LOM Financial announced a three-year charitable partnership with the Sargasso Sea Commission, the non-governmental organisation dedicated to the conservation of the Sargasso Sea.

The Bermudian-based investment firm said it would be donating $30,000 to support the SSC’s various ongoing projects.

These include the “Important Marine Mammal Area” humpback whale designation, work with the shipping industry, and the release of the Socio-Ecosystem Diagnostic Analysis - a comprehensive scientific assessment developed over four years by more than 25 international experts that documents both the ecological significance of the Sargasso Sea and the human pressures it faces.

LOM said the partnership reflected its commitment to supporting meaningful environmental stewardship in the communities where it operates.

“The Sargasso Sea is one of Bermuda's most important natural neighbours, and its health impacts the health of our island and our ocean,” said Scott Lines, chairman and chief executive officer of LOM Financial.

David Freestone, executive secretary of the Sargasso Sea Commission Secretariat, said: “The health of the Sargasso Sea is deeply connected to Bermuda’s nearshore waters and vice versa.

“We are so grateful for the support of LOM Financial as a Bermuda firm in strengthening the stewardship of the Sargasso Sea that has been a part of Bermuda for over a decade.”

The Sargasso Sea habitat supports endemic species found nowhere else on Earth, serves as a critical migration corridor and breeding ground for animals including eels, sea turtles and migratory birds.

Though the Sargasso Sea covers just 1 per cent of the world's ocean surface, it accounts for 7 per cent of the global ocean carbon pump — making it a significant ally in the fight against climate change.

The SSC was established under the Hamilton Declaration on Collaboration for the Conservation of the Sargasso Sea, in partnership with the Government of Bermuda, and has been working for over a decade to build the scientific, legal, and diplomatic foundations for the area’s long-term protection.

This SSC’s research will serve as the foundation for a Strategic Action Programme expected to be agreed by the end of 2026.

The recent entry into force of the BBNJ Agreement (or “High Seas Treaty”) now makes it possible — for the first time — to establish internationally legally binding marine protected areas on the high seas.

The Sargasso Sea is positioned to be among the first high seas sites to benefit from this new framework, through a collective area-based management tool proposal which is due to be developed under the new Hamilton II initiative, co-led by the Governments of Bermuda and Britain.

• For more information, visit the Sargasso Sea Commission website at www.sargassoseacommission.org/our-work/seda