海洋可持续性体现了管理我们的海洋及其提供的服务所需的方法。海洋，尤其是其沿海地区，是地球生态系统的重要组成部分，拥有500,000至1000万种提供广泛的生态系统服务的物种。海洋是运输，能源和旅游业中对全球经济的重要贡献者。联合国估计“有超过30亿人依靠海洋和沿海资源谋生”。因此，海洋及其资源对于粮食安全和人类福利至关重要，同时又为全球气候变暖和生物多样性的下降提供了重要的缓冲。
Ocean sustainability embodies the approach required to manage our oceans and the services they provide.The oceans and in particular their coastal areas are an essential component of the Earth's ecosystem hosting between 500,000 and 10 million species that provide a wide range of ecosystem services. The oceans are key contributors to the global economies also in the transportation, energy and tourism sectors. The United Nations estimated that over three billion people depend on marine and coastal resources for their livelihoods. The oceans and their resources are therefore critical to food security and human welfare, while providing an essential buffer to global climate warming and to the decline of biodiversity.