The sound of the high seas has always been reminiscent of an old novel. Whales, pirates, and sailors who vanished. However, the romance quickly fades when you sit with the numbers for a short while. Almost two-thirds of the ocean on Earth is located outside national borders.
No coast guard, no flag, no explicit regulations. That size was viewed as a kind of permission slip for decades. Go fishing there. That’s mine. There, dump. Not many people inquired about the price.
| Subject | High Seas Treaty (BBNJ Agreement) – Caribbean Ratification Outlook |
|---|---|
| Treaty Adopted | March 2023 by the United Nations General Assembly |
| Focus Region | Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago |
| Coverage Area | Roughly two-thirds of the planet’s ocean surface |
| Key Mechanism | Marine Protected Areas, EIAs, and benefit-sharing of marine genetic resources |
| Capacity-Building Value | Estimated US $10.3 million in projected cash support |
| Ratifications So Far | 50 countries (60 needed for entry into force) |
| Linked Global Target | 30×30 — protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030 |
| Governing Body Reference | UNCLOS, 1982 |
| Major Threats | Overfishing, deep-sea mining, plastic pollution, climate change |
| Outlook | Cautiously optimistic, politically uneven |
Though slowly, that attitude is changing, and the most intriguing change isn’t coming from the typical maritime powers. It originates from countries like Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and Antigua and Barbuda. A new economic and legal analysis of the implications of ratifying the High Seas Treaty for those three nations comes to the quietly audacious conclusion that there is a limited window of opportunity to claim the gains, which are real and early. Policymakers in the Caribbean, at least those who are willing to be honest, believe that delaying action now would be costly.
The connection between the ocean and economy is real when you stroll along the docks in Port of Spain on a muggy afternoon. Container ships sitting past the breakwater, children selling shaved ice to tourists, and fishermen cleaning the day’s catch. Despite their best efforts, small island developing states are unable to keep their futures apart from the sea.
Therefore, the calculation isn’t too difficult when a treaty offers improved access to marine genetic resources, funding for capacity-building, and a seat at the table where deep-sea regulations are drafted. International diplomacy has a way of hiding clear decisions, which is why it appears complicated.
The treaty’s actual provisions are more specific than what the standard UN language implies. Marine protected areas in waters that are not owned by any one country. Before a mining rig is dragged across an unmapped seamount, environmental impact assessments are conducted.
No one has yet developed a benefit-sharing scheme for the odd microorganisms that scientists continue to extract from hydrothermal vents, some of which may find their way into cancer medications. Perhaps a string of DNA from an unidentified organism is the most valuable item in the high seas, rather than tuna or cobalt.
Naturally, the paperwork is not keeping up with the threats. High seas fishing is still dominated by industrial fleets, primarily from wealthy countries. According to a 2018 study published in Science Advances, a large portion of this fishing would not even be profitable without state subsidies.
The more recent concern is deep-sea mining, where businesses are interested in polymetallic nodules for the same metals that drive wind turbines and electric cars—an irony that no one seems willing to publicly discuss. Despite growing calls for a moratorium at the recent UN Ocean Conference in Nice, dredges continue to be designed.
Plastic still finds its way into gyres the size of tiny nations. The water itself is losing oxygen, warming, and becoming more acidic. As this develops, it’s difficult to ignore how much of the discussion still views the open ocean as somewhere else, a problem to be solved later, and a location primarily inhabited by documentaries.
For the treaty to become operative, sixty ratifications are required. There are fifty people in. Due in part to the fact that moral authority on ocean issues typically comes from those who stand to lose the most if things go wrong, the Caribbean push may be more significant than its size suggests. It remains to be seen if the larger powers will follow with actual funds and enforcement. Signing a treaty is simple, but funding it is more difficult. However, something has changed. The world is at least acting as though everyone owns the high seas for the first time. Although it’s a beginning, pretending isn’t protection.
