As the international community prepares to convene for the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice from June 9–13, leading marine scientists are sounding the alarm over the continued degradation of fragile deep-sea ecosystems—particularly from the destructive practice of bottom trawling.
The conference, co-hosted by the Governments of Costa Rica and France, is set to be the largest ocean summit ever organized. It will bring together stakeholders across governments, civil society, academia, and the private sector to address escalating threats to ocean health and secure meaningful commitments towards marine conservation.
Central to the scientific community’s appeal is the urgent need to fulfill the long-standing global commitment to protect 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030. Currently, only 8.3 per cent of the world’s oceans enjoy some level of protection, with a mere three per cent under full protection.
Scientists emphasize that seamounts—underwater mountains that serve as biodiversity hotspots, nurseries, and migratory waypoints for species such as whales and sharks—are under severe threat from bottom trawling. Despite a 2006 United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for the protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems, including seamounts, implementation and enforcement have remained inadequate.
In an open letter endorsed by prominent international scientists, states are urged to halt bottom trawling practices and enforce existing protections. “Never before have we known so much about seamounts and their importance for biodiversity,” said Lissette Victorero, Science Advisor at the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC). “The science is clear: the time for action is now.”
The letter draws on mounting scientific evidence, including insights featured in Sir David Attenborough’s documentary Ocean, that underscores the ecological significance of seamounts and their role in oceanic health.
UNOC3 is expected to catalyze commitments from global leaders, including the announcement of new marine protected areas (MPAs). Hopes are high that European policymakers may take decisive steps to ban bottom trawling in these protected zones.
Beyond bottom trawling, the crisis of marine plastic pollution remains a formidable challenge. With projections indicating that plastic could outweigh fish in the ocean by 2050, the stakes have never been higher. Despite regulations from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) spanning five decades, science suggests that by 2040, plastic leakage into the environment could rise by 50 per cent, infiltrating the food chain, water supply, and air.
On World Environment Day 2025, the call for global collective action against plastic pollution is growing stronger. This year’s observance precedes the upcoming session of international negotiations for a Global Plastics Treaty, aimed at curbing plastic waste across its lifecycle.
In a landmark move, the European Parliament has passed regulations to reduce marine litter, targeting a ban on certain single-use plastic packaging by 2030 and cutting total packaging waste per capita. The EU generated 16.13 million tonnes of plastic packaging waste in 2021, with only 6.56 million tonnes recycled—highlighting the scale of the challenge.
Meanwhile, India, projected by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to remain the world’s fastest-growing major economy over the next two years, faces a mounting plastic crisis of its own. A recent Nature study found India to be the largest global contributor to plastic pollution, responsible for nearly 20 per cent of global plastic waste—an estimated 9.3 million tonnes annually. Yet, India currently lacks a comprehensive national policy specifically aimed at mitigating marine litter.
As UNOC3 opens with addresses by the UN Secretary-General, and the Presidents of Costa Rica and France, the international community faces a defining moment. The time to transform scientific consensus into policy action—on both bottom trawling and plastic pollution—is now.
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