Whose Ocean?

Seas and oceans cover 71% of this planet. These water bodies are all connected; one could sail around the world without getting ashore once. Seen through the eyes of a fish it is all just one never ending ocean. A healthy planet, then, means above all a healthy ocean. In the words of the UN: Our Ocean, our future, our responsibility. But is the ocean ‘ours’? Or does it belong to its non-human habitants? Or even just to itself?

Aye, nesting is a problem. All seasides are way too crowded.

What does the voice of the ocean sound like?

The UN Ocean statement, published after the 2022 conference on the subject, looks at the ocean from many perspectives: the countries, organisations and companies involved. They all depend on the ocean for income, prosperity or safety. The ocean itself does not have a voice in all this, nor have the creatures living in it. The ‘Whose Ocean’ project investigates what Ocean diplomacy would look like if you leave the human perspective aside. What does the ocean need? What are its interests? Over 100 researchers, policy makers and artists joined forces to rewrite the original 2022 UN Ocean statement from the perspective of three marine entities, who all three have a very different relation with the ocean. Illuster spoke with them.

Nodule, you are made up of a mixture of iron and manganese oxide and lie 4 kilometres deep on the ocean floor, a place we as humans hardly know. Can you tell us something about this world?

Nodule (millions of years): We are ancient. We have been forever. Life is all around us, on us, in us. Before plants came into being, before the algae, we were. Oxygen appeared around us. We saw life invent itself. We will be here, ongoing, unmoving. We will be.

Seagull, you live with the ocean in a very different way. What is your life like?

Seagull (+/- 67 million years): Wééééll, how to put this? A scavenger am I, snatching fish, meat, whatever there is to take really. Not picky I am, not me. I make do, take it all. Not ashamed of it either. We fly for miles, me and me mates. Over land, over sea. We go wherever there’s tasty bits to find. We’re free, as a bird, just like they say. Há. Mind, the view is góód from up there. Keepin’ an eye on it all, right?

And how do you live, Jellyfish?

Jellyfish (600 million years): Floating, hovering all over Ocean. Going with the flow, the tide. Just wandering, free of will. All over, to be clear. At the surface and in the deep, in the cold and warmth, in darkness and in light. Small or huge. Dancing with all there is. Food sometimes, for big fish or turtles. Eating often, plankton, fish eggs. Graceful in this opaque element. Dreamlike in water, of water, as water.

What does ocean mean to you? And ‘whose’ is it?

Jellyfish: All is Ocean, Ocean is all. Ocean is one, space, life. Whose? Ocean is for all.

Nodule: It was here. Then we were. Ocean is the beginning of all, and all that is to come. It was and will be. We don’t see how all that can be owned.

Seagull: Sóóó strange, if you ask me, that this planet is called Earth. From high up there’s no doubt: clearly it is Ocean. At the fringes there is some dry land. We nest there, we rest there, the people live there. Land is ocean’s edge and the ocean is for all.

What impact do humans have on your existence?

Nodule: Humans have just arrived. Their time is short. Can we blame them for their shortsightedness? For being unable to see beyond their one second of life, of light, unable to comprehend the vast and ongoing complexity of all that is? Perhaps not. This, now, is all they know. It is existence for them. They strive to have, to possess, make use of. Even us. Too deep for them, we are. They do not know what they are doing. Can we hope for them to become aware of the flaws in their vision, of their ignorance? Maybe. We have patience.

Jellyfish: Warmth. Warmer water, all over. Perfect for breeding, like a cozy hatchery. Plankton galore, thanks to agricultural fertilizer in the waters. Less plankton-eating fish. Even less predators. Paradise-like, it may seem, endless growth. Wonderful for now, yes, looks like it. But how will it end? No enemies, no competitors, food everywhere, no stop. No balance. Too much on one side, nothing left on the other. Where to swim if all is jellyfish?

Seagull: Aye, nesting is a problem. All seasides are way too crowded. We make nests on the ground, see, easy as that. But now we take to rooftops more and more, for safety. We come visit towns. Finding new places, fun too. And sóóóóó much food and waste lying about where people huddle together, you wouldn’t believe it. Comes in handy, though. There is more rubbish in the sea than fish these days. Rotten, that’s what it is. Should be plenty for everyone. Fish for all and all for fish!

What would you like to say to the people participating in the 2025 UN Ocean Conference?

Nodule: We do not accept the assumption that Ocean is a thing to be used by humankind. We see far beyond human existence. Be wise, be honest. You need the ocean. It gives you air to breath, gives you life. If you do not know what you are doing, just don’t. Leave it be.

Seagull: We need a healthy ocean, full of fish. Feel the love you have for the world we live in. We’re all connected, we share a place, a life. We all need one another, we’re nothing on our own. This ecosystem we inhabit is the most important thing, right? Seen from above, it’s very clear how all is connected.

Jellyfish: Stop ocean warming. Higher temperatures upset the balance. For some species, the ocean is becoming unlivable very fast. The consequences are being felt everywhere. This will not solve itself.

The rewritten parts of the Ocean Declaration will be presented to the participants of the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, June 2025.