Anthropogenic (man-made) sound has the potential to harm marine biota. Increasing concerns about these effects have led to regulation and mitigation, despite there being few data on which to base environmental management, especially for fishes and invertebrates. We argue that regulation and mitigation should always be developed by looking at potential effects from the perspectives of the animals and ecosystems exposed to the sounds. We contend that there is currently a need for far more data on which to base regulation and mitigation, as well as for deciding on future research priorities. This will require a process whereby regulators and researchers come together to identify and implement a strategy that links key scientific and regulatory questions. Much of the current regulation and mitigation of the effects of anthropogenic sound is based on a very limited dataset.Future regulation and mitigation must be approached from the perspective of the animals. Which sounds affect the animals adversely, and what is the nature of these effects?Considerable data (and funding to get that data) is needed, particularly for fishes and invertebrates, before regulation and mitigation can be properly applied.Regulators and investigators should work together to develop a plan of action that focuses on the most important questions, to inform ways to protect animals and develop appropriate mitigation and regulation, and to inform the most effective way(s) to answer those questions.Future work should focus on a limited number of species, key research questions, and experimental approaches that allow easy comparison of data across studies, species, and sound sources.