Turning the tide Named after a zoological noun describing aquatic animals that can swim against a current, Nekton is valiantly trying to turn the tide via scientific exploration and protection of the ocean. You see, the not-for-profit research foundation believes in using data to achieve protected status for at least 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030. Currently, only 8% of the ocean is part of a designated marine protected area (MPA). Of this, only 2.5% of the world’s oceans are in fully or highly protected MPAs. The team of marine experts and scientists collect biological samples from a designated area, analyse the data and report their findings to the local government in order to secure the area as a protected zone.