Statement by Ambassador Peter Thomson, President of the Council of the International Seabed Authority’s 21st Session, Kingston, Jamaica, 12 July 2016
12 July, 2016
UNGA
30 June, 2016
BRUSSELS—Conservation organisations are welcoming the agreement reached on 30 June by the European Parliament, Council of Ministers, and European Commission on key provisions for a new European Union (EU) regulation on deep-sea fishing that includes a ban on bottom trawling below 800 metres and would close areas where vulnerable marine ecosystems are known or likely to occur.
Continue reading Decision-Makers Draw a Line Under Deep-Sea Bottom Trawling
1 March, 2016
The Deep Sea Conservation Coalition is saddened by the passing of Palau’s United Nations Ambassador Stuart Beck, a constant friend of the ocean and hero of the deep sea.
Continue reading Farewell to Stuart Beck, longtime ocean advocate
9 November, 2015
NEAF opening statement:
25 September, 2015
The 37th Annual Meeting of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) concluded today in Halifax, Canada. Member countries agreed to several measures that will lead to improved ecosystem protection, but did not follow scientific advice provided over the past two years to close a number of deep-sea coral and sponge areas to bottom trawling or to regulate the fishery for alphonsino, a deep-sea species fished on the high seas of the northwest Atlantic.
Continue reading NAFO closes seamounts to bottom fishing, fails to regulate Alphonsino fishery
18 September, 2015
19 June, 2015
Source: High Seas Alliance
A landmark resolution was adopted earlier today by a consensus of UN member states, to develop a legally-binding treaty for the conservation of marine life beyond national territorial waters – that area of the ocean shared by all. Resolution UNGA 99/292 formalizes the recommendations made last January by the UN Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group (“UN Working Group”) which was tasked with assessing the feasibility of a new treaty, and signals a major step forward toward convening an intergovernmental negotiating conference that would finalize the terms of the new treaty, possibly in 2018.
4 June, 2015
14 November, 2014
London, November 14, 2014 – The North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) this week agreed to close six new areas totaling around 11,000 square kilometres to bottom fishing to protect vulnerable deep-sea species ecosystems and extended its prohibition on the catch of several shark species.
26 September, 2014
Vigo, Spain (September 26th, 2014) – The 36th Annual Meeting of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) closed today in Vigo, Spain. The 12 members of NAFO were presented with comprehensive scientific advice regarding the protection of deep sea ecosystems as well as the conservation of fish stocks in the NAFO Convention Area. NAFO agreed to close two new areas to protect deep-sea ecosystems such as coldwater corals, sponge and seapen ecosystems, but did not adopt the full suite of recommendations to protect sites identified by its scientists as high priorities.
Continue reading New deep-sea protection measures agreed for the Northwest Atlantic