The Southern Ocean: Its remoteness has not spared this sea of serious impacts. Accelerating climate change is already having profound effects; it has altered the extent of the winter sea ice in some areas and has led to a reduction in krill, with knock-on effects for other species. Japan’s whaling fleet recklessly hunts whales each year in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, and industrial fishing fleets are travelling to these far-away waters to take Antarctic fish. Antarctic and Patagonian toothfish, known to many as Chilean seabass, are aggressively being fished; their disappearance could impact the Antarctic food chain as seals and whales rely on these fish as food. As the least disturbed oceanic ecosystem on Earth, the Ross Sea is clearly a priority for protection as a marine reserve. The Arctic: At the other pole, the Arctic Ocean is also coming under increasing pressure. Climate change has caused sea ice to melt quicker, opening these icy waters to northward-advancing fishing fleets, as Greenpeace has documented. CO2 pollution from other parts of the world is also increasing the acidification of the Arctic Ocean. This could spell disaster for the vulnerable marine ecosystem, impacting species at the base of the food chain. The fishing industry is not alone in setting its sights on Arctic waters – the energy sector is intent on extracting the fossil fuels that lie beneath the Arctic ice, and governments regularly debate the sovereignty and drilling rights for the Arctic shelf. Greenpeace is demanding that, with so little known about the highly vulnerable Arctic Ocean ecosystem, a moratorium should be implemented on all industrial activities in the area that has been historically covered by sea ice. At the same time, governments have to create an overarching system to govern this ocean. The protection of this near-pristine ocean environment, and the people who depend on it, has to be at its core. The creation of an effective global network of marine reserves does not only require cooperative action on the high seas. Countries must also act in their national waters, establishing comprehensive and representative networks of smaller marine reserves. In doing so, we will help our oceans and the wildlife in them recover, enable the millions dependent on them for food to survive, maintain a sustainable fishing industry, help alleviate the impacts of climate change and create a better future for life on our blue planet.