Arctic High Seas Fishing Agreement: International Agreement to Prevent Unregulated Fishing in the High Seas of the Central Arctic Ocean

Through the International Agreement to Prevent Unregulated Fishing in the High Seas of the Central Arctic Ocean, ten Arctic states have committed to not carrying out commercial fishing in the High Seas of the Arctic for a sixteen-year period. The Agreement was adopted in 2018 and entered into force in 2021. The moratorium on high seas fishing was agreed in view of the prospect that reduced Arcitc sea ice may open up access to previously unfished areas, while there are still large gaps in knowledge about the Arcitic marine ecosystem and the impacts that commercial fishing may have on it.