High Seas Treaty

Yichen Liu ’28

The high seas are areas of the ocean that are part of international waters and not under the territorial jurisdiction of any single country. They are open to all nations for navigation, fishing, and research, and contain the majority of the world’s biodiversity, including marine animals, plants, and deep sea ecosystems, much of which still remain barely explored or even unknown. However, developed countries and private companies such as certain fisheries or mining companies reap the benefits of these waters unequally. At the same time, unfortunately, these seas have been increasingly harder to protect due to the exploitation of resources, climate change, and pollution.

The High Seas Treaty, a treaty aiming to address the gaps in usage and protection of the high seas and the biodiversity living in it, has now been passed by the United Nations 20 years after it was first proposed with a critical 60th vote from Morocco. The treaty includes provisions on how deep sea mining can be conducted, areas where fishing can and cannot occur, and how profit and monetary benefits from activities in select areas within the high seas will be split. These protected areas will be chosen from the framework the High Seas Treaty provides. The treaty specifies certain conditions to meet the criteria that makes an area a Marine Protected Area (MPA), which are evaluated through scientific analysis of factors such as biodiversity and vulnerability.

A pivotal step in the history of conservation, the High Seas Treaty is an example of how far humankind has come in our efforts to protect the environment and the world we live in. From the proposal of the treaty to its passing to its imminent coming into effect in January of 2026, it motivates environmental enthusiasts and conservation specialists alike to not give up and keep fighting for the earth and all its residents.