Nearly half of Earth’s surface lies beyond the jurisdiction of any single country—and until now, those waters have been largely unregulated. In this episode of Nature Breaking, WWF’s Johan Bergenas joins host Seth Larson to unpack the newly ratified High Seas Treaty and what it means for the future of our ocean.

From illegal fishing and environmental degradation to human trafficking and unregulated resource extraction, the high seas have long been a lawless frontier. But with this treaty now in force, countries have a framework to establish marine protected areas, conduct environmental impact assessments, and collaborate on enforcement and conservation.

Johan explains how the treaty came together, what it aims to achieve, and why it’s a critical step toward meeting global biodiversity goals—like protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030.

Tune in to learn how this landmark agreement could reshape ocean governance and help safeguard the planet’s largest ecosystem.

Links for More Info:

Johan Bergenas bio

WWF Oceans webpage

WWF Statement on High Seas Treaty

Chapters:

0:00  Wild Guess trivia question

0:36 Intro

1:58 Defining “the high seas”

3:21 Crime on the high seas

5:13 Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing

10:00 The High Seas Treaty

12:13 Marine Protected Areas

16:00 Next steps for the treaty

17:25 Hurdles to implementation

20:28 Why did it take this long to get a treaty?

22:02 Outro