The Instagram Post That Made Me Look Up from My Lunch
I was sitting outside the break room at my internship last week. Enjoying the midday sun with my leftover stir-fry from the night before. I was half-eating and half-scrolling through Instagram. With the birds chirping in the trees above me. Then a video caught my attention. A humpback whale breached the surface in slow motion, with water cascading off its huge body. The caption mentioned the “High Seas Treaty,” which would become international law on January 17, 2026. This was a historic moment for ocean protection, 20 years in the making.
I set down my fork, captivated by the whale disappearing back into the deep blue. As an environmental science student, I had heard of the high seas before. But a treaty? I had no idea anything like this was even being discussed, much less that it was about to become law.
The birds kept singing, but I was already diving into research on my phone. Five minutes turned into fifteen. My stir-fry sat forgotten and cold as I scrolled through articles.
The more I learned, the more I realised this is something everyone needs to know about. Not just environmental science students like me, but anyone who cares about the planet and their family’s future.
So, I decided to write the explainer I wish I’d found that day. A clear breakdown of what this treaty is, why it matters, and what you can do to support ocean protection.
High Seas Treaty Explained: What It Is and Why It Matters
Why the High Seas Needed Protection: The Ocean’s Wild West
Imagine this: nearly two-thirds of the ocean, which covers most of our planet, has been like the Wild West. There’s no sheriff, no rules, and no one in charge.
These areas are called the “high seas,” which are international waters located more than 200 nautical miles from any coastline. No single country controls them, so until recently, anyone could come in and fish, mine, pollute, or do pretty much whatever they wanted. It was a free-for-all.
Only about 1% of the high seas had any protection before now. These waters are home to vital ecosystems, migrating whales, sea turtles, and deep-sea life that keep our entire ocean healthy. Think of it this way: it’s been like having two-thirds of our planet with no laws, no protected areas, and no rules about who could take what. This changes everything about how the ocean works and how it supports your family.
What Does the High Seas Treaty Do?
So, what changed on January 17, 2026? The High Seas Treaty, officially known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, became international law. This is a genuine game-changer.
For the first time, we can create marine protected areas in international waters. Think of them as national parks for the ocean, places where marine life can thrive without constant human interference. Countries must now conduct environmental impact assessments before they fish, mine, or engage in industrial activities in these areas. No more showing up and taking whatever you want. The treaty establishes science-based rules for how ocean resources are used and shared fairly, rather than allowing the biggest and richest players to take everything.
Here’s where it gets personal for your family: remember those documentaries your kids love about whales, dolphins, sea turtles, and sharks? These animals migrate thousands of kilometres through the high seas. Without protection in those international zones, they are vulnerable to fishing nets, ship strikes, and pollution, no matter how well we protect our own coastlines. This treaty can now protect these beloved species where they are most at risk.
Protecting apex predators like sharks and keystone species keeps the entire ocean food web healthy and balanced. When the food web thrives, it means healthier, more abundant seafood for your family and a more resilient ocean that can continue producing the oxygen you breathe.
A major goal of this treaty is to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030. This is known as the 30×30 initiative. Right now, we’ve only protected about 7.74% of our marine ecosystems, so we have serious work ahead. If you want to learn more about this ambitious goal, check out my blog post “How can we Protect our Planet with 30×30?”
The 20-Year Journey: How the High Seas Treaty Became Law
This didn’t happen overnight—not even close. Negotiations for this treaty started back in 2004. That’s nearly two decades of countries trying to find common ground on how to protect the ocean while balancing competing interests, such as fishing industry profits, international shipping routes, and access to potential resources like new medicines from marine life.
The treaty was finally adopted in June 2023 and opened for signatures at the United Nations. Then came the waiting game. Countries had to not just sign it but also ratify it, meaning they had to make it legally binding in their own national laws. When Morocco became the 60th country to ratify the treaty in September 2025, it triggered a 120-day countdown. On January 17, 2026, the treaty officially became international law. Today, more than 80 countries have ratified it.
To put this in perspective, getting over 60 countries to agree on an ocean treaty is monumental. These are nations with different economies, cultures, priorities, and political systems, yet they found a way to work together for the ocean’s future. Honestly, this gives me real hope that the world can tackle other big challenges, like climate change, in the same collaborative way.
Now the focus shifts to #60toGlobal, the campaign to get every country on board. The more nations that commit, the stronger the protection becomes for the ocean that sustains all of us.
How Ocean Protection Affects Your Family’s Health and Future
How the Ocean Produces Half of Earth’s Oxygen
Take a deep breath. Half of the oxygen created on Earth right now comes from the ocean.
How? Tiny drifting plants called phytoplankton. They’re so small that you need a microscope to see them, but there are trillions of them floating in the sea, turning carbon dioxide into oxygen just like trees do on land. These tiny organisms also feed everything in the ocean, from the smallest fish to the largest whales. When we protect international waters through the High Seas Treaty, we safeguard these vital phytoplankton populations.
But there’s a problem: pollution, warming waters, and damage to ecosystems threaten phytoplankton. When their numbers drop, oxygen production declines. Scientists tracking these populations have found they are already changing with rising ocean temperatures. Protecting the high seas preserves ocean ecosystems that need protection for their own sake and produce the oxygen that keeps all of us alive.
