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Circular TG-0.1 · Section 0: Concepts, Definitions and Front Matter · 1 September 2026

General Introduction to Ocean Accounts

Circular ID TG-0.1
Version 0.8.2
Badge Core
Status Completed
Last Updated September 2026

Circular TG-0.1 · Section 0: Concepts, Definitions and Front Matter · 1 September 2026

General Introduction to Ocean Accounts

Explains what ocean accounts are and how they work, in terms that make sense to economists, ecologists, and policymakers alike.

Version
0.8.2
Status
Completed
Stability
Core
Last updated
September 2026
Responsible officer
Dr Jordan Gacutan
Drafting
AI-assisted drafting from GOAP Secretariat source materials; source list to be published at the close of consultation.

Explains what ocean accounts are and how they work, in terms that make sense to economists, ecologists, and policymakers alike.

Version
0.8.2
Status
Completed
Stability
Core
Last updated
September 2026
Responsible officer
Dr Jordan Gacutan
Drafting
AI-assisted drafting from GOAP Secretariat source materials; source list to be published at the close of consultation.
After this circular
TG-0.2 Overview of Relevant Statistical Standards, TG-0.5 Navigating the Technical Guidance, TG-1.1 OA and National Budget Processes, TG-1.2 OA and Marine Spatial Planning, TG-1.3 OA and Marine Spatial Management (including MPAs), TG-1.4 OA and Sustainable Ocean Planning ·
Show all 19Show fewer TG-1.5 OA and Fisheries Management, TG-1.6 OA and Environmental Impact Assessment, TG-1.7 OA and Multilateral Development Finance, TG-1.8 OA and Project-Level Finance, TG-1.9 Safe Usage of Monetary Valuation, TG-2.1 Aggregate Biophysical Indicators of Environmental State, TG-3.1 Asset Accounts, TG-0.8 Implementation Readiness Assessment, TG-1.10 OA and National Planning Integration, TG-3.11 Sub-National Ocean Accounts, TG-4.7 National Data Coordination Architectures, TG-6.13 Freshwater-Marine Interaction Accounting, TG-1.0 Ocean Accounting and the Blue/Ocean Economy

Standards this circular implements

  • Implements SNA 2025: SNA 2025 para 35.63 and Chapters 2, 34 and 35. The circular locates ocean accounts as a thematic application of the 2025 SNA, including natural capital as natural resources plus ecosystem assets, depletion as a cost of production, and NDP as the conceptually preferred growth measure (Annex 4, para A4.10). — §3.6
  • Adapts SEEA Central Framework: SEEA CF para 2.102 and Section 5.9. It treats individual ocean environmental assets and physical flows through PSUTs (Chapters 3–4) while excluding the ocean water body as an environmental asset, and it carries the cultivated-versus-wild aquatic resource split into the Ocean Accounts Framework. — §3.6
  • Adapts SEEA Ecosystem Accounting: SEEA EA ecosystem assets as spatially defined units, with condition measured against a reference condition (para 5.69). The circular organises marine and coastal accounts around ecosystem extent, condition and services rather than only individual resources, noting three-dimensional delineation as the marine adaptation. — §3.6
  • Implements Ecosystem Condition Typology: SEEA EA Ecosystem Condition Typology (three groups, six classes). Section 3.5 specifies ECT as the organising structure for marine condition variables relative to a natural or undegraded reference condition. — §3.5
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1. Outcome

Section titled “1. Outcome”

1After reading this Circular, you will be able to explain what ocean accounts are and how they work, in terms that make sense to economists, ecologists, and policymakers alike. You will understand the core framework that organises ocean-society-economy interactions, recognise how ocean accounts connect to established international standards — the System of National Accounts (SNA) and the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA), both defined in the TG-0.6 Glossary of Key Terms — and identify practical starting points for implementation.

2. Requirements

Section titled “2. Requirements”

1None: this Circular introduces the Technical Guidance on Ocean Accounts for Sustainable Ocean Development as a whole.

