Nations Agree To Ban Fishing in Arctic Ocean For At Least 16 Years (sciencemag.org)

Several readers share a report: Nine nations and the European Union have reached a deal to place the central Arctic Ocean (CAO) off-limits to commercial fishers for at least the next 16 years. The pact, announced last week, will give scientists time to understand the region's marine ecology -- and the potential impacts of climate change -- before fishing becomes widespread. "There is no other high seas area where we've decided to do the science first," says Scott Highleyman, vice president of conservation policy and programs at the Ocean Conservancy in Washington, D.C., who also served on the U.S. delegation to the negotiations. "It's a great example of putting the precautionary principle into action." The deal to protect 2.8 million square kilometers of international waters in the Arctic was reached after six meetings spread over 2 years. It includes not just nations with coastal claims in the Arctic, but nations such as China, Japan, and South Korea with fishing fleets interested in operating in the region.

Comments

Won't make an impact

[MBGMorden]

Since it's in international waters, the only result of this will be that the nations that signed up won't be doing any fishing while the ones that didn't will still be doing business as usual.

Re:Won't make an impact

[ClickOnThis]

Since it's in international waters, the only result of this will be that the nations that signed up won't be doing any fishing while the ones that didn't will still be doing business as usual.

Signatories include the EU, and nine nations: Canada, Denmark(Greenland), Norway, Russia, United States, Japan, China, South Korea, and Iceland. That's a lot of fish that will be left alone for the next 16 years. I'd say that will make an impact.

Re:Won't make an impact

[Anonymous Coward]

We're not fishing, were doing research using a sampling without replacement design.

Re:Won't make an impact

[CaseyB]

Dead surprised to see the US on that list. No doubt they'll change their mind once they realize they can make a quick buck at the expense of the planet.

Re:Won't make an impact

[Anonymous Coward]

Japan, is that you?

Good.

[OffTheLip]

Good. Hopefully all nations will be complaint and this is the start of something big.

Re:Good.

[CustomBuild]

Good. Hopefully all nations will be complaint and this is the start of something big.

I'm complaining already, by just reading the comment.

Dead Sea

[youngone]

Meanwhile the Antarctic is being sucked dry of everything that swims as quickly as the massive seafood concerns can fish.
Lots of it is illegal fishing, and using slave labour.
Also the Pacific is being fished empty, illegally by vast foreign fishing fleets, despite the Pacific nations protests.
In my view commercial fishing is unsustainable long term, and should be outlawed completely.

Re:Someone may want to check the fine print

[tsa]

As soon as he gets to know what they did behind his back he will fire some random people and repeal the ban.

Re:So anyway

[Maritz]

Fairly incoherent to be honest.

But yeah, I think I see what you're saying. Boo government, let the people fish the oceans until they are underwater deserts. Fish the oceans until you have full blown ecosystem collapse. That'll work out great. Libertarianism, yay.