Every year on 8 June, the world marks World Oceans Day. It's a date worth knowing the story behind - because it didn't start with governments. It started with a question asked in a room full of people who were paying attention.
In 1992, at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro - the largest gathering of world leaders in history at the time - Canada's International Centre for Ocean Development proposed something simple: one day a year to stop and think about what the ocean actually does for us. The idea took root quietly. Countries started marking it informally. It wasn't until 2008 that the United Nations formally designated 8 June as World Oceans Day, giving it official standing on the international calendar*.
Thirty-four years on, it feels more necessary than ever. We wanted to use it to do what we always try to do on Sundays: go a little deeper.
The ocean and your health
Most of us know, instinctively, that being near the sea does something. The shoulders drop. The breath slows. The noise inside the head gets quieter. It turns out that's not sentiment - there's a growing body of research that gives it a name: Blue Health.
The concept comes largely from work led by researchers at the University of Exeter's European Centre for Environment and Human Health, who have spent over a decade studying what happens to people when they spend time near water — coast, rivers, lakes, even urban canals. Their findings are consistent: people who live closer to the coast report better general and mental health outcomes. People who visit blue spaces regularly show measurable reductions in stress and anxiety.
And in a landmark 2019 study published in Scientific Reports, they found that spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature, including blue spaces, was associated with significantly better health and wellbeing. Below that threshold, the benefits largely disappeared*.
What's interesting is how it works. Blue spaces affect us through multiple routes at once: the sound of water reduces cortisol, the negative ions in sea air appear to influence serotonin levels, and the visual horizon of open water naturally shifts attention away from internal rumination.
The BlueHealth project - an EU-funded research programme spanning 18 countries and 18,000 participants - found that the quality of blue space visits matters too, with the greatest mental health benefits linked to safe, clean environments.
In short: the ocean isn't just somewhere to go. It's doing something to you when you're there.
We know of a great playlist for exactly this - for the days when you can't get to the coast but still want to feel it. It's ocean sounds, ambient water recordings, and music that sits somewhere between the two.
What the ocean actually gives us
Blue Health is about what the ocean does when we're near it. But the ocean also gives us something when we're nowhere near it — through the food we eat and the supplements we take. This is the part of the story we think about every day.
Here's what can genuinely be sourced from the sea:
Magnesium
Seawater is one of the richest natural sources of magnesium on the planet. Our marine magnesium is extracted directly from seawater off the Irish coast - a cleaner, more traceable source than mined alternatives. Magnesium supports over 300 enzymatic processes in the body, including sleep regulation, muscle recovery, and the nervous system's ability to manage stress.
Omega-3 (DHA and EPA)
Most people associate Omega-3 with fish oil. But fish don't make Omega-3 - they get it from algae. We've always gone straight to the source: our Omega-3 is algae-derived, which means the same essential fatty acids with none of the sustainability issues that come with fishing.
DHA supports brain function and cognitive clarity; EPA supports heart health and inflammation response.
Vitamin D3
D3 can be synthesised from algae - again, the same source that underpins the entire marine food chain. Algae produce D3 naturally in response to sunlight, just as human skin does. Ours is extracted from microalgae, making it 100% vegan and ocean-derived.
Iodine
Seaweed and sea moss are among the most concentrated natural sources of iodine, which the thyroid depends on to produce the hormones that regulate metabolism, energy, and mood. Most people in the UK get iodine primarily from dairy and fish - sea moss is one of the few plant-based alternatives.
Iron
Irish sea moss contains non-haem iron (plant-based iron), alongside vitamin C, which aids its absorption. It's not a replacement for medical supplementation in cases of diagnosed deficiency, but as a daily maintenance source it's one of the more nutrient-dense things you can add to a routine.
Beyond supplements - what else comes from the sea?
The ocean underpins more of daily life than most people realise.
- Carrageenan, extracted from red seagrass - is used as a thickener in everything from yoghurt to infant formula.
- Agar, from seaweed, is used in labs and kitchens worldwide.
- Chitin, from shellfish, is used in wound dressings and biodegradable packaging.
- And spirulina - blue-green algae, has been consumed as a food source for centuries, long before it became a smoothie ingredient.
The ocean has been quietly running a nutrient operation for millions of years. We're just learning how to work with it properly.
What this means for our mission
Every subscription you take out contributes to our ocean charity partners - SeaTrees. The ocean gives us the ingredients that make NothingFishy possible. We think it's only right that some of what comes back, goes back.
This World Oceans Day, if you take one thing from this: the ocean is not a backdrop. It's the thing keeping most of us going - in ways both measurable and not yet fully understood.
We're glad to be part of it.
References
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United Nations World Oceans Day - history and background: https://unworldoceansday.org/about/
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White et al. (2019), Scientific Reports - 120 minutes in nature study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-44097-3
- University of Exeter / BlueHealth project - blue space wellbeing research: https://news.exeter.ac.uk/faculty-of-health-and-life-sciences/study-identifies-best-visits-to-blue-nature-spots-for-wellbeing-boost/