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86 Pledges for the Ocean: The Legal Community Responds.

By Lucy Lennard, Achill Legal.

When concluding the private screening of David Attenborough’s Ocean, postcards were handed out with a simple question: What will YOU do to support our Oceans?

Over 80 came back.

What stands out wasn’t just the number—it was the specificity. These weren’t vague promises to “be more sustainable.” The audience pledged concrete commitments: timelines, measurements, real accountability. One member pledged to assess their firm’s entire investment portfolio for marine impacts by Q2. Others pledged to investigate the fish they were feeding their pets.

That level of detail matters. It’s the difference between good intentions and measurable change. The 86 postcards revealed five distinct ways the legal community is turning ocean awareness into action.

Consumer Choices: The Power of Your Plate

The majority of people focused on their daily choices. 34 pledges changed what’s on dinner plates, what’s in shopping baskets, how seafood gets sourced. The Marine Conservation Society’s Good Fish Guide appeared repeatedly—people committing to check it before every purchase.

“Commit to only buying fish in accordance with the best ratings on the Good Fish Guide”

“Give pro-bono support (and investigate the fish I feed to my cat)”  “I will strictly follow good fish diet and so will my cat”

Extending the commitment to household pets demonstrates how seriously people are rethinking their relationship with seafood. These purchasing decisions, multiplied across households and restaurants, create market pressure fishing industries cannot ignore.

The Good Fish Guide– This free tool eliminates guesswork through a simple traffic light system. Before you buy fish or order at a restaurant, check the rating.

  • Green: Best choice—well-managed stocks, low environmental impact
  • Amber: Some concerns—acceptable occasionally
  • Red: Avoid—overfished stocks or destructive fishing methods

The pledges showed that specificity works. “Only green-rated fish” creates clearer behavioural guidelines than vague “eat sustainably” intentions.

Practical swaps: Choose smaller species like sardines and herring over large predators like swordfish and tuna. If you do eat tuna, look for “pole and line” or “line-caught” labels – these methods dramatically reduce bycatch.  Avoid anything bottom trawled, like prawns.  Above all, avoid taking Omega 3 krill supplements – the over-extraction of krill from Antarctica is wrecking the fragile ecosystem.

Professional Action: Legal Skills for Ocean Protection

Legal expertise came next, with 19 professionals pledging to deploy their skills directly toward ocean protection and sustainability.

“I pledge to continue to work on ocean pollution claims and to propose a group claim as part of my firm.”

Group litigation proves vital, holding polluters accountable at scale, transforming individual practice into systemic environmental enforcement.

“Start a process at work assessing investments more rigorously for marine impacts.”

When investment decisions incorporate marine health, capital flows shift. Industries face financial pressure to reform.

This summer showed us what’s possible: Chloé Binet from De Bandt law firm—working entirely pro bono—secured a landmark European Court of Justice ruling for Blue Marine Foundation, challenging the European Commission’s blocking of protections for Indian Ocean tuna stocks.

Dr Tom Appleby, Blue Marine’s Head of Legal Affairs, explains why this legal support matters:

“More than two thirds of the Earth is covered by seas and oceans. Changing the management of this vast space is a huge legal challenge. No in-house team will ever have the breadth of expertise needed… Blue Marine are routinely faced with complex queries, where we can identify the questions—but we alone cannot answer them. Pro bono has been a critical ingredient for success in our projects in the UK, Europe and across the world.”

How to contribute your legal expertise:

Blue Marine Foundation needs help across Marine Protected Area frameworks, fisheries law, international ocean governance, and policy advocacy. Contact their legal team: legal@bluemarinefoundation.com

Clare Brook, Blue Marine’s CEO, responded to the pledges:

“We are utterly thrilled to have received so many pledges of support. It’s such a challenging time for NGOs, with governments reversing on environmental commitments and scrapping almost all funding. So, support like this—either in-kind or financial—is hugely uplifting and enables us to continue our vital work.”

Beyond dedicated pro bono, several pledges integrated ocean considerations into existing practice: assessing investment portfolios for marine impact, reviewing firm procurement for sustainable seafood, proposing environmental group litigation.

Political Pressure: From Commitments to Enforcement

Political pressure also featured heavily, with 17 pledges targeting MPs, policymakers, and institutional change.

“Write to my local MP to put pressure on banning trawling in UK waters.”

The UK committed to protecting 30% of its waters by 2030, yet many Marine Protected Areas still permit bottom trawling—the exact destructive practice Ocean documents so devastatingly.

“Collaborate with NGOs to raise the profile of bycatch at a political level to drive change.”

Bycatch—unintended capture and death of non-target species—destroys marine ecosystems at industrial scale. Elevating this politically requires sustained pressure from credible professional voices.

How to make your voice count:

Write to your MP with specific questions: What enforcement protocols ensure Marine Protected Areas actually protect marine life? What timeline exists for restricting bottom trawling in designated zones? What accountability measures track progress toward the 30% target?

Support targeted campaigns from Blue Marine Foundation and Marine Conservation Society. These organizations translate scientific research into policy-relevant advocacy but need amplification from professional voices to achieve political traction.

Spreading the Message

Many pledged to spread the message further by screening Ocean for colleagues, families, schools, and entire firms.

“Take everyone in the firm to watch Ocean (and their family) and then collaborate with the firm as to how we can make changes together to reduce our individual impact on our ocean.”

One screening becomes dozens of viewers, hundreds of conversations. Doug Anderson and Olly Scholey spent years capturing unprecedented footage of industrial bottom trawling precisely because invisibility enables destruction. Making the hidden visible transforms observers into participants.

Direct Action

Additionally, we had pledges for hands-on conservation: beach cleanups, river restoration, local volunteering.

“I will volunteer for a river and canal clean up day in my local area.”

Rivers carry pollution to oceans. Upstream intervention prevents downstream damage.

Join the effort:

Surfers Against Sewage coordinates beach cleanups nationwide. Direct financial support to Blue Marine Foundation and Marine Conservation Society enables their conservation work to continue despite contracting government funding.

Reduce plastic use daily: reusable containers, bottles, bags prevent waste entering water systems that flow to oceans.

What Comes Next

These pledges represent thousands of meals sourced differently, hundreds of pro bono hours redirected, dozens of MP letters, firms restructuring investment analysis, countless conversations extending awareness.

The specificity of these pledges matters. They’re not aspirational statements—they’re commitments with timelines, accountability, and measurable outcomes. One person’s pledge to review their firm’s supplier relationships by Q2 creates institutional change. Another’s commitment to check the Good Fish Guide before every purchase shifts market demand. A third’s decision to write to their MP adds constituent pressure for enforcement.

Individually, these actions seem small. Collectively, they represent the legal profession beginning to deploy its unique leverage toward ocean protection.

Your commitment:

If you haven’t made your pledge yet, email us: comms@legalsustainabilityalliance.com. Share what you’re committing to, and we’ll support your action across the legal sector.

Sir David Attenborough: “If we save our seas, we save our world.”

The legal profession is responding. Momentum exists. The question is scale.