Team at the UN Bottom Fisheries workshop. From left to right: Matthew Gianni (DSCC), Amy Irvine (Oceans North), Dr Gabrielle Carmine (Georgetown University), Katie Schleit (Oceans North), Kat Goddard (Greenpeace New Zeland), Dr Amy Baco-Taylor (Florida State University), Ingrid Benschikova (Pew), Eunhee Kim (CORI); Sebastian Losada (Greenpeace International), Rae McKinney (NRDC).

Scientific evidence presented at last week’s UN Bottom Fisheries Workshop (13-14 July, New York) shows that existing measures have not prevented ongoing damage to seamounts and other vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems. The findings reinforce the DSCC’s call for governments to lock in a firm 2027 deadline to end bottom trawling on high seas seamounts.

Satellite image of Madeira by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite

Portugal announced the D. Carlos I Marine Natural Reserve at the 11th Our Ocean Conference in Kenya, now being finalized with Madeira. Covering 173,000 square km, it will include the Gorringe Bank, the Madeira–Torre geological complex, and the Josephine seamount complex — a continental shelf area beyond 200 nautical miles currently regulated by NEAFC.

2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones: New England and Corner Rise. NOAA

Released on World Ocean Day, the United Nations’ Third World Ocean Assessment paints a stark picture of a deep ocean vital to planetary survival but under siege from industrial pressure and the impacts of the climate crisis.  

© Greenpeace | Malcolm Pullman

The New Zealand Parliament is considering several short-sighted amendments to the National Fisheries Act 1996 that would expand industry influence over fisheries management, bypass vital public oversight and undermine ocean protection goals.

Image Credit: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute. CC BY-NC-SA

The UN Bottom Fisheries Workshop in July 2026 marks a critical moment for deep-sea protection. Learn how bottom trawling threatens seamounts and what the international community must do to stop it.

The 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) concluded with widespread support for a resolution and decision on prioritizing the protection of seamount ecosystems. Parties also reaffirmed the need for precaution with regards to deep-sea mining and for the industry not to proceed as long as scientific gaps remain.

Image Credit: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute. CC BY-NC-SA

The High Seas Treaty (BBNJ Agreement) introduces new tools to safeguard the deep ocean’s extraordinary life and the critical services it provides. Learn more about the High Seas Treaty, what it means for the deep sea, challenges to overcome and opportunities for the future of ocean conservation. 

Credit: Kurt Arrigo / Ocean Image Bank

This March, governments gathering at the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) will consider an important new resolution and decision on conserving seamount ecosystems - an opportunity to strengthen protections for migratory species from surface waters to the deep sea.

Photo credit: JC094, Lissette Victorero

As the European Commission shapes its new Ocean Act, we have an opportunity to turn commitments into real action to defend the deep. With biodiversity loss accelerating, the climate crisis intensifying and industrial pressure on the deep sea growing, from bottom trawling to deep-sea mining and geoengineering, the Act must go beyond words and deliver in practice. The DSCC has submitted recommendations urging that precaution, coherence, and implementation sit at the heart of the 2026 Act, a key deliverable of the European Ocean Pact launched at the 2025 UN Ocean Conference in Nice.

Chimera with diverse coral © Greenpeace

Japan is world-renowned for its rich seafood culture and focus on premium quality fish and shellfish. But, as technology evolves and consumers demand more transparency on how it is procured, Japan faces a critical turning point.