What started as a Facebook campaign to ban plastic bags has become legislation in the island country of Vanuatu. The country has banned many single-use plastics, including bags, drinking straws, and containers, and hopes to ban more plastics in the future. Citing a cultural respect for the environment, such legislation has been welcomed by residents.

Efforts to reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing also make fishermen safer at sea. Vessel Monitoring Mechanisms (VMM) and electronic catch documentation (eCDT) track the origin of fish headed to market, part of an international effort to ensure sustainable and equitable practices. Data transmission also makes fishermen safer, relaying their locations from hundreds of miles out at sea. In the Philippines, a partnership between Futuristic Aviation and Maritime Enterprise (FAME) and USAID Oceans and Fisheries Partnership helps cover subscription fees for FAME radio transmitter service.

When dams were implemented in Washington's Elwha River, the community saw a rapid decline of salmon and other species, as well as an impact to the economy. Removing the dams has turned into a teachable lesson for other areas considering similar pathways after researchers have recorded a significant impact in species and ecosystem restoration.

In fishing communities, it isn't uncommon for fishermen to accidentally entrap endangered sea turtles. A non-profit in Kenya, however, has figured out a way to not only help raise awareness about the importance of releasing the turtles, but also to build trust with the fishermen and incentivize the releases.

Offering ecosystems a short break from extractive practices can stave off environmental degradation and overfishing. In Indonesia, regions of the Nibung River are closed for several months to allow populations of fish and crabs to recover. The fishing moratoriums not only increase yields and ecosystem resilience, they also improve the quality of life of fishermen. Planet Indonesia, a nongovernmental organization, works enroll locals into the environmental reforms through literacy promotion and education.

In Jamaica, locally-led coral nurseries are working to restore the coral reef that have been lost to natural and manmade disasters. These organizations have small coral gardens where they can grow free of danger and when they’re big enough, are transported to a reef. With coral and fish being so codependent in the underwater ecosystem, the regrowth of coral has meant an increase of fish and fishing for the country, which many people rely on for their livelihood.

Ecotourism provides an economic alternative to fishing for coastal communities. On the Island Garden City of Samal, in the Philippines, residents have embraced a giant clam nursery and sanctuary, which attracts mariculture tourists. The giant clam sanctuary is a project of the Decor United Fisherfolk Organization (AdUFOr) and Davao del Norte State College. It offers livelihood for residents of the community, especially to seniors who give tours, and also assists in the conservation of giant clam populations.