This week on Saltwater Stories, we gather at the close of an extraordinary year to reflect on two powerful ocean victories that reshaped the future of our planet. From the remarkable global comeback of the green sea turtle to the historic creation of the High Seas Treaty, twenty twenty five revealed what becomes possible when science, community, and cooperation align.

We explore how simple technologies like turtle excluder devices transformed deadly fishing nets into lifesaving tools, how coastal communities in Mexico and Indonesia turned conservation into cultural identity and economic opportunity, and how one of the most endangered marine species on Earth swam its way back from the brink. Along the way, we meet survivors whose stories remind us of both the ocean’s resilience and its continued vulnerability.

Then we journey far beyond national borders into the high seas, where nearly two decades of global negotiation finally produced a binding rulebook to protect the open ocean that covers most of our planet. From new marine protected areas and deep sea genetic resources to the challenge of enforcing protection across vast waters, this episode reveals how diplomacy, technology, and shared responsibility are reshaping the future of the ocean.

As we close out the year, this episode invites us to consider what these victories demand of us next. The tools now exist. The hope is real. The responsibility is ours.#wavesofchange #saltwaterstories #oceanconservation #seaturtlerecovery #highseastreaty #protectourocean #oceanhope #marinestewardship #savetheseas #oceanliteracy #greenseaturtle #BBNJ