3. Guidance Material

Section titled “3. Guidance Material”

3.1 Sustainable development of the ocean

Section titled “3.1 Sustainable development of the ocean”

1Sustainable development requires maintaining or enhancing the assets that future generations will need1. These include produced and financial capital, and also natural capital, which the 2025 SNA defines as the combination of natural resources (such as mineral and energy resources, biological resources, and water resources) and ecosystem assets (spatially defined areas of ecosystems, measured through SEEA Ecosystem Accounting)2, 3, 4. The 2025 SNA formally locates natural capital within a broader multiple-capitals framework alongside produced capital, human capital, and social capital (Chapters 2, 34 and 35)4.

2The ocean contains and supports a wide range of these natural capital assets: individual environmental assets located in the ocean (such as aquatic resources and seabed mineral and energy resources, as defined in the SEEA Central Framework), marine and coastal ecosystem assets (as defined in SEEA Ecosystem Accounting), and produced assets supporting ocean economic activity (as defined in the SNA)5, 6. The ocean water body itself is not treated as an environmental asset in the SEEA framework, because the stock of water is too large to be meaningful for analytical purposes (SEEA CF para 2.102)5. This exclusion does not limit the measurement of individual assets within the ocean, such as fish stocks and seabed minerals.

3Sustainable ocean development entails three interconnected objectives: (1) advancing ocean-based economic activities that provide sustainable livelihoods, (2) ensuring equitable distribution of benefits across society, and (3) conserving and enhancing marine ecosystems and their ecological processes7. These objectives are inseparable: a fishery that collapses undermines both economic output and coastal community wellbeing.

3.2 Information requirements for sustainable development decision-making

Section titled “3.2 Information requirements for sustainable development decision-making”

1Traditional economic indicators such as GDP cannot answer the key questions facing ocean managers: GDP does not capture environmental depletion, equity considerations, or values not traded in markets8, 9. International commitments now require better measurement: CBD Decisions 15/24 (2022) and 16/1 (2024) call on countries to integrate biodiversity and ecosystem values into national accounting frameworks, including through ocean accounts.

2The information requirements for sustainable ocean development reduce to three questions10:

  1. 3What is the current economic output from ocean-related activities? This establishes the scale and composition of the ocean economy.
  2. 4What benefits (and disbenefits) do people and communities derive from the ocean, and how are these distributed? This identifies who gains, who loses, and whether ocean development is equitable.
  3. 5Is ocean development sustainable over time? This question turns on whether the asset base (natural, produced, human, and social capital) is being maintained or depleted.

6Answering these questions requires indicators spanning ocean production, ocean income (including physical measures of ecosystem services and monetary measures disaggregated across population segments), and changes in ocean balance sheets as sustainability indicators.

3.3 Definition and scope of ocean accounts

Section titled “3.3 Definition and scope of ocean accounts”

1Ocean accounts give countries a common, structured way to measure the ocean, its importance to people, and what people are doing to change it11. They bring together environmental, economic, and social data into a single coherent framework, so that a fisheries scientist, a national accountant, and a coastal community planner can all work from the same evidence base.

2Three characteristics distinguish ocean accounts from other ocean-related information compilations:

  1. 3They follow the Ocean Accounts Framework presented in this Technical Guidance (introduced in Section 3.5). Data from different agencies and domains are organised consistently, enabling comparison across sectors, regions, and time periods.
  2. 4They are compatible with international statistical standards, in particular the SNA and SEEA. Ocean accounts speak the same language as national economic accounts, so ocean data can be directly compared with GDP figures and other official statistics.
  3. 5They adhere to the principles of official statistics. The information meets quality standards required for policy decision-making: transparent, reproducible, and independently verifiable12, 13.

6The framework covers marine and coastal areas within national jurisdictions (territorial waters, exclusive economic zones, continental shelves) and can be applied to particular areas within these zones (e.g., bays, protected areas). It is also applicable to activities functionally connected with but spatially separate from the ocean (e.g. nutrient pollution from inland agriculture), and to areas beyond national jurisdiction though with added conceptual challenges.

7Whilst ocean accounts can include economic valuation of some ocean assets and services, they do not aim to determine a single ‘total value’ of the ocean, which would be both conceptually problematic and practically impossible14.

