DEEP SEA 2003 CONFERENCE

International experts from the scientific, academic, fisheries management, international law, environmental and fishing industry communities of 40 countries met from 1-5 December 2003 in Queenstown, New Zealand to address the governance and management of the world’s deep-sea fisheries. Noting the need for urgent action to prevent further depletion of the deep sea resources, delegates recommended: using existing international organizations to introduce marine protected areas in deep sea areas, prohibit destructive fishing methods in sensitive areas, and regulate the activities of fishing vessels on the high seas; establishing new international arrangements to control the impacts of fishing on deepwater areas of the high seas; and establishing a global framework in the long-term to manage the impacts of fishing in the deep sea of the world’s oceans. 

Further information about the event is available online at:

http://www.deepsea.govt.nz/