After two weeks of negotiations between more than 50 countries, the Fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) ended last Friday without establishing a High Seas Treaty — once again leaving more than two-thirds of the global ocean unprotected. But important progress was also made, which the Only One community of supporters has helped push for. World leaders are closer than ever before to finalizing the treaty, and there’s reason to be optimistic that the next negotiation will be the last step in the nearly two-decades–long process. We can’t let up the pressure now, and we need you with us! Can you help build momentum for the coalition to protect the High Seas by sharing our petition with your network? We’re just shy of our goal of 75,000 signatures.
The fish around Britain are disappearing.
A recent report by Blue Marine Foundation found that many of the UK's key fish populations are in steep decline as a result of decades of overfishing.
For years, ministers have set catch limits above what scientists advised, allowing more fish to be caught than experts consider sustainable. This political choice has pushed many fish populations closer to collapse, damaging marine ecosystems, threatening coastal livelihoods and weakening the UK's food security.
Some of the declines are staggering. Between 2016 and 2025, Celtic Sea cod, haddock, whiting, herring and pollack declined by 98%, 79%, 73%, 45% and 31% respectively. Meanwhile, scientists now advise zero catches for three of the UK's four cod stocks.
These are not distant, abstract losses.
They affect the health of our seas, the livelihoods of fishing communities and the seafood on our plates. They are one reason why the cod in your local fish and chip shop is now likely to have been caught thousands of miles from British waters.
