During current negotiations at the UN Climate Conference (COP21) in Paris, citizens, politicians and NGOs are wondering whether the outcome of this conference will serve to better protect the oceans in order to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Continue reading Keeping A Healthy Deep Sea Helps Mitigate Climate Change
Source: New York Times
Author: Ian Urbina
Few places on the planet are as lawless as the high seas, where egregious crimes are routinely committed with impunity. Though the global economy is ever more dependent on a fleet of more than four million fishing and small cargo vessels and 100,000 large merchant ships that haul about 90 percent of the world’s goods, today’s maritime laws have hardly more teeth than they did centuries ago when history’s great empires first explored the oceans’ farthest reaches.
Continue reading Stowaways and Crimes Aboard a Scofflaw Ship
The International Seabed Authority (ISA) will commence its annual meeting this week, during which it will debate sweeping new regulations to open vast expanses of the deep ocean to seabed mining.
Source: Polpular Science – Mary Beth Griggs
A policy paper published today in Science is asking authorities to hold off on approving any more underwater mining contracts until more environmental controls are put in place.
Continue reading Scientists Call For Temporary Halt On New Deep Sea Mining Projects
Source: High Seas Alliance
States took a major step toward urgently needed ocean protection at the UN today agreeing to develop a legally binding agreement to conserve marine life in the high seas.
Continue reading Meeting Closes With A Major Step For The Ocean
Re “Ocean Life Faces Mass Extinction, Broad Study Says” (front page, Jan. 16), about new, groundbreaking research published on Thursday in the journal Science:
Continue reading World leaders hold the future of the oceans in their hands this week
Concluding arguments in a case which could set international precedents for deep seabed mining were heard today, in Wellington, New Zealand.
Continue reading Hearing could Affect Global Spread of Deep Seabed Mining
Source: Environment 360
Author: Mike Ives
For years, the idea of prospecting for potentially rich deposits of minerals on the ocean floor was little more than a pipe dream. Extractive equipment was not sophisticated or cost-effective enough for harsh environments thousands of feet beneath the ocean’s surface, and mining companies were busy exploring mineral deposits on land.
Continue reading Drive to Mine the Deep Sea Raises Concerns Over Impacts
Source: Scientific Reports
The expansion of fishing activities into deeper waters1 is unquestionably one of the principal threats to the world’s ocean health2. Most deep-sea fisheries are unsustainable not only for target species but also for non-target fauna and their habitats3. Unless some radical changes in governance and management are being made4, damages to deep-sea ecosystems will soon be irreversible. The United Nations have recognized this issue and has urged governments and Regional Fishery Management Organizations to assess the impact of deep-sea fisheries on Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs), particularly on cold-water coral ecosystems5. To reach this goal, impact assessments of different types of deep-sea fishing gear and of specific fishery are urgently needed6.
Continue reading Deep-water longline fishing has reduced impact on Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems
Spain, the main European Member State involved in deep-sea fisheries, holds major responsibility to protect these vulnerable ecosystems