3.4 Functional components of ocean accounts

Section titled “3.4 Functional components of ocean accounts”

1Ocean accounts function as an information pipeline: diverse data sources feed into a validation layer where statistical standards are applied to produce standardised accounts, from which indicators and reports are derived for decision-makers.

2Figure 0.1.1 below sets out the four stages of this pipeline. Reading from bottom to top:

Four-stage functional structure of ocean accounts, read from bottom to top A vertical pipeline of four stacked stages, read from bottom to top. Stage 1, data sources (social, economic, environmental, customary), feeds Stage 2, data sharing and validation (applying statistical principles and standards), which feeds Stage 3, standardised accounts (tables, other data structures and interfaces), which feeds Stage 4, indicators and reports (for multiple decision processes). An upward arrow on the left indicates that data are progressively integrated and refined from raw sources at the base into decision-ready outputs at the top. Progressive integration & refinement 4 INDICATORS AND REPORTS For multiple decision processes: planning, investment, regulation, monitoring & evaluation 3 STANDARDISED ACCOUNTS Tables, other data structures and interfaces, recording stocks of assets and flows 2 DATA SHARING AND VALIDATION Applying statistical principles and standards (in particular the SNA and SEEA) 1 DATA SOURCES Social, economic, environmental and customary, aligned to common boundaries & periods Data input Processing & structuring Decision-ready output

Figure 0.1.1 Four stacked stages show progressive integration from raw data sources to decision-ready indicators and reports. Read bottom to top; each stage adds integration relative to the one below. Source: TG-0.1 §3.4 (functional components of ocean accounts). Adapted from: Global Ocean Accounts Partnership, Technical Guidance on Ocean Accounting (2021), functional structure of ocean accounts.

3The construction of ocean accounts begins with data collection and compilation from numerous sources: government agencies, research institutions, industry bodies, citizen science programmes, and indigenous knowledge systems. These data span environmental monitoring, economic statistics, social surveys, governance information, geospatial observations, customary knowledge, and many others15. A necessary step is aligning these heterogeneous datasets to common spatial boundaries, classifications, and accounting periods, through data sharing and validation processes that apply the relevant international statistical principles and standards (in particular the SNA and SEEA).

4Raw data are then organised into standardised accounting tables or other data structures (e.g. non-relational JSON objects) in accordance with the Ocean Accounts Framework. These structures distinguish between:

  • 5Stocks of assets: levels measured or valued at a point in time (for example fish biomass, coral reefs, or coastal infrastructure).
  • 6Flows of goods, (dis)services or activities: physical or monetary transfers, measured or valued over an accounting period, between assets and/or social or economic sectors (for example fish harvest, coastal protection from mangrove forests, pollution of the environment by economic activity).

7From these tables, analysts or automated systems derive indicators and visualisations that condense complex information into decision-relevant metrics for planning, investment, regulation, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting16.

3.5 Conceptual components of the Ocean Accounts Framework

Section titled “3.5 Conceptual components of the Ocean Accounts Framework”

1The Ocean Accounts Framework starts from a central premise: the economy is embedded within the environment rather than sitting alongside it17. A fishing industry employs people in coastal communities (the economy is embedded within society), and those communities depend on healthy fish stocks (society is embedded within the environment). Damage to one layer propagates inward to the layers it contains, and improvements to one layer carry through to the others.

2The Framework calls this arrangement a nested superset structure. The three domains (Economy, Society, and Environment) are concentric layers. The Framework distinguishes between flows (measurements of supply, use, activity or interaction) and stocks (measurements of asset status, extent and/or condition), each organised into three nested domain groups (Figure 0.1.2)18.

