Oceans have taken a beating at the hands of humans, but by the heroic efforts of 85 countries, the global community has entered into an agreement to protect them around the world.

The High Seas Treaty, or BBNJ Agreement, became international law on Jan. 17, 2026.

The treaty is the first legally binding framework to protect marine biodiversity in international waters. It establishes marine protected areas, regulates environmental impacts, and ensures equitable sharing of marine genetic resources.

If successful it will be instrumental in protecting 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.

Until the last century or so, the seas were considered simultaneously a dangerous enigma and an infinite resource.

Myths about their limitlessness have been dispelled as fisheries dwindle and garbage gyres form. They are still a vast mystery, however.

In the last decade, scientists have discovered more than 800 new marine species worldwide, including an entirely new family of translucent mollusks with detachable tentacles.

In Antarctica, an unknown and vibrant ecosystem of anemones, sea spiders, icefish and octopuses was revealed last year when a city-sized iceberg broke away.

Scientists have also learned that Earth’s oceans absorbed more heat in 2025 than any year since modern measurements began. The absorption is roughly equal to 37 years of total global primary energy use at 2023 levels.

The immense biodiversity of the high seas, encompassing nearly two-thirds of the ocean, was nearly unprotected before this year.

The treaty aims to conserve and sustainably manage the oceans, focusing on marine genetic resources, area-based management tools, environmental impact assessments (EIA), and transference of marine technology.
 
It provides legal mechanisms for enforcement. One is the power to create marine protected area (MPA), which will be critical in meeting the 30×30 goal.

It also mandates that benefits from marine genetic resources are shared fairly and equitably among nations.

Finally, it provides legal mechanisms for protecting endangered and fragile species from overfishing, pollution, and climate change.

It won’t directly affect our California coastal waters, since the high seas are defined as the areas outside of state or federal jurisdiction.

Nevertheless, marine animals don’t abide these boundaries and will benefit from all international, federal and state protections.

The High Seas Treaty and the Channel Islands and Chumash Sanctuaries all share the broader goal of protecting marine biodiversity.

Crucially, it promotes increased scientific cooperation and the sharing of technology, particularly with developing nations.

Supporters say it will bring order to a “wild west” area, allowing for a more holistic, coordinated management of human activity on the high seas. 

Can it do all this? Time will tell, but its chances will be better when the United States weighs in for it.

The U.S. signed the treaty in 2023. President Joe Biden transmitted it for “advice and consent” the following year. We are not currently among the 85 countries which have ratified the treaty.

The treaty requires two-thirds of the U.S. Senate to support ratification. This process is still ongoing. Until then, we are observers without voting rights.

Protections will come none too soon for marine creatures. Blue, fin and humpback whales feed at the ocean depth coinciding with the biggest concentrations of microplastics.

Ocean acidification is causing “osteoporosis of the sea,” altering the chemistry needed for animals to build shells and other protective structures.

Healing the seas will, of course, ultimately benefit humans as part of our earth ecosystem. When the creatures great and small are protected, it will be a victory for all of us.