Two landmark agreements that have been in the works for 20+ years just became legally binding — and they're reshaping how the world protects the high seas.
The High Seas Treaty reached its 60th ratification in September, triggering its entry into force in January 2026. For context: the high seas — the two-thirds of the ocean beyond any nation's control — have been a governance blind spot for centuries. Fish stocks collapse there. Illegal mining happens there. Species go extinct there. And until now, no single law applied across these waters.
The treaty itself is straightforward in principle: it creates a legal framework for protecting marine biodiversity in international waters and establishing marine protected areas on the high seas. In practice, it's the result of two decades of advocacy, diplomatic haggling, and compromise. The agreement won the Earthshot Prize in November, which felt like a belated acknowledgment of what it took to get here.
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Start Your News DetoxThe Subsidy Ban That Actually Stuck
Around the same time, the World Trade Organization's Fish One treaty came into force in September — another agreement that took 24 years to negotiate. This one targets government subsidies that artificially prop up overfishing. When governments pay fishing companies to catch more fish (or to fish in already-depleted waters), it distorts the entire market and accelerates collapse. Fish One bans those subsidies, which means fishing fleets can no longer rely on government cheques to make unprofitable catches profitable.
Both treaties matter because they address a real gap: the ocean has no single governing body. Countries can claim waters up to 200 nautical miles from their coast, but beyond that, it's been a free-for-all. That's where roughly two-thirds of ocean life lives.
Why This Moment Feels Different
2025 landed at the midway point of the U.N. Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, and the momentum is visible. Unprecedented financial commitments for marine conservation have started flowing. The global push to protect 30% of the world's oceans by 2030 — up from about 8% today — is gaining real traction, with countries actually pledging the money and legal authority to make it happen.
Neither treaty is perfect. Fish One has carve-outs and exemptions. The High Seas Treaty still requires individual nations to ratify it (though 60 have already), and enforcement will depend on political will. But what matters is the direction: for the first time, there's a legal architecture in place to say "no, you can't do that" in international waters.
The next phase is implementation. Countries now have to build the mechanisms to monitor compliance, establish marine protected areas, and actually fund the conservation work. That's where 2026 gets interesting.
