The European Union has participated in the first round of international negotiations on measures to prevent unregulated fisheries in the Arctic high seas.
The negotiations took place between 19 and 21 April in Washington DC.
At present no commercial fisheries take place in the Arctic high seas, but with the Arctic region warming at almost twice the global average rate and the sea ice cover shrinking, changes in fish stocks' size and distribution may occur both in the exclusive economic zones of Arctic coastal states and in the high seas area of the Central Arctic Ocean. These areas could become attractive to commercial fisheries in the near future.
Faced with this possibility and aware that most of the Arctic high seas are not covered by international conservation or management regimes, the international community met to start negotiating an agreement that would prevent the opening up of unregulated fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean. Delegations from Canada, the People’s Republic of China, the Kingdom of Denmark (in respect of the Faroes and Greenland), the European Union, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Kingdom of Norway, the Russian Federation and the United States were present.
Commissioner Karmenu Vella, Commissioner for the Environment, Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, said, “This is an important process and I'm happy it started on a good note, with all the parties agreeing on the need for precautionary measures. It will fill an important gap in the ocean governance system.”
The second round of negotiations is to take place from 6 to 8 July 2016 in Iqaluit, Province of Nunavut, Canada.
