Saving Seafood

Next set of UN Global Plastics Treaty negotiations slated for August

June 5, 2025 — The next round of United Nations negotiations (INC-5.2) aiming to create a legally binding Global Plastics Treaty will take place at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, from 5 to 14 August, following the failure of INC-5 to reach an agreement.

The conclusion of INC-5, which took place 25 November to 1 December 2024 in Busan, South Korea, and was supposed to be the final draft meeting, ended with a number of unresolved issues that contributed to the lack of consensus and delay in forming the treaty, according to Ocean Conservancy Vice President of Conservation for Ocean Plastics Nicholas Mallos.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

United Nations releases Ocean Investment Protocol to expedite financing of ocean economy

May 30, 2025 — The United Nations has released the Ocean Investment Protocol – a guide for investors and financial institutions to support a healthy and resilient ocean and ocean economy.

The UN developed the protocol to provide clarity on how financial institutions, insurers, ocean industries, governments, and development and aid agencies can support growing the global ocean economy while aligning with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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UN chief warns of ‘rising tide of misery’ from swelling seas

September 26, 2024 — UN chief Antonio Guterres warned on Wednesday that surging sea levels are creating “a rising tide of misery,” as a coalition of small island nations declared that their sovereignty must be respected even if their lands are subsumed.

Nearly a billion people worldwide live in low-lying coastal areas, increasingly vulnerable to storm surges, coastal erosion and flooding — while Pacific islands face growing threats to their economic viability and even existence.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, the global mean sea level has risen faster than in any prior century over at least the past 3,000 years, a direct consequence of human-caused global warming triggering the melting of ice on land and the thermal expansion of seawater.

“Rising seas mean a rising tide of misery,” said Guterres, speaking at a summit that placed sea-level rise at the top of the international agenda at the UN General Assembly.

Over the past century, as global temperatures have risen about one degree Celsius (1.8F), sea levels have gone up 160 to 210 millimeters (six to eight inches) — with about half of that amount occurring since 1993, according to NASA.

Read the full article at KPVI

UN chief issues ‘SOS’ for Pacific Islands worst hit by warming ocean

August 27, 2024 — United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday ocean temperatures are rising in the Pacific Islands at three times the rate worldwide, and its population was “uniquely exposed” to the impact of rising sea levels.

Speaking to reporters in Tonga where the Pacific Islands Forum is being held, Guterres highlighted the findings of a report that showed the South West Pacific was worst hit by sea level rises, in some places by more than double the global average in the past 30 years.

“I am in Tonga to issue a global SOS – Save Our Seas – on rising sea levels,” he said.

“Rising seas are amplifying the frequency and severity of storm surges and coastal flooding. These floods swamp coastal communities. Ruin fisheries. Damage crops. Contaminate fresh water. All this puts Pacific Island nations in grave danger,” he said.

Read the full story at Reuters

The UN says more aquatic animals were farmed than fished in 2022. That’s the first time in history

June 11, 2024 — The total global volume of fish, shrimp, clams and other aquatic animals that are harvested by farming has topped the amount fished in the wild from the world’s waters for the first time ever, the United Nations reported Friday.

The U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization, in its latest report on fisheries and aquaculture — or farming in water — says the global catch and harvest brought in more than 185 million tons of aquatic animals in 2022, the most recent year for which statistics are available.

Experts say the milestone in human history had been expected, as the hauls from fisheries have largely stagnated over the last three decades — largely because of limits in nature.

Read the full article at the The Associated Press

Aquafarming becomes main global source for fish, U.N. food agency says

June 8, 2024 — For the first time farmed aquatic production has exceeded the catch from traditional captured fisheries, the U.N. food and agriculture agency said on Friday, underscoring hopes that aquaculture can meet growing global demand for seafood.

In its latest biennial report on the state of world fisheries, the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said global fisheries and aquaculture production in 2022 hit a record 223.2 million tonnes.

Read the full article at Reuters

Environmental groups urge Biden administration to combat plastic pollution ahead of latest UN negotiations on Global Plastics Treaty

April 14, 2024 — Ahead of the fourth round of United Nations negotiations (INC-4) aiming to create a legally binding Global Plastics Treaty, nearly 30 U.S. environmental organizations representing over 15 states and territories have called on the Biden administration to intensify efforts to combat plastic pollution around the world.

In their letter to the administration, the groups outlined how the U.S. is particularly well-suited to become a leader in plastic reduction and how the timing of INC-4, taking place 23 to 29 April in Ottawa, Canada – nearly a year and a half after INC-1 – presents a perfect opportunity to take action.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Biden unveils environmental justice strategy for ocean communities

January 4, 2023 — The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden unveiled an environmental justice strategy focused on communities dependent on the ocean or marine resources during the United Nations’ Conference of Parties in December 2023.

The federal strategy outlines overarching goals for advancing environmental justice for communities relying “on the ocean and Great Lakes for economic, cultural, spiritual, recreational, and food security purposes.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US Senate makes another push for Law of the Sea ratification

November 23, 2023 — U.S. lawmakers have reintroduced legislation for the Senate to ratify the Law of the Sea Treaty, a legal framework established at a United Nations convention 29 years ago.

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is a comprehensive set of rules governing how nations can use the world’s oceans; 168 states and the European Union are parties to the treaty. The U.S. signed the treaty in 1994 but is not a party to it – the Senate has not held a vote on ratifying the treaty in the nearly three decades since it went into force.

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UN Fish Stocks Agreement conference makes limited progress on improving management effectiveness of RFMOs

August 3, 2023 — The United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement (UNFSA) Resumed Review Conference, held at U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S.A., elicited disappointingly few actionable recommendations that the seafood industry could use to further improve, according to several attendees.

UNFSA is a multilateral treaty aiming to promote effective, cooperative management of highly migratory fish stocks – mainly tuna, sharks, marlin, and swordfish. The treaty originally took effect in 2001 and outlines principles for managing shared fisheries on the high seas, especially within fishing grounds that straddle multiple exclusive economic zones (EEZs).

Read the full article at SeafoodSource