Latest news with #UNOC-3
Winnipeg Free Press
14-06-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
The damage done by bottom trawling
Opinion At the age of 99, the documentary filmmaker David Attenborough has achieved his greatest triumph. With a single film clip, he has signed the death warrant for one of the world's most destructive industries: bottom trawling. The companies and countries that do it will go down fighting and it will take time, but they will go down. His film Ocean got a simultaneous global release last month to build pressure for a ban on bottom trawling before the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC-3) this week in the French city of Nice. The ban won't happen this week and it won't happen everywhere at once, but it is inevitable once enough people have seen that clip. You can't forget it. It's long shots from underwater cameras at the mouth of an enormous net (you can't see the sides or the top). The bottom of the net, weighed down so it scrapes along the seabed, swallows up everything in its path — fish, crustaceans, plants, mud — as it advances inexorably, faster than a walking pace, throwing up a plume of muck in its wake. These bottom trawlers have been working at sea for more than a century. No diver would survive where the cameras were, presumably fixed to the net's mouth by some rig that let them see the whole process. Bottom trawlers are responsible for the bulk of the damage that human beings have done to the oceans. More than half the fish they catch are 'bycatch,' thrown back into the water dead or dying because the trawlermen are only after a couple of species that bring a good price. And the 'clean shave' they give the bottom leaves nowhere for juvenile fish to hide. The first fishing boats that pulled big nets behind them, the so-called Brixham trawlers of the early 1800s, were sail-driven, but by the 1870s there were steam trawlers in Britain that could drag much bigger nets and catch 10 times as much fish. The global fishing catch then may have been as little as five million tonnes annually, but it went up fast. With the advent of factory freezers in the mid-20th century — big ships that could travel to distant waters, catch up to 400 tonnes of fish every time they released their nets, and mechanically gut, fillet and fast-freeze the ones they wanted, dumping the rest — total catch reached 30 million tonnes a year by 1950. It peaked at 130 million tonnes in 1996, by which time almost every major fishery in the world was being depleted. Human being have even changed the structure of ocean fish populations. Big, predatory 'table fish' (the kind people like to eat) have declined by two-thirds, while the biomass of smaller prey fish, facing fewer predators, has gone up. The worst of it is that while the official UN goal is to have 30 per cent of the world's oceans in maritime protected areas by 2030, most of those MPAs still allow bottom trawling. We cannot rebuild healthy oceans unless that is stopped in the safe zones where fish populations should be able to recover, which is why Attenborough has made that his primary goal. It won't happen at UNOC-3, but it is being heavily debated there. The European Union and the United Kingdom will be moving on the issue soon, and where they go, others will follow. But if they really do stop bottom-trawling those zones, what will people eat? 'We are eating bait and moving on to jellyfish and plankton,' warns Daniel Pauly of the University of British Columbia, but we may be spared that fate by the dramatic rise in the consumption of farmed fish. Half the protein people eat from all marine and freshwater sources is already from fish-farms, and the ratio is rising. Moreover, the FIFO number (fish in/fish out) is steadily improving. It really used to be the 'little fish in/big fish out' ratio, with three tonnes of little fish ground up for fish meal and fish oil to produce one tonne of salmon or trout, but now fish feed is mostly plant-based and even big cage-raised predators are net neutral, one in/one out. So the oceans, while still in terrible shape, are getting better, at least as far as fish are concerned. Now all we have to do is reverse the acidification process, stop sea level rise, and keep the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current (the 'Gulf Stream') from collapsing. Gwynne Dyer's new book is Intervention Earth: Life-Saving Ideas from the World's Climate Engineers.
Maroc
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Maroc
UNOC/Nice: Academy of Kingdom of Morocco Hosts Side Event on Africa-Mediterranean-Europe Cooperation for 'Sustainable Ocean Governance'
Sunday 12 October 2025 The Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco organized on Wednesday in Nice a side event dedicated to Africa-Mediterranean-Europe cooperation for "Sustainable Ocean Governance," on the sidelines of the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC-3), being held in Nice until June 13. Held under the theme "Cooperation for Sustainable Ocean Governance Bringing Together Africa, the Mediterranean and Europe," this scientific meeting brought together key stakeholders from Africa, the Mediterranean, and Europe to contribute to building a strengthened partnership based on the "Roadmap to 2030: Co-piloting the Africa-Europe Ocean Partnership." On this occasion, the Academy's Executive Director, Bachir Tamer emphasized that the stakes of this partnership—and more broadly, regional cooperation and South-South and North-South collaboration—are at the heart of Morocco's priorities under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI. He highlighted in this regard the powerful message addressed by the Sovereign to participants of the "Africa for the Ocean" Summit, held on Monday as part of UNOC3 and delivered by Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa, Representative of His Majesty the King, who co-chaired the summit alongside French President Emmanuel Macron. In this message, he recalled, His Majesty the King underlined Morocco's call for a strategic reassessment of Africa's maritime role, built around three pillars: blue growth, enhanced South-South cooperation and regional integration around oceanic spaces, and effective maritime action through Atlantic synergies. Echoing this message, the president of the Moroccan Institute of Strategic Intelligence (IMIS) Abdelmalek Alaoui, stressed that "in line with the Royal message at UNOC, we must rethink the ocean not just as a resource to protect, but as a space to govern." Speaking at a roundtable on "Governance Facing the Challenges of the Blue Economy in Africa," Alaoui identified three key failures that currently hinder African ocean governance efforts: "fragmented and non-inclusive governance," "a lack of technological and informational sovereignty," and "the absence of a coordinated blue diplomacy." Alaoui also joined other voices who advocated for the promotion of research and science within public-private partnerships and interdisciplinary approaches to support African countries in facing ocean challenges, especially in terms of observation with open data to inform policymakers. Training and capacity-building for African countries in this area were also among the recommendations, with a special emphasis on involving youth and local actors in these efforts.
