Close high seas fisheries; It is sound business.

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Close high seas fisheries; It is sound business.

February 12, 2015 - 21:22

The economic impact of closing the high seas to fishing would result in no loss in fish catches or landed value of them on a global scale a new analysis shows.

High Seas fishing Is a huge waste of money and resources

Isabelle Côté, a Simon Fraser University professor of marine ecology and conservation, has co-authored a new study that finds little would be lost by eliminating high seas fishing.

In this study Côté and her colleagues evaluated the impact of closing deep-sea fishing on fisheries' catches and values, and their economic consequences for individual countries, identifying which nations would stand to financially gain or lose.

The world's oceans are separated into exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and the high seas. EEZs are the coastal areas that are within 200 nautical miles of maritime countries that maintain the rights to the resources in these waters. The high seas are international waters outside of these boundaries that are shared by the world.

For the first time, the authors estimated the amount of fish caught in the high seas as opposed to EEZs. According to their study, less than one per cent of the global landings come from fish caught only in the high seas.

Under realistic assumptions, closing the high seas would result in no loss in fish catches or landed value of them on a global scale. Of course, a few countries would lose out, but most would gain, including some of the world's poorest countries."

Commenting on the United Nations' recent decision to consider creating a legally binding agreement to protect international waters, Côté says: "I hope our research increases understanding of the need for this. I am delighted that the high seas are starting to be recognized as a valuable resource that deserves protection and stewardship."

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