The Sustainable Markets Initiative, a private-sector organization launched by King Charles III, established the Ocean Stewardship Initiative, a private-sector-led project to implement global commitments to ocean stewardship. The first goal will be to establish one of the world’s largest Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in Antarctica, in line with international efforts under the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).

The proposed MPA would cover 70% of the Antarctic Peninsula, protecting nearly 500,000 square kilometers of the Southern Ocean. This represents a 15% increase in how much of the Southern Ocean is protected.

The initiative comes after CCAMLR member states failed to establish new Marine Protected Areas in its most recent meetings, held in 2024 and 2025.

The Ocean Stewardship Initiative’s MPA will be established with a krill fishery management framework that includes ecosystem monitoring, and spreading fishing efforts out in the areas that remain open and regulated.

The Ocean Stewardship Initiative was developed in partnership with Aker BioMarine and Aker QRILL Company, with advice from the Marine Stewardship Council.

“The private sector has a decisive role in shaping the ocean economy,” said Jennifer Jordan-Saifi, CEO of the Sustainable Markets Initiative. “Governments set the rules, but delivery depends on capital, companies, and supply chains moving in the same direction with a default sustainable mindset. This initiative is about private sector leadership aligning ocean-based value creation with conservation, sustainable fisheries management, and meeting the world’s 30-by-30 [protecting 30% of the ocean by the year 2030] target. Our hope is that private sector support for the CCAMLR MPA and krill fisheries management framework can serve as a model for similar efforts around the world.”

“For fishing companies, this is no longer a question of whether Marine Protected Areas will happen,” said Matts Johansen, CEO of Aker BioMarine and chair of Aker QRILL Company. “The real question is whether industry chooses to engage constructively, and be part of the solution, or remain on the sidelines while the rules are shaped without its involvement.”

“Effective ocean management requires stewardship of the entirety of our ocean built on science, transparency, and accountability,” said Rupert Howes, CEO of the Marine Stewardship Council. “Strong protection measures and well-managed fisheries go hand in hand, and both are essential to the future of the ocean. Given the unique ecological importance of the southern oceans, there is a compelling case for this government-proposed MPA with multistakeholder support from both industry and NGOs.”