The ocean is vital for our survival, so shouldn’t we protect our ocean? Well, who knew we already do? An international agreement to protect the high seas (areas of the ocean not belonging to any specific country), has been in action for almost 20 years.
Two-thirds of the world’s oceans are part of the high seas. But the real bummer is that only 1% of that is legally protected under the High Seas Treaty. This means that the marine life in the rest of the high seas is vulnerable to fishing practices, hunting, and harmful activities.
The treaty will now establish a process for creating more and more Marine Protected Areas (MPA). This is similar to national parks for land animals. This could help a wide range of marine life such as, whales, sharks, marine birds, sea turtles, and various fish.
They needed at least 60 countries to ratify the treaty in order for it to become a law. And guess what!? It was ratified! A total of 74 countries ratified it on September 19th, along with the European Union (EU). The agreement is set to take place in January of 2026.
