WHY WE EXIST

'Nekton' is a zoological noun describing aquatic animals that can swim against or independently of a current.

We need to act for the ocean, for all the planet’s lifeforms and for ourselves. Our existence depends on our ocean’s health. If the ocean is sick we all suffer from the effects of that sickness. Through scientific exploration we gather data and use it to achieve action.

The ocean is responsible for about 50% of the oxygen produced on the planet. We know so little of this world yet we are wilfully damaging it with human actions from above and below the surface.

People don’t live in the ocean but we depend on the ocean to live. Those who depend most for their lives, and who have the greatest understanding, are in ocean nations, places where our Missions are doing significant scientific research. They are our voices from the frontline as we speak for the ocean.

Since launched Nekton in 2016, we have undertaken deep-reaching scientific Missions. Nekton was founded by scientists and journalists working together – to find out the facts and share them as stories to motivate people to act.

We talk about the ocean in the singular because the oceans are connected and make one ocean globally. What happens in one area of the sea affects the others. Everything is connected. Everything is connected to one ocean that covers most of the world, north to south, east to west.

Protecting the ocean is in all our interests. It’s fundamental to the planet’s survival because this is Planet Ocean more than it is Planet Earth.