The #raceforratification is on! The high seas treaty now has 75 signatures, including from the US, Costa Rica, France, UK, the EU and many more. These signatories as well as many others are key supporters for the SARGADOM project. What are the next steps? Now countries must ratify the treaty to reach that critical threshold of 60 ratifications that will bring the treaty into force. A state signing the treaty signifies its intent to ratify, but it does not compel them to do so. Ratification can be a longer process as states must review their laws to make sure they are compatible with the new treaty. We hope that the high ambition coalition will keep the pressure on to ratify this important treaty! Image credits Minna Epps Nichola Clark Kathryn Francis IUCN ocean team

Not so fast! Though the treaty has been signed by almost 70 coutries, it requires 60 RATIFICATIONS to bring it in to force. A state signing the treaty indicates its intent to ratify the treaty later, but it does not compel them to do so. The ratification process can take longer as countries must review and potentially change their national laws to make it compatible with the treaty. The UN fish stocks agreement required 30 ratifications and took 6 years to enter into force, and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea required 60 ratifications and took 12 years to come in to force. With global focus on multilateral cooperation, we sincerely hope that the BBNJ agreement can enter in to force much sooner. The countries that do not ratify the agreement will not be formally bound by it, but further down the line they may find themselves de facto bound by it under customary international law.

Tiger sharks are named for their distinctive striped skin, which fades as the shark matures. They can grow to large sizes, commonly reaching 10-13 feet, with some females even reaching 16 feet. Tiger sharks are known for eating a wide variety of prey - including fish, sea birds, sea snakes, dolphins, sea turtles, rays and other sharks - and even terrestrial prey where they can reach them like cats, dogs, and rats. Tiger sharks are also known as garbage eaters - license plates, oil cans and tires have been found in their stomachs. The only known recorded natural predator of tiger sharks are orcas. However, tiger sharks are targeted by humans for their fins, flesh, and liver, leading to their status as a near threatened species. Atlantic tiger shark populations have been shown to migrate, spending their winters in the Caribbean, and summers in the mid-Atlantic, including the Sargasso Sea and Bermuda. The Bermuda Tiger Shark Project has allowed researchers to tag sharks and track their migration, and has revealed that most sharks that visit Bermuda are adult males. Tiger sharks also occur in the Thermal Dome, along with many other notable species, including the endangered hammerhead, and vulnerable thresher shark.

Ahead of this meeting of the #ISA28 Council at @@isba_hq, an international opposition composed of players from all fields has formed against the exploitation of seabed mineral resources. Scientists, NGOs, governments and companies have called on the international community to take political action to delay the exploitation of these resources as long as there are scientific uncertainties about their environmental impact. What are the positions of these stakeholders, and what political action are they calling for? #deepseamining

The precautionary principle is a well-established element of international law, which requires a precautionary approach to environmental issues when there is scientific uncertainty about the possible negative impacts of an activity. It is part of a system of rules designed to guide States' decision-making towards the goal of environmentally sustainable development. Thus, this principle is particularly relevant to questions of seabed mining. Find out more about the precautionary principle and why is it being requested in negotiations on seabed mining! 👆 #DeepSeaMining #PrecautionaryPrinciple

In 2021, Nauru, a small island developing state, triggered "the two-year rule". It is found in a provision of the 1994 Agreement relating to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. According to this provision, the @isba_hq was required to finalize regulations on the exploitation of seabed mineral resources by July 9, 2023. The procedures to be applied for the two-year rule are still being discussed during these two weeks of negotiations at the #ISA28. What is this rule and what does it mean?

From 2000 to 2013, the @isba_hq drew up regulations on prospecting and exploration for deep-sea minerals for each of the three resources currently explored in the deep sea: polymetallic nodules, polymetallic sulfides and cobalt-rich crusts. In accordance with the procedure laid down in these regulations, exploration contracts were awarded to contractors (states and state-sponsored private companies) for an initial term of 15 years. What are these coveted resources that are the subject of the current #ISA28 negotiations?

What is the Common Heritage of Mankind Principle, and how it works in the context of the #ISA28? The notion of the Common Heritage of Mankind was introduced at the United Nations in 1970, and was later given legal expression in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Under the UNCLOS, the mineral resources of the "Area" constitute the Common Heritage of Mankind. As such, no single state can appropriate these resources, and their exploitation must be carried out in the name and for the benefit of humanity as a whole. In contrast, coastal states have sovereign rights over the exploration, exploitation, conservation and management of their resources. During this #ISA28 meeting, delegates are invited to remain flexible and try to reach consensus, to continue to make progress on the draft Mining Code, particularly on the provisions relating to the sharing of benefits arising from the exploitation of seabed mineral resources. Stay tuned for more infos on what's happening at the @isba_hq Seabed Authority and what's at stake in seabed mining!

We follow & cover the ongoing #ISA28 negotiations at @isba_hq, and our authors are on-site observers in Kingston with @deepstewardship! Meet the team 👆 #deepsea #deepseamining