Governments signal strong support for swift ratification of High Seas Treaty.

WWF strongly welcomes the agreement of the text for a new global legally binding High Seas Treaty reached by nations today in New York, creating a framework to conserve marine life and restrain harmful activities in two-thirds of the ocean.

A new report from WWF and partners, including Oregon State University, the University of California Santa Cruz, the University of Southampton, and Universidad de Valparaiso, identifies actions for governments, industry and individuals to safeguard whale migratory routes, along the Eastern Pacific Ocean by 2030. Climate change, ship traffic, underwater noise and fishing activity impact whales and their survival at multiple points.

WWF is urging countries to finalize a new global agreement for the two-thirds of the ocean that is largely unprotected and overexploited, as talks over the last 15 years are anticipated to conclude in a ‘High Seas Treaty’ over the next few weeks.

Vast expanses of our global ocean are unprotected – putting whales and other marine life in peril. A historic Global Ocean Treaty now in negotiations offers hope to better manage and protect biodiversity on the high seas.