Brussels, 24/06/2014 (Agence Europe) - In Brussels on Monday 30 June, the European commissioner responsible for maritime affairs and fisheries, Maria Damanaki, will co-organise a conference on restoring the health and productivity of the oceans with the Global Ocean Commission.
On Tuesday 24 June, the Global Ocean Commission, an independent commission set up in February 2013 and made up of former senior government representatives and figures from the world of business, stated that making less use of plastic items, a restriction on subsidised industrial fishing on the high seas and the setting in place of strict rules on offshore oil and gas exploration are key elements in this plan.
The experts have presented eight proposals to restore and preserve the health of the oceans, in a report entitled “From decline to recovery: a rescue package for the ocean”. The Ocean Commission stresses that public aid to fishing on the high seas should immediately be capped, with a view to phasing it out within the next five years. The EU, the United States, Japan and China are all involved in thjis kind of industrial fishing. According to the Ocean Commission, the fact that there is no jurisdiction on the high seas means that the countries will have to negotiate a new agreement within the framework of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Such an agreement should make provisions for creating protected marine areas. (LC)