The State We're In

Jun 6, 2025

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation

The Jersey Shore is one of the crown jewels of this state we’re in. Think of the joys of spending a summer day at the beach! But our coastal paradise and the ocean that lies beyond is in peril.

Sunday, June 8^th is World Ocean Day, and the premiere of OCEAN WITH DAVID ATTENBOROUGH – a new National Geographic documentary – is both a celebration of the ocean’s wonders and an urgent call for its protection. Sir David Attenborough, a renowned English broadcaster, writer, and naturalist, has a gift for drawing us into the natural world.

The film uses both striking imagery and storytelling to paint a picture of the incredible wonder and mystery that lies in the depths, and the daunting threats facing the watery realm that makes up most of the planet. See amazing footage of the largest school of yellowfin tuna ever captured on film; and watch the biggest mass coral bleaching event in history.

Often taken for granted, the ocean is our planet’s life support system. It produces over half of the oxygen we breathe, regulates the climate, and powers the global economy. It provides deep cultural, recreational, and spiritual value for people everywhere. And as the world’s largest ecosystem, it sustains an incredible wealth of biodiversity.

New Jersey’s ocean and coastline ecosystems are home to over 300 species of fish, nearly 350 species of birds, five species of sea turtles, and many marine mammals (including whales, dolphins, seals, and even a species of porpoise). They also serve as an essential migratory pathway for both birds and aquatic animals.

“So much of our lives depend on a healthy ocean, and science is revealing how deep those interdependencies go,” says Tim Dillingham, executive director of the American Littoral Society. “The things we value, from healthy fish populations to whales, are threatened by climate change, poor ocean resource policies, and a lack of effective stewardship of near-shore land uses.”

For this last great wilderness to survive, at least a third of the ocean must be protected, according to scientists from the film. Currently, less than one percent is protected and the legion of threats, including overfishing, deep sea mining, oil and gas development, the vast shipping industry, and general pollution, continue to grow.

The fundamental ecological structure of the ocean and our coastal estuaries is being disrupted as climate change alters the chemistry and runoff and other sources pollute the system. To make matters worse, the Trump Administration has proposed opening New Jersey’s coast and ocean to oil and gas development, weakening protections for critical habitats, and limiting the use of essential tools like the Endangered Species Act to protect and restore ocean wildlife.

Attenborough inspires us to act. “The ocean is in such poor health, it’s hard not to lose hope. But it can recover faster than we ever thought possible,” he says. Dillingham agrees. “The promise of an abundant, robust ocean is there, if we step up and take action to protect it,” he says.

But to turn the tide and allow the ocean to heal, we need sweeping policy actions, including ditching fossil fuels for clean energy, with prohibitions on oil and gas exploration and development. And we need to curb our overuse of chemicals and stop depositing so much plastic and other waste into the environment. At the same time, we must continue to pursue responsible underwater research so that we better understand what lies in Earth’s last frontier and how best to protect it.

Given the essential role the oceans play in sustaining life on earth, failure is not an option. “In front of us is a chance to protect our food, our climate, our home. This could be the moment of change,” says Attenborough. “Together, we now face the challenge.”

OCEAN WITH DAVID ATTENBOROUGH airs on National Geographic on June 7^th, and streams globally on Disney+ and Hulu on June 8^th. Visit https://worldoceanday.org/ to find resources and information about how you can celebrate and support World Ocean Day. And visit https://www.littoralsociety.org/ to learn more about protecting New Jersey’s ocean and shoreline.

To learn more about how you can help preserve New Jersey’s natural resources, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation at www.njconservation.org or reach out to us at info@njconservation.org.