High Seas Treaty - a new day for the international management of marine megafauna!
- Kira Fuller
- Jan 23
- 3 min read
Two years after its conception, the High Seas Treaty officially entered into force on 17th January 2026. A total of 83 countries have entered a legally binding global framework to protect international waters and the species that inhabit them. This marks a historic and exciting step forward for the protection of marine ecosystems through international collaboration - preventing exploitation and facilitating equitable use of marine resources.
Fig.1 | Map of the World’s Oceans. International waters are represented in dark blue. Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) are represented in light blue; these areas extend 200 nautical miles from a nation’s coast and are under that nation’s jurisdiction. Credit: National Geographic.
Why do international waters matter?
Covering over two-thirds of the ocean and nearly half of the planet’s surface, international waters support extraordinary biodiversity, regulate climate change, and contain critical resources, including food and precious metals. These resources must be responsibly managed to ensure long-term ecosystem health, and the communities that depend on it.
What does this mean for marine megafauna - and for MARECO?
Within the context of our work, effective management of international waters is essential for protecting threatened marine megafauna, including sharks, skates, rays and turtles. Many marine megafauna depend on the open ocean for key stages of their lives, especially wide-ranging species that migrate vast distances beyond national boundaries, such as pelagic blue sharks and manta rays. Similarly, deep ocean habitats, that are among the hardest places to manage effectively, also support shark and ray species that are slow to mature and reproduce, and so are particularly vulnerable to disturbance from human activity.
Beyond supporting stronger exploitation protections, enforcement of the High Seas Treaty has the potential to strengthen international research collaboration and data sharing. This could vastly improve our understanding of the migratory corridors and global areas that marine megafauna consistently inhabit and rely on, and how these overlap with human activity (e.g. fisheries, shipping and resource extraction).
What changes can we expect to see?
High Seas Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are now up for discussion and implementation - essential to achieve the global target to conserve 30% of the seas by 2030.
Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) must be conducted ahead of activities in international waters that could harm biodiversity e.g., industrial fishing and seabed mining.
A formal decision-making process through a Conference of Parties (COP), scientific bodies, and compliance mechanisms, providing the opportunity for evidence-based decision-making across stakeholders.
Legal motivation to share the benefits of genetic material extracted from the high seas for purposes like medicine and biotechnology.
From treaty to action!
While the entry into force of the High Seas Treaty marks a major step forward for ocean conservation, it is still in its infancy. Turning legislational law into real-world protection will take time, planning, evidence, and consistent enforcement.
Additionally, some major economies are yet to ratify the treaty, including the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Russia. It is hoped that as the benefits of coordinated high seas protection become clearer - for biodiversity, climate resilience, and sustainable ocean economies - more countries will choose to join.
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