Maroc
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Maroc
UNOC-3: Morocco Champions Africa's Role in Inclusive, Scientific Ocean Governance
Morocco's steadfast commitment to Africa and its efforts to promote inclusive ocean governance took center stage at two high-level side events held on Tuesday in Nice, France, as part of the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC-3). Participating in both side events, Zakia Driouich, Secretary of State in charge of Maritime Fisheries, emphasized the joint efforts of states, environmental institutions, and civil society actors to make the ocean a lever for sustainable development, regional integration, and South-South solidarity. The first event, organized by the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection under the theme 'Innovation in Africa to Accelerate the Global Implementation of SDG 14,' provided an opportunity for Driouich to reaffirm Morocco's commitment to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 14 through innovation and African cooperation. Commending the Foundation's pioneering role, she underscored Africa's ambition to establish a cooperative model of ocean governance, as reflected in the Blue Africa Summit and the Tangier Declaration. Driouich also spoke of integrating technological, social, and institutional innovation at the core of African maritime strategies, while advocating for stronger African representation in international forums and the recognition of the continent's potential. Morocco, she stated, positions itself as a key driver of 'blue diplomacy,' placing the ocean at the service of sustainable development, peace, and sovereignty of African nations. Themed "Africa's blue ambition for UNOC3: Morocco's commitment to regional cooperation," the second side event was organized by the Secretary of State in charge of Maritime Fisheries. This meeting highlighted Morocco's promotion of inclusive ocean governance, based on science, diplomacy, the blue economy and South-South cooperation. These two events, which fully align with the Atlantic Vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, helped put forth the African priorities at UNOC-3 and strengthen regional blue economy synergies while supporting the implementation of international ocean actions. MAP: 11 June 2025
The Hindu
11-06-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Shipping disasters off Kerala coast highlighted at UN ocean meet in Nice
The two recent shipping disasters off the Kerala coast and issues related to the resultant environmental pollution were highlighted at the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC-3) by a Thiruvananthapuram-based organisation on Wednesday. UNOC-3 is under way at the French city of Nice. Kumar Sahayaraju of the Thiruvananthapuram-based Friends of Marine Life (FML) presented the issue at the Ocean Base Camp, an open space for civil society organisations. Mr. Sahayaraju said the two accidents, involving large container vessels, had caused severe pollution in the sea and on the Kerala coast. These two incidents, according to him, spotlighted the fact that the current maritime laws were inadequate to deal with the fallout of such disasters. 'Responsibility must lie either with the producers of these hazardous materials or with the shipping companies that transport them. Accountability must be enforced under stronger maritime laws, with clear legal consequences for violations,' Mr. Sahayaraju said. The FML, which is represented at the UNOC by Mr. Sahayaraju and the organisation's founder Robert Panipilla, also demanded that tracking devices for locating hazardous cargo in the event of an accident be made mandatory for all such cargo container shipments. In his presentation, Mr. Sahayaraju urged the United Nations to urgently establish and enforce international regulations governing the maritime transport of chemical and plastic pollutants. The Liberia-flagged MSC Elsa 3 sank off Kochi in May. The Singapore-flagged M.V. Wan Hai 503 caught fire after a massive explosion off Beypore in June. At the UN conference, the FML, which is involved in seabed studies and ocean conservation activities, appealed for urgent international action to protect marine ecosystems and coastal communities whose survival depends on them.
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Business Standard
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
18 more nations ratify high seas treaty to protect marine biodiversity
Eighteen more countries have ratified the High Seas Treaty, a global agreement for the protection and sustainable use of biodiversity in international waters, taking the total number of ratifications to 49. Adopted in June 2023, the treaty will enter into force 120 days after at least 60 countries ratify it. The treaty is crucial to meet a globally agreed biodiversity target of protecting 30 per cent of the oceans and lands by 2030, known as "30x30". At a special High Seas Treaty event organised at the third United Nations Ocean Conference on Monday, Albania, Bahamas, Belgium, Croatia, Cote d'Ivoire, Denmark, Fiji, Malta, Mauritania, Vanuatu, Greece, Guinea-Bissau, Jamaica, Jordan, Liberia, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vietnam deposited their instruments of ratification. They now join the 31 countries plus the European Union that have already deposited their ratification prior to the conference. According to a statement from the High Seas Alliance, 18 more countries have signed the treaty, taking the total number of signatories to 134. France, in partnership with Costa Rica, is hosting the third edition of the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC-3) in Nice from June 9 to 13. This is the first time since COP-21 in 2015 that France is hosting a UN conference on its soil. The French government aims to make UNOC-3 a turning point for ocean conservation, comparable in ambition to the Paris Agreement for climate change. India signed the treaty on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last year. Officials told PTI last week that India is not in a hurry to ratify the treaty. They said the government is still studying how the treaty fits with existing Indian laws such as the Wildlife Protection Act, Biological Diversity Act, Environment Protection Act and state-level marine fishing laws. Before India can ratify the treaty, it needs to review its current laws, possibly make changes and get approval from Parliament. The treaty also requires countries to set up institutions for implementation and reporting, which India will have to plan for, the officials said. The 'High Seas', also called 'International Waters', refers to areas beyond any country's national waters, exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and jurisdiction. No single country controls these waters and all nations have the right to use them for navigation, fishing, research and other activities without interference. Although the high seas cover more than 60 per cent of the ocean, only 1.2 per cent is currently protected.