Nested superset of Economy within Society within Environment, shown for Flows and Stocks A two-band concentric diagram showing three nested rounded rectangles (Environment outermost, Society middle, Economy innermost) within each of a Flows band (top) and a Stocks band (bottom). Example labels populate each ring. Ocean accounts integrate Economy ⊂ Society ⊂ Environment across both Flows and Stocks Flows: entries this period (activities, supply, use and services over the accounting period) Flows (period entries) Environment Society Economy • Gross value added (GVA) • Fish landings (market) • Subsistence catch • Customary stewardship • Cultural ecosystem services • Volunteer monitoring effort • Carbon sequestration flux  • Larval dispersal  • Nutrient cycling Stocks: balances at a point in time (asset levels, extent and condition at the reference date) Stocks (point-in-time balances) Environment Society Economy • Vessels & port infrastructure • Aquaculture facilities; licences • Coastal community health • Marine tenure & MPAs • Customary institutions • Education & food security • Fish biomass  • Coral cover  • Seagrass extent  • Seabed minerals

Figure 0.1.2 Economy sits nested within Society within Environment, shown separately for flows over the period and stocks at a point in time. Example entries illustrate the kinds of measurement each ring contributes. Source: SEEA EA 2024 §2.21-2.24 (SNA/SEEA boundary, ecosystem-economy interactions); 2025 SNA §34.1 (multiple-capitals framework and the SNA production boundary). Adapted from: GOAP Diagnostic Tool (2023); SEEA EA 2024 §2.21-2.24; 2025 SNA Chapter 34.

3This nested conception aligns with the multiple-capitals framework adopted by the 2025 SNA, which identifies produced capital, human capital, social capital, and natural capital as the four pillars of sustainable wellbeing (Chapters 2, 34 and 35)4. The Framework also supports integrated accounting for qualitative and quantitative data drawn from multiple knowledge systems. In many countries, traditional knowledge systems do not make clear distinctions between people and nature.

4The accounting relationships between domain groups define the subject matter of the Technical Guidance Circulars. Figure 0.1.3 below illustrates the principal categories of accounting relationship between flow groups and stock groups.

Accounting relationships E1 to E11 between flow groups and stock groups A three-by-three matrix. Rows are the flow groups FG1 Economy, FG2 Society and FG3 Environment; columns are the stock groups SG1 SNA assets, SG2 Social assets and SG3 Environmental assets. Each cell names the accounting relationships between that flow group and that stock group, with an arrow for direction. FG1 and SG1: E3, both directions. FG1 and SG2: E5, flow to stock; E7, stock to flow. FG1 and SG3: E1 residuals, flow to stock; E9 ecosystem services to the economy, stock to flow. FG2 and SG1: E4, both directions. FG2 and SG2: E6, flow to stock; E8, stock to flow. FG2 and SG3: E2 residuals, flow to stock; E10 non-market ecosystem services to society, stock to flow. FG3 and SG3: E11 intermediate services and ecological processes, both directions. FG3 has no direct relationship with SG1 or SG2. Cells are shaded by badge: Applied for E1, E3, E9 and E11; Emerging for the rest. STOCK GROUPS SG1 SNA assets Produced and financial capital SG2 Social assets SG1 plus social conditions SG3 Environmental assets SG2 plus natural capital FLOW GROUPS FG1 Economy SNA production boundary FG2 Society FG1 plus activity outside the production boundary FG3 Environment FG2 plus ecological processes E3 ↔ Supply and use, capital formation, balance sheets E5 → Employment and livelihoods, community health E7 ← Governance and workforce enabling ocean industries E1 → Residuals: discharges, emissions, commercial litter E9 ← Ecosystem services to the economy E4 ↔ Community use and upkeep of SNA assets E6 → Volunteer networks, customary practice E8 ← Governance enabling community participation E2 → Residuals: household waste, subsistence activity E10 ← Non-market ecosystem services to society No direct relationship No direct relationship E11 ↔ Intermediate services and ecological processes Applied Emerging No direct relationship → flow group to stock group ← stock group to flow group ↔ both directions

Figure 0.1.3 The eleven accounting relationships (E1–E11) between the flow groups (rows) and the stock groups (columns), shaded by badge. The table below describes each relationship and names its primary circulars.

5The Framework identifies three nested domain groups for flows (FG1-FG3) and three for stocks (SG1-SG3). Figure 0.1.3 illustrates the principal categories of accounting relationship between them; the table below enumerates the eleven specific accounting relationships (E1-E11) addressed by the Technical Guidance.

