What is ocean grabbing?
The term ocean grabbing refers to the appropriation of marine and coastal resources by governments, multinational corporations, or large private entities. Though often legally sanctioned, this process is profoundly unjust, as it deprives local communities—who depend on the sea for their survival—of space and rights.
Ocean grabbing can occur in various ways, one of the most common being bilateral agreements between countries. Wealthier nations gain exclusive fishing rights in the waters of underdeveloped states, offering in return money or infrastructure—compensation that rarely reflects the true value of the extracted resources.
Another frequent practice involves long-term concessions, often spanning decades, through which entire marine areas are handed over to large corporations for industrial, tourism, or intensive aquaculture purposes. In some cases, entire stretches of coastline are privatized or closed off to local communities, with the exclusion justified by development projects or, paradoxically, conservation plans.
One of the most emblematic cases involves China, which, with one of the world’s largest fishing fleets, holds several concessions along African coasts. Greenpeace has denounced the illegal exploitation of fish stocks in West Africa on multiple occasions.
Not infrequently, fishing licenses are awarded through opaque international tenders, where large industrial fleets—equipped with advanced technologies and significant financial power—outcompete small-scale fishers who cannot keep up.
Once concessions are granted, oversight is often weak or non-existent. Many of the involved countries lack the technical and financial means to monitor activities in their waters. Moreover, corruption, political pressure from foreign powers, and a stark imbalance of power between parties make it nearly impossible to enforce existing regulations.
In some cases, access to international funding or loans from global financial institutions is even conditional upon granting marine resources to foreign entities—turning the ocean into a form of geopolitical currency. The result is a progressive exclusion of local communities, the destruction of ecosystems, and the loss of food sovereignty.
What problems does ocean grabbing cause?
Ocean grabbing has profound and often devastating consequences for both humans and marine ecosystems. One of the most immediate impacts is the loss of livelihoods for millions of people who rely on small-scale fishing.
In many coastal communities, the sea is the only source of income and nutrition. When access to resources is restricted or denied, the social impact is immediate: jobs are lost, poverty increases, and forced migration follows.
This appropriation also intensifies pressure on already overexploited fish stocks. Once granted fishing rights, industrial fleets employ highly invasive methods capable of capturing vast quantities of fish in a short time (overfishing), leaving no room for natural regeneration. The result is the depletion of marine biodiversity and the gradual collapse of ecosystems.
At the same time, local communities are increasingly excluded from decision-making processes. Coastal populations are stripped of the ability to manage their own resources, to choose how to use, protect, or pass on their maritime knowledge.
This marginalization, beyond being a violation of human and cultural rights, also undermines the resilience of these territories by destroying an equilibrium that, in many cases, had been sustainable for generations.
In some regions, ocean grabbing even leads to tensions and conflict. Small-scale fishers who venture into “concession” zones risk fines, arrests, or even violence, while foreign fleets fish undisturbed under the protection of opaque agreements.
On top of all this is the physical destruction of marine environments: industrial plants, intensive aquaculture farms, tourist ports, and export infrastructure permanently alter coastal morphology, damaging coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and essential habitats for countless species.
Ultimately, ocean grabbing is not only an environmental issue—it is a matter of social justice, food sovereignty, and human rights. It is a modern form of colonization that targets the powerless, leaving deep scars on territories and communities.
Which countries are responsible for ocean grabbing?
Ocean grabbing is not limited to a single country or geographic area; it is a global dynamic involving powerful players, often from economically developed states. Among them are countries with large industrial fleets capable of operating thousands of kilometers from their own coasts.
Some European countries, such as Spain and France, have signed numerous fishing agreements with African nations over the years, gaining exclusive access to vast marine areas in exchange for funds that, in most cases, end up in the coffers of central governments with little to no benefit for local communities.
Asian powers like China, Japan, and South Korea are also key players. Their fleets, often backed by public subsidies, operate in the waters of West Africa, South America, and the Pacific, exploiting resources that are no longer even sufficient to meet the internal needs of those regions.
In some cases, these fleets cross legal boundaries, engaging in illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing—one of the greatest threats to ocean sustainability.
Behind these operations are not only governments but also large multinational corporations and private companies investing in turning the ocean into a profitable resource. Under the guise of economic development or food security, practices are justified that ultimately concentrate ocean control in the hands of a few, marginalizing everyone else.
Which countries are most affected by ocean grabbing?
The countries most affected by ocean grabbing are primarily coastal nations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America—regions where small-scale fishing is often the backbone of the local economy and daily life.
These are mostly countries with limited financial resources, weak governance, and insufficient monitoring tools to control their territorial waters. In many of these nations, the sea is more than just a food source: it is culture, identity, history, and future.
Yet these are the very places where entire foreign fleets regularly operate, often protected by commercial agreements signed between central governments and more powerful states—agreements made without the knowledge or consent of the local communities.
In West Africa, for example, countries like Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea, and Sierra Leone have over time been forced to give up significant portions of their exclusive economic zones. In return, they receive funds or development promises that very rarely benefit those who rely on fishing and the sea for survival.
Similar situations occur in Southeast Asia, the Pacific, and parts of South America, where local fishers report declining catches, unfair competition from large industrial fleets, and the inability to access areas they have used for generations. The victims are not just people, but ecosystems too: resources are plundered, species depleted, waters polluted or made inaccessible.
Paradoxically, these countries are also the most exposed to the effects of the climate crisis and rising sea levels. Ocean grabbing, therefore, only amplifies an already extreme vulnerability, stripping coastal communities of every opportunity for self-determination and resilience.
What is being done politically?
The countries that suffer the consequences of ocean grabbing—mostly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America—have weak governance and limited resources to control their waters. Foreign fleets operate with impunity under agreements often made without local consultation or consent.
