Extractive activity on the international high seas – including fishing, seabed mining, and oil and gas exploitation – should be “banned forever”, a community of the world’s leading ocean scientists have stated in a new paper published ahead of the United Nations Ocean Conference.

Led by marine scientist and Oceanographic Magazine contributor, Professor Callum Roberts the paper – titled ‘Why we should protect the high seas from all extraction, forever’ – calls for a “complete and permanent protection of the high seas” from all industrial extraction.

Within the paper – now published in Nature ahead of the UN Ocean Conference in Nice next week – Roberts and his co-authors argue that the stability of the climate and the planet’s biodiversity – two of the biggest crises being faced by the planet right now – depend on a more sustainable approach to the high seas and a restorative approach to ocean health.

The high seas is the term given to the vast expanse of international waters beyond national jurisdiction which cover 43% of the planet’s surface and two-thirds of its living space. Yet they remain largely unprotected and increasingly threatened by overfishing, climate disruption, and the rising interest in deep sea mining.

In the paper, four reasons for a sweeping ban on all industrial extraction in the high seas have been given, including that of climate stability. The high seas are Earth’s largest and most secure carbon sink. This means protecting them is critical to preserving the biological and nutrient cycles that draw down and keep atmospheric carbon dioxide in check.

Meanwhile, species such as tuna, sharks, marlin, squid, and krill – all of which are currently targeted in the high seas – would have a chance to recover and spill over into national waters under such a sweeping ban. In turn, fishing in national waters would recover and be able to support food security and fairer access to resources, particularly for lower-income nations in the global south. 

Notable marine scientists and thinkers including Sylvia Earle and Johan Rockström have put their name to the paper which states in no uncertain terms that “there is no climate justification to exploit fossil fuels in the high seas” while stating that the deep-sea mining industry poses “uncontrollable and irreversible risks to the environment and climate.”

“Life in the high seas is vital to the ocean’s ability to store carbon and is too important to lose,” said the paper’s lead author, Professor Callum Roberts, professor of marine biology at the University of Exeter and lead researcher with the Convex Seascape Survey.

“This paper makes the case that we must stop extractive activities in the high sea permanently, to protect the climate, restore biodiversity, and safeguard ocean function for future generations.”

While the UN High Seas Treaty – announced in June 2023 – offers a pathway to greater protection, it won’t be implemented for years to come. The paper’s authors argue that action is needed now and a full ban on extractive use is both feasible and necessary, echoing the successful precedent set for Antarctica in the 1950s.

Dr Andrew Forrest, a mining executive, marine scientist, and philanthropist, said: This isn’t idealism – it’s good business. As the founder of one of the world’s most efficient and successful mining companies, I ask: what miner would risk catastrophic environmental damage mining the deep ocean when there are plenty of terrestrial reserves that can be exploited with far better environmentalism and social safeguards?”

The paper is grounded in the scientific foundations of the Convex Seascape Survey, where Professor Callum Roberts serves as a lead scientist. The Convex Seascape Survey is a global research partnership between the University of Exeter, Blue Marine Foundation, and Convex Group Limited. It is the most ambitious programme to date, focused on understanding how seabed ecosystems contribute to carbon storage and how best to protect them.

The paper – ‘Why we should protect the high seas from all extraction, forever’ – is a reflection of the Survey’s mission.

Click here for more from the Oceanographic Newsroom.