In this post Andrea Belgrano discusses his highlights of the Research Article ‘Ocean health in the Northeast United States from 2005 to 2017’ by Jamie Montgomery, Courtney Scarborough, Emily Shumchenia, Juliette Verstaen, Nick Napoli and Benjamin Halpern, which he handled as Associate Editor.

The Earth’s oceans sustains life and plays an important role in buffering the effects of climate change, providing food and human well-being through various ecosystem and cultural services. Montgomery et al. 2021, provides through the lens of the Ocean Health Index, an exciting narrative on the importance to assess ocean’s health at a regional scale for understanding the interlinkages of the complex tapestry of interactions underlying the many benefits that the oceans provides to people. The storytelling for the US Northeast showcase an interesting view of how the Ocean Health Index can inform and guiding place-based management actions towards positive transformative changes for the region and allowing a better understanding of the trade-offs between different actors in a transparent and accessible process.