APRIL 2023 l VOL 72 ISSUE 4
worldfishing.net
Viewpoint 3 | Insight 12 | Fishing Technology 40
UN DELIVERS ‘HISTORIC’ PROTECTION TO HIGH SEAS After two decades of talks, United Nations’ member countries have agreed a treaty to protect the high seas that will ensure the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. Calling the agreement a “breakthrough”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the action agreed at the body’s headquarters in New York was “a victory for multilateralism and for global efforts to counter the destructive trends facing ocean health, now and for generations to come”. The agreement reached by delegates of the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) is the culmination of UN-facilitated talks that began in 2004. Referred to as the “High Seas Treaty”, the legal framework will place 30% of the world’s oceans into marine protected areas (MPAs), put more money into marine conservation, and covers access to and use of marine genetic resources. The agreement will enter into force once 60 states have ratified it. “It is also vital for achieving ocean-related goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the KunmingMontreal Global Biodiversity Framework,” said Guterres, referring to the so-called “30x30” pledge
NEW HORIZONS
High hopes as iFarm version 3 gets underway page 14 8 The new treaty will place 30% of the world’s oceans into MPAs
to protect a third of the world’s biodiversity – on land and sea – by 2030, which was made by a UN conference in Montreal in December. EU Commissioner for the Environment, Ocean and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius described the agreement as a “historic moment” for the ocean. “With the agreement on the UN High Seas Treaty, we take a crucial step forward to preserve the marine life and biodiversity that are essential for us and the generations to come,” he said. While two-thirds of the world’s oceans are currently considered international waters (or high seas), until now only about 1% of these waters have been protected, which has left the marine life in these areas at risk of exploitation from a variety of threats including overfishing.
NEWBUILDS
Mekhanik Maslak joins RFC fleet page 17
SPECIAL REPORT
FIRST SMART FARM SHIP CERTIFIED Smart, connected seafood processing page 21
AQUACULTURE
China-based aquaculture ship Conson No. 1 has become the first large yellow croaker (Larimichthys croceus) farm to achieve the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certification. Conson No. 1 is regarded as the world’s first full-scale “smart farming ship”. It produces 3,700
tonnes of large yellow croaker annually. The vessel, which cruises in waters up to 100 nautical miles offshore, is owned by Qingdao Conson Blue Silicon Valley Development Co Ltd. It officially started operating in May 2022, and soon after started the improvement of its aquaculture system to meet the ASC standard.
Ukraine’s challenges intensify page 46