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Nations agree to protect the high seas from overfishing
Environmentalists celebrated last month after the United Nations
finally agreed that the high seas need protection. The high seas,
which lay beyond a country's coastal waters, represents about
58 percent of our planet’s oceans. Its rich marine life, though, is
dying off.
For the first time in history, countries agreed that an international
treaty is needed "to address the urgent crisis of biodiversity loss
on the high seas,” says Daniela Diz. She is a marine policy expert
at the World Wildlife Fund, and sat in on the talks at the United
Nations. “It’s an important step forward.”
And the decision hasn't come a moment too soon. The Census
of Marine Life estimated that 90 percent of some types of large
fish, such as tuna and swordfish, have disappeared from the
seas.
Making Marine Protected Areas
Harmful fishing practices cause much of the threat. Most of the
deep-sea fishing in the high seas is done by bottom trawling, in
which heavy nets are scraped across the seafloor. These nets
sweep up everything in their path. They destroy fragile marine
ecosystems, such as deepwater corals and sponges that give
shelter to fish. Much of the nets' catch, called its bycatch, is
thrown back dead.
To prevent overfishing, the agreement would, among other
things, make it much easier to establish marine protected areas
(MPAs) in the high seas.
MPAs are the oceans’ national parks. They range in size and level
of protection. Twelve percent of the world’s land is currently
protected in national parks and wildlife preserves. In contrast,
just about 1 percent of the high seas is protected. The plan is to
increase this number to 10 percent by 2020 and eventually to 30
percent.
“The new agreement will be about what we keep in the seas,
instead of what we extract,” says Karen Sack. She is the director
of The Pew Charitable Trusts’ International Marine Program. Sack
has been involved in the discussions to create an agreement
since their beginning in 2004.
Who's Watching The Oceans?
An uncoordinated jumble of institutions and regulations have
control over different aspects of the high seas. There’s the
International Maritime Organization for shipping. For mining,
there's the International Seabed Authority. For fishing, it is the
Regional Fisheries Management Organizations. A recent report
by the Global Ocean Commission found that too many different
agencies have made it virtually impossible to safeguard the high
seas.
The commission called on countries to quickly agree on a set of
rules for the high seas. Other problems include government
support of deep-sea fishing, lack of tracking for fishing vessels,
offshore oil and gas exploration and plastics pollution.
If these rules do not go into effect within five years, the
commission suggests closing the high seas to fishing. “This
proposal is not anti-fishing,” says Rémi Parmentier, commission
deputy executive secretary.
Coastal states would benefit, he said. Many of them are suffering
economically, because fish are being killed off by high-seas
fishing fleets. This is especially the case in West Africa.
Matthew Gianni is the co-founder of the Deep Sea Conservation
Coalition. He fears a complete closure may lead countries to
expand their coastal zones, where they have exclusive rights to
fish. Countries' coastal zones extend 200 nautical miles into the
ocean. The high seas lay beyond this point, in international
waters.
“There’s a lot of merit to collective regulation,” said Gianni,
whose environmental group aims to save the high seas.
"Biggest Savings Account"
Yet, the evidence in favor of closing the high seas is growing.
Earlier in February, a study from the University of British
Columbia (UBC) suggested this would have ecological, economic
and social benefits.
Researchers found that closing the high seas would actually
increase the amount of fish caught annually. A greater number of
countries would catch these fish within their coastal areas. This
would make the high seas the “biggest savings account on the
planet.” Major fishing nations, including Japan, South Korea and
Taiwan, rely on high-seas bottom trawling. They would lose
hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
If the agreement is successfully negotiated, there may be no
need for closing down the high seas to fishing. This is because
some key areas would be set aside for marine protection. Also,
areas outside the MPAs would be closely studied. These would
help ensure that the high seas' health is maintained in the long
run. “I realize what we have lost,” says Enric Sala. The deep-sea
diver is a National Geographic Society explorer-in-residence and
co-author of the UBC paper.
“I also see what the ocean of the future can be,” added Sala. “It’s
the difference between the places that are degraded, and places
that are pristine and beautiful that gives us hope.”
CAN YOU PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR REFLECTION ON THIS!!!!! THANK YOU!!
Good article! I agree with the author.
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I was also wondering if you could give me a paragraph reflection so i can get an idea of how i should write mine .
I have no idea what your thoughts are about this article. I certainly can not write a paragraph about your reflections.
Based on the article provided, it is evident that the protection of the high seas from overfishing is a crucial issue that requires immediate attention. The United Nations' agreement to establish an international treaty to address the crisis of biodiversity loss on the high seas is a significant step forward. It is estimated that 90 percent of certain types of large fish, such as tuna and swordfish, have already disappeared due to harmful fishing practices like bottom trawling.
Creating marine protected areas (MPAs) in the high seas is one of the proposed solutions to prevent overfishing. Currently, only about 1 percent of the high seas is protected, while 12 percent of the world's land is safeguarded in national parks and wildlife reserves. The aim is to increase the percentage of protected high seas to 10 percent by 2020, and eventually to 30 percent.
One of the challenges in safeguarding the high seas is the presence of multiple institutions and regulations governing different aspects, making coordination difficult. The Global Ocean Commission has called for the establishment of a set of rules for the high seas to ensure effective protection. Issues such as government support for deep-sea fishing, lack of tracking for fishing vessels, offshore oil and gas exploration, and plastics pollution also need to be addressed.
A recent study from the University of British Columbia suggests that closing the high seas to fishing could have ecological, economic, and social benefits. The study states that an increased number of fish could be caught annually within coastal areas, making the high seas a valuable resource. However, there are concerns that closing the high seas may lead to the expansion of coastal zones by countries seeking exclusive rights to fish within their territories.
In conclusion, the protection of the high seas is crucial for maintaining marine biodiversity and preserving the health of our oceans. The agreement to establish an international treaty and increase the number of marine protected areas represents a positive step. However, effective coordination among different institutions and addressing various challenges such as overfishing, pollution, and offshore exploration remain key priorities in ensuring the future sustainability of our oceans.