yearly, turning it into ocean life—blue carbon under the Paris Treaty. For BRICS, with high emissions and populations, this is the cheapest, fastest way to mitigate climate change while adding fish for billions.

Unlike costly tech fixes, this uses nature, deployable now. It stops acidification, transforming CO2 into life. From Iran’s Arabian Sea to Indonesia’s Pacific, BRICS can lead, aligning ecology and climate goals.

Why BRICS Must Act—Now

With over half humanity, BRICS nations—original, new, and partners—touch every ocean: Arctic, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Mediterranean, Red Sea, Persian Gulf. Europe’s law inspires, but BRICS’ scale could dwarf it, feeding billions and slashing CO2. The New Development Bank can seed this, with each nation targeting its high seas fisheries, from Russia’s North Pacific to Nigeria’s Gulf of Guinea.

We Can Do It—Together

A BRICS Ocean Restoration Policy is a promise we can keep. With economic might and over 3.5 billion people, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and partners like Indonesia and Nigeria have the tools and will. Ocean pasture restoration can revive sardines, cod, mackerel, squid, and pilchards across all oceans, capturing CO2.

Aiming for 20% restoration by 2035 is bold but doable. From Rio to Jakarta, Cairo to Cape Town, BRICS can unite, proving nature’s revival is humanity’s. We can do it—because we must, and we know how. Let’s invest in our oceans, showing the world BRICS’ green future starts now, restoring ocean pastures to historic abundance for all.