While development funds are promised in return for access to marine resources, they rarely reach those whose livelihoods are most affected. And even when international institutions speak up, enforcement remains limited. What’s missing is a unified and binding global response that protects both marine ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.
What does the FAO say?
The FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) has been monitoring marine resources and the impact of human activities on oceans for years. In its reports, such as The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA), it repeatedly highlights how industrial fishing is depleting marine resources at an unsustainable rate, and how the overlap of commercial interests with weak governance is endangering the future of the oceans.
Although the FAO does not always use the term ocean grabbing, it openly acknowledges the deep inequality in access to fishery resources. It warns that artisanal and indigenous communities—which make up the majority of global fisheries workers—are often excluded from decision-making and vulnerable to appropriation by more powerful actors.
In 2015, the FAO adopted the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries, an important tool for promoting equity and transparency. These guidelines call on states to ensure fair access to resources, avoid harmful concessions, and integrate human rights into marine ecosystem management.
However, since these are non-binding instruments, their effectiveness depends on the political will of individual countries. Many have yet to fully implement them, while industrial fleets and private interests continue to put pressure on the oceans. The FAO’s voice is clear and important—but not enough on its own. A courageous and coordinated effort by the international community is urgently needed.
Greenpeace’s role in exposing ocean grabbing
In recent years, Greenpeace has stood out for its efforts to expose predatory practices in the world’s oceans—practices that fall squarely within the definition of ocean grabbing, even though they are often referred to using more technical terms such as unsustainable industrial fishing, illegal fishing, or overexploitation.
Through reports, awareness campaigns, and direct actions in the field, the organization has brought public attention to concrete cases in which the economic interests of multinational corporations or industrial fleets have undermined the rights of local communities to fair access to marine resources.
One of the most impactful tools in this effort is the Carting Away the Oceans report series, which since 2008 has analyzed the responsibility of major retail chains in promoting unsustainable fishing practices.
At the same time, Greenpeace has carried out investigations in various parts of the world. Among the most widely reported was its denunciation of unregulated fishing in the Blue Hole, a biodiversity-rich area off the coast of Argentina where hundreds of fishing vessels operate with little to no oversight from the relevant states.
Beyond denunciation, Greenpeace also fights for concrete solutions. Through its Global Ocean Treaty campaign, the organization is working to secure protection for 30% of international waters by 2030—an ambitious yet vital goal to halt the unchecked expansion of industrial fishing and safeguard marine ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.
Through these efforts, Greenpeace is not only shedding light on a problem too often ignored, but also helping build a global resistance network against the illegal appropriation of our oceans.
Italy’s role in ocean grabbing
With 7,600 kilometers of coastline and a long maritime tradition, Italy finds itself in a crucial position when it comes to ocean grabbing. While it is not one of the main global actors in terms of marine resource appropriation, the country is involved both as a potential beneficiary and as a victim of such practices.
On one hand, Italy has entered into fishing agreements with third countries—particularly in the Mediterranean and in Africa—that have raised concerns about their sustainability and fairness. These agreements, often negotiated at the EU level, may grant Italian fleets access to fish stocks in the waters of developing nations, risking the collapse of local economies that rely on small-scale fishing.
On the other hand, Italy is also vulnerable to the consequences of ocean grabbing. Its waters—especially in the Adriatic Sea and the Strait of Sicily—face pressure from foreign fleets operating near the country’s exclusive economic zones. These activities can result in unfair competition for marine resources and put local fishing communities at risk.
In response to these challenges, Italy has taken steps to promote sustainable fishing and marine conservation. However, a continuous commitment is needed to ensure that national and European policies do not directly or indirectly contribute to ocean grabbing, but instead support marine ecosystem preservation and coastal community rights.
Possible Solutions
Stopping—or at least countering—ocean grabbing is a complex challenge, but not an impossible one. The solution does not lie in a single strategy, but in a cultural and political shift that places environmental and social justice at the center.
First and foremost, there must be concrete recognition of the right of coastal communities to manage and protect their own seas. Where local populations are involved in resource management, results in terms of conservation, sustainability, and equitable benefit sharing tend to be better.
Another key step is transparency. Fishing concessions and international agreements should be public, traceable, and subject to review so that civil society can assess their impact and report abuses. The technology exists—from satellite tracking systems to shared databases—but what’s often lacking is the political will to use them effectively.
At the same time, the capacities of the most vulnerable states must be strengthened. Many countries affected by ocean grabbing lack the technical and financial means to monitor their waters or enforce regulations. Investing in training, maritime surveillance, and legal support for these nations is not just a matter of solidarity, but of global balance.
Finally, we as citizens also have a role to play. Seventy percent of the seafood on the European market comes from countries affected by ocean grabbing. Reducing or eliminating fish consumption would ease fishing pressure in these areas. Every informed choice is a form of resistance against a system that sacrifices the ocean for profit.
Conclusion
Ocean grabbing is less visible than other environmental disasters, but no less serious. It happens far from the public eye—through quietly signed contracts or ships sailing through distant waters—while entire communities see their lifeline disappear.
It’s a new form of colonialism, turning the sea into a territory to be conquered and exploited, erasing rights, histories, and futures. But telling these stories is already a first step toward fighting back.
Because the more we know, the more we can choose where we stand. And while governments and international institutions must ultimately take action, it’s equally true that every voice can help bring about change.
Take action with us
At Blue Conservancy, we work every day to protect the sea and its inhabitants. If you too believe in an ocean free from exploitation and injustice, help us raise awareness.
Share this article, talk about it with those around you, support our projects. Together, we can defend those who have no voice and build a fairer future—even beneath the surface of the sea.