Ocean Protection and Climate Change: The Connection
The ocean acts as Earth’s climate control system. It absorbs 30% of the carbon dioxide emissions we produce and stores large amounts of heat that would otherwise warm our atmosphere. This natural buffer protects your family from severe climate impacts, but it comes at a cost—ocean warming and acidification threaten marine ecosystems.
When ocean health declines, climate regulation weakens. This leads to more extreme weather patterns that directly affect your daily life. Intense wildfires threaten community safety and air quality. Unpredictable weather disrupts agricultural production, driving up food prices at your local supermarket. Severe storms damage infrastructure and homes.
By protecting international waters, we support the oceans’ ability to stabilise the global climate. This results in safer communities and more predictable family budgets for everyone.
Future Medical Breakthroughs from Ocean Biodiversity
The ocean has exciting potential for your family’s future healthcare, but I want to recognise that this is one of the most ethically complex benefits to discuss. Marine life holds value beyond what it can offer to humans, and we must prioritise protecting ocean biodiversity because these creatures deserve to exist.
That said, marine biodiversity has already played a crucial role in developing important medicines that have saved lives. For example, a Caribbean sponge helped chemists design the AZT medicine for HIV treatment, cone snail venom became a strong painkiller and horseshoe crab blood cells helped change vaccine safety testing.
Scientists are currently looking into marine organisms for treatments aimed at cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and antibiotic-resistant infections.
By protecting ocean biodiversity through the High Seas Treaty, we safeguard entire ecosystems that have intrinsic value. As a bonus, we also keep open the possibility for future medical breakthroughs. Losing any species is a tragedy, and it also means losing potential knowledge that we have yet to understand. The high seas are home to millions of species with unique biochemistry developed over millions of years of evolution.
For more insight on why protecting this diversity is important from an ecological standpoint, check out my blog post “What is Biodiversity?” The aim is not to save the ocean just as a source of medicine for humans, but to protect the incredible variety of life that makes our planet so remarkable.
3 Simple Ways You Can Support the High Seas Treaty Today
The good news? You don’t need to be a marine biologist or environmental scientist to make a real difference for ocean health. Small, consistent actions in your everyday life add up to a significant impact. Especially when families like yours across the world make similar choices.
Choose Sustainable Seafood with This Free App
If you decide to eat seafood, it can be tough to know if what you’re buying is sustainable. Luckily, Forest and Bird’s Best Fish Guide make it easy by showing you which fish are good for the environment. They also have a free app you can download to your phone. This way, you can check for the sustainability of a fish species while shopping or ordering food at a restaurant.
These tools assess seafood based on fishing methods, stock health, and impact on ecosystems. By choosing certified sustainable products, you help improve fishing practices. When you vote with your dollar, it sends strong messages to the market, which encourages entire industries to use more responsible methods. Protecting ocean ecosystems for future generations to use more responsible methods, protecting ocean ecosystems for future generations.
Easy Plastic Swaps to Protect Ocean Life
Every piece of plastic you remove from your daily life helps cut down on microplastics in our ecosystem. Plastic moves from land into rivers and then to the ocean, where it breaks into tiny bits. Marine animals are swallowing a concerning amount of these microplastics, which affects their reproduction, health, and can even lead to starvation. If you eat seafood, you might be consuming some microplastics, too. Learn more about the effects of microplastics on your health and animals’ health in my blog post, The Truth About Microplastics.
Making changes as a family teaches kids why protecting ocean life is important. Easy swaps include:
– Plastic toothbrushes → Bamboo toothbrushes
– Plastic containers → Glass containers
– Liquid shampoo → Solid shampoo bars
– Plastic kitchen utensils → Wooden utensils
– Plastic produce bags → Reusable cotton bags
For more tips, check out my blog posts on reducing plastic in your bathroom and kitchen. Start with one or two swaps and gradually add more. Because every change matters.
Contact Your Government to Support the High Seas Treaty
Your voice is important in protecting the high seas. Visit the High Seas Alliance Ratification Tracker to see if your country has signed or ratified the treaty. If they haven’t, you can message your country’s leaders to urge them to act. A simple email or letter expressing your concerns about ocean protection can make a difference. When representatives get multiple messages about an issue, it shows that the public cares.
Remember, every voice counts. When you and your community speak up for environmental protection, governments pay attention. Implementing the treaty relies not only on signatures but also on ongoing public pressure to ensure real action follows. By staying engaged and vocal, you join the movement driving lasting change for our oceans.
Your Role in This Historic Moment
The High Seas Treaty is now law, but the real work is just beginning. Treaties don’t protect oceans; people do. And that means you.
Now you don’t need to solve the entire problem. You just need to take the next small step.
Try Taking One Action Step Today:
– Check the High Seas Alliance Ratification Tracker and contact your representatives if your country hasn’t ratified.
– Make one sustainable swap from the list above.
– Download the Best Fish Guide app for your next grocery trip.
– Share this post with someone who cares about the environment.
– Join the #60toGlobal movement to get every country on board.
Ocean ecosystems deserve protection for their own sake. But they are also connected to your family’s well-being. Together, we can ensure healthy oceans for generations to come.
Leave a comment below with the ocean protection action you are going to try this week. Let’s inspire each other.
I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day.
Georgia xoxo
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