Domain groups for flows

Section titled “Domain groups for flows”

1The three flow groups are nested like concentric rings:

  • 2

    FG1 — Economy (SNA production boundary): Flows that national accountants already measure: production, income, supply and use, capital formation and financial transactions, and household distributional accounts. For ocean accounts, this encompasses all monetary flows related to ocean industries (fishing, shipping, offshore energy, tourism) as well as physical flows of natural resource inputs and residuals structured through Physical Supply and Use Tables (PSUTs) as defined in SEEA CF Chapters 3 and 45. The 2025 SNA also provides for extended labour accounts, distributional income and consumption accounts, and measures of unpaid household service work (Chapter 16, para 7.31)4, 19, representing the boundary between FG1 and FG2.

  • 3

    FG2 — Society ⊃ FG1: Everything in FG1, plus activities outside the SNA production boundary that are significant for sustainable ocean development: subsistence fishing, volunteer beach clean-ups, community-based marine monitoring, customary marine stewardship practices, and governance activities. The 2025 SNA acknowledges the importance of measuring these extended activities for wellbeing assessment (Chapters 16, 34)4, 19.

  • 4

    FG3 — Environment ⊃ FG2: Everything in FG2, plus ecological processes and interactions within the environment that maintain ecosystem functioning but are not directly used by people. These include intermediate ecosystem services (nutrient cycling, seed dispersal between ecosystems), biogeochemical cycles (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus), energy flows through food webs, species migrations, and larval dispersal6.

Domain groups for stocks

Section titled “Domain groups for stocks”

1The stock domain groups follow the same nested structure, mapping directly to the 2025 SNA’s multiple-capitals framework (Chapters 34-35)4:

  • 2

    SG1 — SNA assets (produced capital): Balance sheets, physical asset inventories, and financial positions within the SNA framework. For ocean accounts, this includes produced assets such as vessels, port infrastructure, aquaculture facilities, and offshore platforms; and financial assets such as fishing licences (where treated as assets) and ocean-related investments.

  • 3

    SG2 — Social assets ⊃ SG1: Everything in SG1, plus community conditions (health, education, food security in coastal populations), governance arrangements (legal frameworks, customary tenure, marine protected area designations), and institutional capacities, corresponding to ‘human capital’ and ‘social capital’ in the SNA 2025 framework. Measurement approaches draw on the SEEA EA treatment of cultural services (Chapter 6) and TG-3.7 Governance Accounts6.

  • 4

    SG3 — Environmental assets ⊃ SG2: Everything in SG2, plus natural capital: individual environmental assets as defined in the SEEA Central Framework (fish stocks, seabed minerals, water resources) and ecosystem assets as defined in SEEA Ecosystem Accounting (coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass meadows, pelagic ecosystems), measured through extent and condition accounts5, 6, 20.

5Individual environmental assets in the ocean domain can be classified according to the 2025 SNA’s five categories of natural resources (para A2.37)3, 4: (1) land, including coastal land and the seabed; (2) mineral and energy resources, including seabed minerals, offshore hydrocarbons, and renewable energy resources such as offshore wind and tidal energy (AN322); (3) biological resources, including aquatic resources such as fish stocks; (4) water resources; and (5) other natural resources. Ecosystem condition is measured using the SEEA EA Ecosystem Condition Typology (ECT), which organises condition variables into three groups and six classes: abiotic characteristics (physical and chemical characteristics), biotic characteristics (compositional state, structural state, and functional state), and landscape/seascape characteristics6, 21. Condition is measured relative to a reference condition reflecting the natural or undegraded state of the ecosystem (SEEA EA para 5.69)6.

