The BBNJ agreement, or High Seas Treaty has passed into UK law after receiving royal assent today – bringing the UK one step closer to ratifying the all-important ocean treaty. 

After decades of negotiation, the High Seas Treaty came into effect this January. It establishes a legally binding framework on how to protect and sustainably manage our marine life and resources in international waters.

These international waters, also known as the High Seas, currently cover two thirds of the ocean. Until the High Seas Treaty came into effect, only 1% of these waters had been protected.

The BBNJ Agreement creates – for the first time – the tools to create marine protected areas (MPAs) on the High Seas, and sets obligations on how ocean resources should be used sustainably.

Hugo Tagholm, Director of Oceana UK, said: “It is great news that the UK has passed its bill to begin ratifying the High Seas Treaty, which can and must represent a huge win for our global ocean.”

Tagholm added,  “Finally, the international community is waking up to the fact that, far from a distant, lawless wasteland where we rampantly overfish; dump our rubbish; and turn a blind eye to cruelty and abuse, the high seas matter. They are the beating heart of a healthy ocean that in turn gives us a stable climate, food to eat, and air to breathe.”

Despite being a step in the right direction, royal assent does not mean that the UK has officially ratified the treaty – they are therefore not legally bound to measures it introduces, and risk exclusion from the first-ever ‘Ocean COP’ the conference of parties to the treaty – which could convene as early as August

The UK sits alongside countries, like the US, Canada, New Zealand, India, Argentina and Indonesia who have also not ratified the treaty yet. 

According to DEFRA, secondary legislation is needed to ensure that the UK can meet some of its obligations under the treaty. Including for instance amending the current marine licensing regime to ensure compliance with BBNJ Environment Impact Assessment obligations.

DEFRA communications team have said: “This process takes time, but we’re committed to getting it right. By building a robust legal foundation, we’re ensuring the UK can play a meaningful role in protecting the high seas for generations to come.”

The heads of 18 environmental charities have previously written to the British foreign secretary Yvette Cooper, condemning the “glacial pace of government progress” on ratifying the treaty, which was first adopted by the government in 2023. 

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