193 Countries sign on to protect Oceans

By Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

March 9, 2023 – A historic oceans protection deal has been agreed on by UN member states to protect the majority of the world’s sea life.  The High Seas Treaty was given the nod on Saturday March 4th by 193 countries and facilitates the protection of the ‘high seas’ or the massive area of ocean unclaimed by any sovereign nation that all countries have the right to fish in and use.

The high seas account for about 64 percent of the world’s oceans and cover nearly half the earth, more space than all the landmasses combined.  The deal to protect that space and the marine bodies that live in it has been in limbo for around 20 years, Greenpeace says.  It is small island states along with nations like China, the US and UK who the organization credits with leading the charge to get the deal signed.

A new body to monitor and enforce the deal will be established under the treaty, in addition equitable access to ‘monetary benefits’ made from this area was included in the treaty.  It’s a widespread deal that will have effects for migrating animals like the whales that visit the Turks and Caicos with new blanket laws to protect them that apply wherever they go as well as garbage disposal in our oceans and much more.

The treaty will be edited and then ratified in one of the UN’s upcoming meetings.