6An important distinction applies to aquatic biological resources. Aquaculture production (cultivated biological resources) falls within the SNA production boundary: the growth of organisms in aquaculture facilities is treated as a process of production, and these resources are classified as produced assets. In contrast, wild-capture fisheries target natural biological resources that are outside the production boundary until harvest, and are subject to depletion accounting. This distinction, elaborated in SEEA CF Section 5.95, bears directly on how these resources are recorded in ocean accounts, including whether changes in stock are treated as changes in produced capital or as depletion of natural resources. In practice, changes in aquaculture biomass are recorded as changes in produced assets (gross fixed capital formation or changes in inventories, depending on the holding period), whilst changes in wild fish stocks are recorded as depletion of natural resources in SEEA-aligned supplementary accounts, with direct implications for adjusted measures of net income such as net domestic product (NDP).

Accounting relationships between domain groups

Section titled “Accounting relationships between domain groups”

1The eleven accounting relationships in the table below define the connections between flow groups and stock groups. Each relationship represents a distinct category of interaction that is the subject of one or more Technical Guidance Circulars. The “Primary Circular(s)” column identifies where detailed guidance on each relationship can be found.

EdgeDirectionDescriptionPrimary Circular(s)Badge
E1FG1→SG3Pollution and residuals from economic activity to the environment — industrial discharges, shipping emissions, oil spills, marine litter from commercial sourcesTG-3.4Applied
E2FG2→SG3Pollution and residuals from broader social activity to the environment — household waste, subsistence activity residuals, community-generated marine litterTG-3.4, TG-3.5Emerging
E3FG1↔SG1Monetary and physical flows between economic sectors and SNA assets — supply/use tables, capital formation, depreciation, balance sheet changes (bidirectional: monetary flows between SNA sectors and assets run in both directions)TG-3.1, TG-3.3Applied
E4FG2↔SG1Social activities affecting or drawing upon SNA assets — community use of public infrastructure, volunteer maintenance of coastal assetsTG-3.5Emerging
E5FG1→SG2Economic activities contributing to social conditions — employment generating livelihoods, industries affecting community health, economic growth supporting educationTG-3.3, TG-3.5Emerging
E6FG2→SG2Social activities contributing to social conditions — volunteer networks building community resilience, customary practices maintaining cultural knowledgeTG-3.5, TG-3.7Emerging
E7SG2→FG1Social assets enabling economic flows — governance frameworks that create conditions for investment, educated workforce supporting ocean industries, institutional trust enabling market transactionsTG-3.7, TG-3.3Emerging
E8SG2→FG2Social assets enabling social activities — governance arrangements enabling community participation, cultural institutions supporting customary practicesTG-3.5, TG-3.7Emerging
E9SG3→FG1Ecosystem services flowing to the economy — fish provisioning, coastal protection enabling economic activity, water purification for industry, seabed minerals extractionTG-3.2Applied
E10SG3→FG2Ecosystem services flowing to society beyond the economy — cultural and spiritual values of marine environments, non-market recreational benefits, subsistence provisioning, climate regulation benefits to communitiesTG-3.2, TG-3.5Emerging
E11FG3↔SG3Intermediate ecosystem services and ecological processes — nutrient cycling maintaining water quality, larval dispersal sustaining fish populations, carbon sequestration maintaining climate regulation capacity (bidirectional: intermediate ecosystem services involve mutual exchanges between ecosystems)TG-3.2Applied

2The distinction between E1 and E2 (economic vs. social residuals to the environment) and between E9 and E10 (ecosystem services to the economy vs. to society) reflects a reality that matters for policy: human-environment interactions extend well beyond market transactions. E2 captures residuals from activities outside the SNA production boundary (e.g., household plastic waste, subsistence fishing bycatch), whilst E10 captures ecosystem contributions to wellbeing that are not mediated through market transactions (e.g., cultural values of coral reefs, spiritual significance of marine environments). The social edges E4-E8 represent the least standardised relationships between social capital and both economic and environmental outcomes, drawing on the 2025 SNA’s expanded treatment of wellbeing and sustainability measurement4.

Spatial data framework

Section titled “Spatial data framework”

1The Framework employs a spatially explicit approach with Basic Spatial Units (BSUs) as the foundation. These units may be differentiated into terrestrial, coastal, and marine BSUs, establishing connections between terrestrial activities that impact the ocean, coastal transition zones, and marine environments. Depth layers within BSUs enable a three-dimensional perspective that accommodates the complex spatial nature of ocean systems.

