As the third U.N. Ocean Conference in France nears its end, delegates are pushing to responsibly govern the high seas and protect waters from plastic pollution.
“The ocean is the ultimate shared resource. But we are failing it,” says U.N. Secretary General António Guterres. “Fish stocks are collapsing. Over-consumption and illegal fishing are pushing marine life to the brink. Plastic pollution is choking ecosystems.”
At the conference, 18 additional countries ratified the High Seas Treaty, bringing the total to 49. The agreement provides the first legal framework to protect the two-thirds of the ocean that lie beyond national jurisdiction.
Although the Treaty was first adopted in 2023, 60 countries must ratify it for it to be fully implemented. According to the World Resources Institute, the High Seas Treaty is critical to achieving the international 30×30 agenda, which sets out to protect 30 percent of all land and water by 2030.
Calling on additional countries to ratify the agreement, Guterres states, “The entry into force is within our sight, and I call on all remaining nations to join swiftly. We do not have a moment to lose.”
Negotiators are also working to finalize a global treaty on plastic pollution. If passed, the legally binding treaty will be the first to regulate plastics across their entire lifecycle.
“We are choking with plastic,” says Jyoti Mathur-Filipp, who is leading treaty negotiations. “If we do not do something to tackle plastic pollution, we will not have a single ecosystem left, whether it’s terrestrial or marine.”
Between 18-20 percent of global plastic waste finds its way to the oceans, the U.N. estimates. And by 2040, as much as 37 million metric tons could enter the ocean every year if action is not taken.
Protection of the world’s oceans are critically needed for marine ecosystems as well as the people who depend on them, a new report from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) shows. More than 3 billion people worldwide rely on aquatic foods for vital protein and nutrients. At least 600 million depend on fisheries and aquaculture for their livelihoods.
The responsible management of the ocean is key to preserving these marine resources for generations to come. The report reveals that 77 percent of fish consumed globally comes from sustainable sources, where well-managed fisheries result in high yields. Still, at least one third of stocks are being overexploited.
But Manuel Barange, Assistant Director-General at FAO, says that there are shining examples of success, where stocks have been brought back from the brink of collapse, to learn from. Pointing to tuna, Barange says there has been a “significant turnaround,” and he believes that the same progress can be made elsewhere.
“Management works,” Barange says. “We know how to rebuild populations.”
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Photo courtesy of Steff van Niekerk, Unsplash
