Climate Connections: Why is executing the High Seas Treaty to ensure sustainable fishing so challenging?

To protect our planet - meeting the global ‘30 by 30’ target of safeguarding 30% of oceans by 2030 is crucial. But that will not be possible without effective enforcement of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing - or IUU fishing - accounts for one of every five wild-caught fish. In fact, experts estimate that between 10 to 26 million tons of IUU-caught fish is taken out of our oceans each year, which equates to nearly 20 percent of the global reported catch.

This is contributing to the decline of certain species, which affects not just small-scale fishers, who make up 90% of the world's fishing workforce, but also jeopardises the survival of other marine species that depend on these fish species.

It has since been close to two years since the historic High Seas Treaty was signed in New York, a treaty that would allow the establishment of MPAs and other conservation efforts on the high seas - ocean areas that exist outside national borders and have previously never had a legal mechanism to cover them.

Yet, many countries struggle to make these protections a reality, even with the establishment of the High Seas Treaty. 

On this episode of Climate Connections, Meaghan Brosnan, CEO of WildAid - a global non-profit organisation that is scaling marine enforcement to end illegal fishing and strengthen ocean conservation - shares her perspectives.

Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([e-mail])
Voiced by: Audrey Siek
Photo credits: The Earthshot Prize
Music credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors

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