STORY: Hundreds of protesters marched on Nice's famed Promenade des Anglais on Saturday (June 7), to demand better protection for the world's oceans and marine wildlife ahead of the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3).

The participants in the 'Blue March', both private citizens and members of local and international NGOs, chanted slogans and carried signs denouncing activities such as bottom trawling, with the Mediterranean sea as a backdrop.

Co-hosted by France and Costa Rica, UNOC3 aims to "accelerate action" on protecting the world's oceans.

The UN conference--which gathers heads of state, policymakers, scientists and NGOs--will cover climate change, pollution, biodiversity and making humanity's access to marine resources more sustainable.

Previous conferences were hosted in 2017 by Sweden and Fiji in New York and in 2022 by Portugal and Kenya in Lisbon.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: NICE, FRANCE (JUNE 7, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all)

1. PROTESTERS MARCHING WITH BANNER READING (English): “PROTECT THE OCEAN, PROTECT LIFE”

2. VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MARCHING

3. PROTESTER, ELORRI GOLHEN, USING LOUDSPEAKER

4. (SOUNDBITE) (French) CO-ORGANISER OF MARCH AND ECOLOGICAL TRANSITION WORKER, ELORRI GOLHEN, 30, SAYING:

"We expect this conference to lead leaders to take concrete measures to protect the oceans, particularly in France. We're behind. We have marine protected areas that aren't truly protected and that's the key measure we wanted to push through this march: to have marine areas that are truly protected.”

5. VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MARCHING

6. PROTESTER MARCHING WITH SIGN READING (English): “Respect”

7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) GENERAL SECRETARY OF TURKISH NGO 'MEDITERRANEAN CONSERVATION SOCIETY', GIZEM AKDOGAN, 31, SAYING:

“Today and for the next week we will be here to protect our oceans, (for) ratification of the Ocean Treaty, and just to highlight the importance of the sustainability of small scale fishers, marine protected areas and the coastal communities.”

8. PROTESTER WITH SIGN READING (French): “I LOVE LIFE, I TAKE CARE OF THE SEA”

9. PROTESTERS WITH SIGNS

10. PROTESTER WITH SIGN READING (English): “BOTTOM TRAWLING IS KILLING US”

11. PROTESTERS CHANTING (French): “Protect the oceans, protect the oceans”

12. PROTESTERS MARCHING WITH BANNER READING (English): “#ProtectedMeansProtected”

13. PROTESTERS WITH SIGNS READING (English): “BOTTOM TRAWLING IS KILLING US” AND “DON’T TOUCH MY BOTTOM”

14. PROTESTERS GATHERED

15. BANNER READING (English): “BOTTOM TRAWLING IS KILLING US”

16. PROTESTERS UNFURLING BANNER