Six Senses Pledges to Support BLUE with Share of Diving Revenues

The Six Senses Eco Symposium at Soneva Fushi ended on Sunday with a rallying cry to invest more in preserving fish stocks.

Chris Gorell Barnes, co-founder of BLUE Marine Foundation, said that only 0.6 percent of the world’s oceans are protected. “The rest can be fished until they are empty,” he said. “If we go on at the same rate then the oceans will be empty of fish by 2050.”

Six Senses, the luxury resort company, has pledged to support marine conservation after signing a deal with BLUE. Under the terms of the agreement, Six Senses will give a share of revenues from guest diving excursions at its Maldives retreats to BLUE.

Sonu Shivdasani, Chairman of Six Senses, said, “As part of our commitment to sustainable development, I am delighted to be able to support BLUE in its vital commitment to preserving marine ecosystems. Unless we protect our oceans now, fish stocks will suffer an irreversible collapse.”

Six Senses’s Soneva Fushi and Soneva Gili resorts in the Maldives only use fish from sustainable sources.

BLUE is also in talks with the government of the Maldives about creating a marine conservation area in the country’s territorial waters and examining ways in which the country can improve its sustainable fishing credentials.