3.6 Relationship to other standards and approaches

Section titled “3.6 Relationship to other standards and approaches”

1Ocean accounts build on established international standards. Full treatment of the SNA and SEEA concepts relevant to ocean accounts is in TG-0.2 Overview of Relevant Statistical Standards.

System of National Accounts (SNA)

Section titled “System of National Accounts (SNA)”

1The System of National Accounts (SNA)3 provides the foundational structure for measuring economic activity. The 2025 SNA formally defines natural capital, treats the depletion of natural resources as a cost of production, and explicitly identifies ocean accounting as an application of its thematic accounting framework (para 35.63)4. It also gives more emphasis to net income measures such as Net Domestic Product (NDP) as the conceptually preferred measure of economic growth (Annex 4, para A4.10)4.

System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA)

Section titled “System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA)”

1The System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) includes two complementary standards: the SEEA Central Framework (SEEA-CF)5 and SEEA Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EA)6. Ocean accounts adapt these approaches specifically for the marine domain, addressing challenges such as three-dimensional ecosystem delineation and fluid boundaries22.

Ocean Economy Satellite Accounts

Section titled “Ocean Economy Satellite Accounts”

1Ocean Economy Satellite Accounts are specialised economic accounts that disaggregate and measure ocean-related economic activities, providing greater detail on maritime sectors often hidden within broader national account classifications23.

Natural Capital Accounting (NCA)

Section titled “Natural Capital Accounting (NCA)”

1Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) broadly refers to approaches that measure natural assets and their contributions to the economy. Ocean accounts represent a specific application of NCA principles to the marine domain24.

Corporate disclosure frameworks

Section titled “Corporate disclosure frameworks”

1Corporate disclosure frameworks such as those for climate-related and nature-related financial disclosures focus on enterprise-level reporting. Whilst ocean accounts primarily support public policy, the data can inform corporate reporting on ocean dependencies and impacts25.

Marine Spatial Planning (MSP)

Section titled “Marine Spatial Planning (MSP)”

1Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) frameworks organise the spatial allocation of ocean activities. Because both MSP and ocean accounts use spatial units, the two approaches are natural complements: MSP defines where activities can happen, and ocean accounts measure what actually happens and what changes as a result26.

3.7 Data quality and uncertainty

Section titled “3.7 Data quality and uncertainty”

1All data have limitations, and acknowledging uncertainty is a mark of rigorous accounting. The SEEA EA identifies six dimensions of data quality relevant to environmental-economic accounting: relevance, timeliness, accuracy, coherence, interpretability, and accessibility, together with the quality of the institutional environment in which the data are compiled (SEEA EA para 2.86)6.

2Four categories of uncertainty are particularly pertinent to ocean accounts:

  1. 3Uncertainty related to physical measurement of ecosystem services and ecosystem assets
  2. 4Uncertainty in the valuation of ecosystem services and ecosystem assets
  3. 5Uncertainty related to the dynamics of ecosystems and changes in flows
  4. 6Uncertainty regarding future prices and values (SEEA EA para 2.90)6

7All accounting work should document the scope of measurement, the definitions applied, the methods used, and the assumptions made (SEEA EA para 2.95). The quality dimensions, uncertainty categories, documentation requirements and quality flags that apply to every account are set out in TG-0.7 Quality Assurance Principles.

3.8 Implementation approaches and starting points

Section titled “3.8 Implementation approaches and starting points”

1Countries typically adopt modular approaches, building accounts progressively rather than attempting full implementation from the outset. Common entry points include:

  • 2

    Thematic focus: Start with a pressing policy question: marine protected area management, sustainable fisheries, coastal tourism, marine pollution reduction, climate change adaptation, or blue economy strategy monitoring27.

  • 3

    Geographic scope: Start with the area that matters most: the national level (whole exclusive economic zone), subnational regions, specific ecosystems (coral reefs, mangroves), marine protected areas, or areas of high economic significance or environmental vulnerability.

