The world is on the verge of ratifying a historic high seas treaty following progress made at the UN Oceans Conference that concluded in Nice, France, on Friday.
Fifty countries, including the EU, have now agreed to ratify the treaty, and 10 others, including the UK, have agreed to ratify it by the end of the year, enabling it to come into force next year.
The landmark treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction was agreed two years ago but needs ratification by 60 countries. It is a critical lever for implementing global commitments to protect 30 per cent of marine waters.
Despite the progress, the failure to significantly scale up protection of oceans from deep-sea mining and sea beds from “bottom trawling” was widely criticised. Bottom trawling involves dragging weighted nets along the sea floor to catch large quantities of commonly eaten fish such as cod, hake, haddock, halibut and sole as well as shrimp.
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More than 50 global leaders present heard illegal fishing practices pose a fundamental threat to marine ecosystems. Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing costs up to $23.5 billion annually (€20.3 billion). This activity is creating complex security challenges that threaten global fish stocks and the stability of coastal communities.
Global environmental campaign group Greenpeace said significant progress was made towards ratifying the treaty with a strong statement on a new plastics treaty signed by 95 governments. “Once ratified, [the high seas treaty] will be the only legal tool that can create protected areas in international waters, making it fundamental to protecting 30 per cent of the world’s oceans by 2030,” it added.
UN secretary general António Guterres told the UN Oceans Conference that the deep sea should not become the wild west, in an apparent reference to US moves to facilitate sea mining. French president Emmanuel Macron, who co-hosted the summit, said a mining moratorium is an international necessity. Four new countries pledged their support for a moratorium, bringing the total to 37.
“High Seas Treaty ratification is within touching distance, but the progress made here in Nice feels hollow as this conference ends without more tangible commitments to stopping deep-sea mining,” added Greenpeace head of delegation Megan Randles.
Mr Macron announced the creation of one of the world’s largest networks of marine protected areas, with a target of 4 million km² under protection, of which 900km² is highly protected. This is being led by the government of French Polynesia.
Coinciding with the conference, the European Commission adopted a European ocean pact, designed to promote a thriving blue economy and support the wellbeing of people living in coastal areas. Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, announced an investment of €1 billion in Nice to support ocean conservation, marine science and sustainable fishing.
The UN Ocean Conference saw many announcements from individual countries and groups of countries on marine protection measures.
Ghana announced it will ban bottom trawling and all industrial fishing from its waters, while the UK announced a ban over 48,000km2 of its offshore areas already designated as protected.
A total of 22 Pacific nations committed to a joint effort on sustainable ocean management and conservation. Tanzania declared two new marine protected areas to safeguard vital coral reefs, seagrasses, mangroves and habitats of threatened sharks and rays. In addition, 11 governments signed a new pledge to safeguard coral reefs with the best chance of long-term survival in the face of climate change.
“With the overall state of the ocean continuing to deteriorate, we are disappointed by the lack of responsibility shown by states who were unable to agree on a clear pathway forward that defines tangible conservation action,” said Fabienne McLellan, director of international marine conservation group OceanCare.
“The health of the ocean is in free fall, and non-binding declarations will not reverse this trajectory. We needed a concrete action plan with clear timelines, but instead we got aspirational language,” she added.
Europêche, the leading representative body for the European fishing sector, welcomed the adoption of the conference’s political declaration, as “a significant step forward in strengthening multilateral ocean governance, advancing science-based management, enhancing marine spatial planning, and intensifying the global fight against IUU fishing”.
Francois Mosnier of the environmental group Planet Tracker, however, criticised a faiure to ensure sustainable tuna fishing. “The notable absence of announcements from global tuna companies ... in Nice highlights a disconnect between regulatory momentum, climate-driven shifts and the industry’s preparedness to manage these driving forces of change. The tuna sector, and its investors, must engage more closely to assess how these key revenue and risk drivers will evolve.”
Marine biologist Jack O’Donovan Trá, communications officer with the Fair Seas campaign, who attended the summit, said Ireland needed to back its pronouncements on the international stage with concrete actions.
“Pacific Island nations are leading the way, French Polynesia alone has designated 1 million km² of marine protected areas, including 900,000km² under strict protection, [but] others are falling behind,” he added. This included Ireland who had responded to calls on wealthy countries to contribute more to protecting the oceans with silence, Mr O’Donovan said.
“Ireland’s inaction is not only putting the future of our own fishing industry, wildlife and coastal communities at risk with one of the largest maritime areas in the EU, our failure to manage it responsibly undermines the futures of generations to come,” he added.
“There is still time to change course, but let’s be clear, hope without action is meaningless. We need urgent, concrete steps to progress the long-delayed Marine Protected Area (MPA) Bill now, before it’s too late.”
