The Marine Conservation Institute works at the intersection of the hydrosphere and the biosphere to ensure that the oceanic environment is conducive to marine life. The organization acknowledges that marine habitats are essential, not only to marine life, but to humans as well, who rely on these environments for nourishment, water and transportation. In order to continue the use of the oceans for these varied purposes it is crucial to conserve them for future generations so that ocean ecosystems and human survival can thrive.

One significant way that humans impact the oceans is through fishing and overfishing the marine life that reside in them. One of the primary goals of the center is to protect key ocean areas from fishing and they have succeeded in doing this by designating certain areas of the ocean as protected areas where fishing is not permitted.

Illegal fishing has a severe impact in the Southern Ocean. Six ships known as the “Bandit 6” fish Chilean Sea Bass illegally and are drastically affecting the health of this species. This issue hurts the entire food chain and damages entire ocean ecosystems. In order to combat pirate fishing, the Marine Conservation Institute is working to pressure countries such as Malaysia and Thailand, who have jurisdiction over these ships, to hold the pirates accountable for their actions so that marine ecosystems can be sustained for years to come.