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  • Press Release

Regional Fisheries Management Organisations are on the precipice of weakening the High Seas Treaty

Alexandra Sedgwick
Alexandra Sedgwick

Regional Fisheries Management Organisations or RFMOs, bodies in charge of fisheries management in the high seas, are trying to water down the High Seas Treaty’s capacity to deliver on protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030, and give themselves additional powers that would significantly restrict ocean protection measures. Campaigners are sounding the alarm on this proposed text which RFMOs have lobbied for. These amendments would shore up RFMOs own supremacy, after decades of destruction, and stall and derail ocean protection measures like ocean sanctuary proposals.

With only two days left of PrepCom, the key ocean treaty talks happening at the UN HQ this week, Greenpeace UK is calling on the UK government to ask its delegates in New York to completely reject the new text proposed.

Megan Randles, Greenpeace’s head of delegation to the UN talks, said:

“The organisations that have presided over decades of destruction on the high seas have made a completely unacceptable power-grab which would dramatically weaken the Treaty’s ability to protect the ocean.

“They are attempting to re-write the Treaty in favour of fishing industry vested interests. These organisations want to be able to block and derail conservation progress, like the creation of marine protected areas, and these amendments would give them power to do just that.

“We urgently need governments to reject these proposals before key ocean treaty talks end. If they don’t, they risk failing in their commitment to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030 with catastrophic consequences.”

Ends

Notes to Editors:

  1. Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) are attempting to weaken the High Seas Treaty text to give themselves additional powers that would significantly restrict ocean protection measures. Campaigners are sounding the alarm on this proposed text where RFMOs have made significant amendments, the relevant sections are: Para 1(b), (c), (g bis), (g ter), (i), Para 4, Para 5. These amendments would shore up RFMOs own supremacy, and stall and derail ocean protection measures like sanctuary proposals.
  2. The current language of the text goes far beyond the existing article 5 of the Treaty.