A decade to study deep-sea life

The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development presents an exceptional opportunity to effect positive change in ocean use. We outline what is required of the deep-sea research community to achieve these ambitious objectives. The health of the global ocean, on which society depends, is in decline. The importance of sustainable use to ocean health has long been recognized1, yet the United Nations (UN) First World Ocean Assessment2 from 2017 highlighted increasing ocean pressures from accelerated expansion of human activities, including climate change. These pressures affect all ocean regions, from the coast to the deep sea3. In response to this concern, and to align with several international policy commitments, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 2021–2030 the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development4. The roadmap for this Ocean Decade recognizes the deep sea as a frontier of science and discovery, and calls for research to advance understanding of deep-sea ecosystems, their functions, vulnerabilities and services to society. Published in March 2020, the draft implementation plan for the Ocean Decade guides the design and implementation of ‘Actions’ that underpin the desired move from ‘the ocean we have’ to ‘the ocean we want’ (Fig. 1). The draft plan calls on the scientific community to develop Actions, at programme, project, activity or contribution levels, to help deliver on four key objectives: (1) increase capacity to generate, understand, manage and use ocean knowledge; (2) identify and generate required ocean data, information and knowledge; (3) build comprehensive understanding of the ocean and its governance systems; and (4) increase the use of ocean knowledge.