16.1 Million Square Miles of Deep Seafloor Protected in North Pacific

Super congrats to our friends at Oceana, who report on their blog The Beacon today that negotiations to protect over 16 million square miles of deep seafloor have paid off in a fantastic international and multi-organizational collaboration!

“Fantastic news from the international negotiations we told you about last week: the talks concluded on Friday with conservation measures that will protect more than 16.1 million square miles of seafloor habitat in the North Pacific Ocean from bottom trawling and other bottom contact gear. 

Delegates also concluded negotiations on a new treaty. Once signed and ratified, it will establish a new fishery management organization charged with sustainably managing North Pacific Ocean fisheries.”