Time is running out to protect our oceans

As an island nation, the ocean matters a great deal to the UK. We have a long and proud maritime history. 

However, the reality is that we all depend on the ocean.

We depend on the ocean for the very air we breathe, as a source of food and for the richness of resources it provides. We depend on the ocean for the livelihood of our coastal communities, for its unmeasurable scientific research potential, and for its role in maintaining a balanced ecosystem. We also depend on the ocean to facilitate global trade (around 80% of international trade in goods is carried by sea). The list is endless.

Yet our oceans are in real trouble. It is undisputable: we are pushing the world’s great fisheries to the very brink.

More than a third of the world’s fish stocks are overfished and over 20% of fish being caught are from fragile fisheries. Worryingly, the trend is going in the wrong direction: in 1974, only 10% of stocks were overfished. In places where fisheries management is not in place or is ineffective, fish stocks are poor or deteriorating.

The role of the WTO in protecting the world’s oceans 

So what exactly is the international community doing to help protect the world’s oceans?

One of the priorities for my team in Geneva is reaching an agreement to discipline harmful subsidies. The World Trade Organization (WTO) has been given the task of eliminating subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing – as well as prohibiting fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing.

To say that the negotiations have been long and protracted would be an understatement (the negotiations began two decades ago). As in any negotiation, there are different interests at stake.  

Nevertheless, there is a common goal: to conclude an ambitious agreement as soon as possible, which allows all 164 WTO members to operate and manage their fisheries resources in a sustainable way. Our collective hope is that an agreement can reverse some of the damage resulting from unsustainable fishing practices and give our fishing communities a fair future.

The new WTO Director General has set a mid-July deadline to agree the essential elements of an outcome. As the clock is ticking, we are committed to doing everything we can to get this agreement over the line. And we want to see that same commitment from other members. Time is running out.

Significantly, it is worth noting that this would be the first time the WTO has delivered an environment-focussed agreement. We certainly hope that it won’t be the last: indeed we want to see the WTO playing a bigger role in enabling the transformation of our global economy to a greener, more sustainable future.

The bigger picture

An agreement on ending harmful fisheries subsidies will not be enough to restore the health of the world’s oceans, but it is a step in the right direction. Sadly, there are many other threats to the world’s oceans besides overcapacity and overfishing. 

Plastic pollution is a big problem. That is why at the end of last year, the UK announced that we will back a new UN treaty to coordinate action on marine plastic litter and micro-plastics – one that goes far beyond the existing framework.

The UK already supports the Global Plastic Action Partnership to help developing countries address plastic pollution and we have also joined a WTO Dialogue on Plastic Pollution and Sustainable Plastics Trade. We are leading the way when it comes to domestic legislation to tackle plastic waste at home, such as banning micro-plastics in personal care products. 

Finally, we cannot ignore the relationship between climate change and our oceans. Rising global temperatures mean rising ocean temperatures, as well as increased acidification in our seas.

In November, the UK will host the next UN climate conference, COP26, where we hope countries will take renewed action to limit the rise in global temperatures. If we succeed, we might be able to reverse some of the damage to our underwater ecosystems caused by climate change.

Clearly, protecting the world’s oceans requires a multi-pronged approach. We need shared multilateral agreements – at the WTO and UN - but we also need countries to step up and honour their individual commitments.

The health of our oceans is the health of our planet. We owe it to future generations not to squander these opportunities.