Oceans: our shared resource - Main contents

Among the many fisheries and maritime related headlines I have recently read, two in particular stood out. According to the first, overfishing in our oceans might be more rampant than previously thought. According to the second, by 2050, our oceans could contain more plastic than fish.

It is difficult to judge the veracity of such headlines or the assumptions and data behind them. But the fact that they were widely shared, retweeted and discussed does illustrate a growing concern many of us share: a concern about the health of our oceans.

That is why I am in Malta this week: to announce the results of our European Commission ocean governance consultation, and to continue the conversation with our international partners.

On Wednesday I will be at the SeaWeb Seafood Summit in St Julian's to discuss how we can better implement international rules to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing around the world - a key part of the ocean governance agenda.

And on Thursday I will be opening an EU conference on economic data in fisheries management, a valuable opportunity to learn how countries beyond the EU use data in managing the seas.

Oceans cover around 70% of our planet. And 60% of that is high seas beyond the reach of any single country - effectively an internationally shared resource. What happens if these areas are not well managed?

Between June and October last year, I talked about ocean governance with many of our key partners around the world - with stops in Portugal, Ireland, France, the United States, Norway, Chile and Alaska, among others. In parallel, I opened a public consultation allowing maritime stakeholders - public and private - and citizens to have their say online.

I wanted to know if today's international ocean governance set-up is fit for purpose and, if not, what the EU can do to improve it.

The reply was unequivocal: the health of our oceans is in danger, and safeguarding our seas requires a combined effort by the whole global community.

So how can we do better? This is what respondents said:

We need better implementation and better coordination. When it comes to international ocean governance, we are not starting from zero. International rules and bodies exist, and they address many areas: illegal fishing, biological diversity, marine pollution. But this set-up is too fragmented. The institutions are there, but they do not collaborate enough. Sometimes they lack the teeth necessary to enforce the existing rules.

We need to fill existing legal gaps. Emerging activities like offshore renewable energy, deep water hydrocarbon exploitation and seabed mining need to be properly regulated lest they do more harm than good. Regional Seas Conventions and Regional Fisheries Management Organisations could be strengthened. Existing agreements like the FAO Port State Measures Agreement need to be ratified for them to take full effect.

We need to improve ocean knowledge. Sound decisions require a sound knowledge base. But a lack of data - and data-sharing! - means that, all too often, we find ourselves fishing in the dark. We still don’t know nearly enough about marine ecosystems and human impacts. This impedes good management and safe industrial development.

I share many of those observations. And the EU has already acted. We are spearheading the global fight against illegal fishing. We are pushing for a new international legal agreement under the UN to preserve marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. And we have set up an Atlantic Ocean research alliance with the US and Canada with our 'Galway Declaration' back in 2013.

The world, too, is taking steps in the right direction. For instance, one of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals adopted last year directly targets the oceans.

But our consultation reveals that there is still some way to go. I will use these results to shape a new initiative on international ocean governance this year. Like our respondents, I believe that the EU can make a difference in this debate.

By responding to our consultation, Malta has shown once again that it, too, is a champion of more effective ocean governance. We share many concerns, be it on illegal fishing, lack of data or insufficient coordination. And we share this conviction: keeping our oceans healthy is a shared global responsibility. The EU has assumed its responsibility. The way to better managed oceans starts here and now.

This article was originally published in the Times of Malta on 3 February 2016