By Abbas Nazil
The Environmental Justice Foundation has welcomed the entry into force of the United Nations High Seas Treaty, describing it as a historic breakthrough capable of ending decades of unchecked ocean exploitation.
The organisation said the treaty represents a major step forward for global ocean protection and demonstrates that international cooperation can still deliver solutions amid worsening environmental crises.
For many years, the high seas, which lie beyond national jurisdictions, have remained largely unregulated and poorly monitored.
According to EJF, these waters have been heavily exploited by vast industrial fishing fleets operating with minimal oversight and weak accountability mechanisms.
The lack of regulation has placed immense pressure on marine ecosystems, wildlife populations and coastal communities that depend on healthy oceans.
The high seas cover nearly half of the Earth’s surface and account for more than 60 percent of the world’s oceans.
They play a critical role in regulating the global climate, storing carbon and sustaining marine life that migrates across international borders.
Despite their importance, only about one percent of the high seas previously fell under international protection agreements.
EJF said this regulatory gap has contributed to severe environmental damage in several regions.
Its investigations in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean revealed that largely uncontrolled distant-water fishing in an area known as Mile 201, off the coast of Argentina, has placed the region’s keystone squid population at risk of collapse.
The organisation warned that such a collapse could destabilise the entire marine ecosystem in the area.
Until now, there were no effective international tools to prevent this type of overexploitation.
The UN High Seas Treaty is intended to fill that gap.
It is the first global agreement designed to regulate activities in ocean areas beyond national jurisdiction.
The treaty establishes legal pathways for creating marine protected areas on the high seas.
It also introduces mandatory environmental impact assessments for activities such as industrial fishing and other extractive operations.
EJF said these measures could significantly improve transparency and accountability across international waters.
The organisation added that the treaty brings the world closer to the global target of protecting at least 30 percent of the ocean by 2030.
However, it stressed that meaningful progress will depend on swift cooperation, strong political will and ambitious enforcement by governments.
Steve Trent, Chief Executive Officer and founder of EJF, said the agreement marked an important victory for the international rules-based order.
He noted that for decades the high seas functioned as a free-for-all where exploitation advanced far faster than protection.
According to him, the treaty offers one of the strongest opportunities yet to shield the oceans from short-term profit-driven destruction.
Trent warned that commitments alone would not be enough without urgent implementation.
He described the high seas as the blue, beating heart of the planet that underpins all life on Earth and plays a central role in climate stability.
EJF said the treaty’s success will ultimately be judged by how quickly nations translate promises into real and lasting protections for the ocean.