  • 4

    Existing data availability: Start with what you already have: national statistical compilations, environmental monitoring programmes, economic surveys, marine spatial data infrastructures, research programmes, and administrative datasets28.

  • 5

    Institutional arrangements: Start with the institutions ready to collaborate: national statistics office-led, environment agency-led, multi-agency collaborative, or research institution partnerships.

6Initial pilot studies often focus on feasibility assessment and capability development before scaling to wider implementation. Countries with limited resources may begin with rapid assessments using global datasets before developing more detailed national accounts29.

4. Acknowledgements

Section titled “4. Acknowledgements”

1Authors: [To be confirmed]

2Reviewers: [To be confirmed]

5. References

Section titled “5. References”
Footnotes
  1. 1

    World Commission on Environment and Development. (1987). Our Common Future. Oxford University Press. ↩

  2. 2

    Dasgupta, P. (2021). The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review. HM Treasury. ↩

  3. 3

    United Nations. (2025). System of National Accounts 2025. United Nations. Adopted by the United Nations Statistical Commission at its 56th session, March 2025. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  4. 4

    United Nations. (2025). System of National Accounts 2025, Chapters 2, 34, and 35: Measuring the sustainability of well-being; para 2.24 (natural capital definition); para 35.63 (ocean accounting application); Annex 4, para A4.10 (NDP as preferred measure); Annex 2, para A2.37 (five categories of natural resources). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10

  5. 5

    United Nations, European Union, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, & World Bank. (2014). System of Environmental-Economic Accounting 2012: Central Framework. World Bank. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  6. 6

    United Nations. (2021). System of Environmental-Economic Accounting — Ecosystem Accounting. United Nations. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9

  7. 7

    Fenichel, E.P., et al. (2020). Modifying national accounts for sustainable ocean development. Nature Sustainability, 3, 889-895. ↩

  8. 8

    Stiglitz, J.E., Sen, A., & Fitoussi, J.P. (2010). Mis-measuring Our Lives: Why GDP Doesn’t Add Up. The New Press. ↩

  9. 9

    Jorgenson, D.W. (2018). Production and welfare: Progress in economic measurement. Journal of Economic Literature, 56, 867-919. ↩

  10. 10

    Fenichel, E.P., et al. (2020). National Accounting for the Ocean and Ocean Economy. World Resources Institute. ↩

  11. 11

    Loureiro, T.G., et al. (2023). Ocean accounts as an approach to foster, monitor, and report progress towards sustainable development in a changing ocean — The Systems and Flows Model. Marine Policy, 105668. ↩

  12. 12

    United Nations. (2014). Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics. United Nations General Assembly Resolution 68/261. United Nations. ↩

  13. 13

    Fenichel, E.P., et al. (2020). Modifying national accounts for sustainable ocean development. Nature Sustainability, 3, 889-895. ↩

  14. 14

    Toman, M. (1998). Why not to calculate the value of the world’s ecosystem services and natural capital. Ecological Economics, 25, 57-60. ↩

  15. 15

    Vardon, M., May, S., Keith, H., Burnett, P., & Lindenmayer, D. (2019). Accounting for ecosystem services — Lessons from Australia for its application and use in Oceania to achieve sustainable development. Ecosystem Services, 39, 100986. ↩

  16. 16

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Cite this circular

General Introduction to Ocean Accounts (2026) (GOAP Technical Guidance on Ocean Accounting, TG-0.1, v0.8.2). GOAP Secretariat. https://guidance.oceanaccounts.org/circulars/section-0/0-1-general-introduction/

BibTeX
@techreport{goap_tg_0_1_2026,
  title = {General Introduction to Ocean Accounts},
  institution = {Global Ocean Accounts Partnership Secretariat},
  series = {GOAP Technical Guidance on Ocean Accounting},
  number = {TG-0.1},
  year = {2026},
  version = {0.8.2},
  url = {https://guidance.oceanaccounts.org/circulars/section-0/0-1-general-introduction/}
}

© 2026 Global Ocean Accounts Partnership. Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. Consultation drafts are not adopted GOAP guidance.

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