Leading scientists, policymakers and civil society organizations will gather from 13-14 July for a critical UN workshop that could determine the future of more than 21% of the world’s seabed. As part of the 2026 UN Bottom Fisheries Review, the workshop will evaluate how governments and regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs) are implementing United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolutions to protect seamounts from destructive fishing practices. The review will culminate in UNGA negotiations from 29 October to 6 November, when governments will decide on the future protection of seamounts and other vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) from destructive bottom fishing.
Seamounts are underwater mountains that act as biodiversity hotspots and vital ocean lifelines, supporting rich marine ecosystems and helping to maintain the resilience of the ocean as it buffers the planet from the worst impacts of the climate crisis. Seamounts are among the most important and vulnerable parts of the deep ocean, and since 2006 UNGA resolutions have consistently called for their protection from the impacts of destructive fishing practices, such as bottom trawling.
Bringing together leading experts in marine science, fisheries management, international law and ocean policy, the workshop will showcase scientific evidence, global resolutions and RFMO and State implementation of UNGA resolutions calling for the protection of seamounts and other VMEs. Together, those inputs will inform the drafting and negotiation of the UNGA 2026 Sustainable Fisheries resolution text focused on safeguarding VMEs in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
The DSCC and its member organisations are calling on governments to seize this opportunity and agree on a 2026 resolution that sets a firm deadline to end bottom trawling on high seas seamounts by the end of 2027.
Matthew Gianni, DSCC Co-founder, Political and Policy Advisor said:
This is a defining moment for the future of the deep ocean. Seamounts are hidden hotspots of ocean life, supporting extraordinary biodiversity and helping keep our ocean healthy. Protecting them safeguards the natural systems that support us all. Governments now have an opportunity to honour the intent of two decades of UNGA resolutions calling for the protection of seamounts and other VMEs from destructive fishing practices by agreeing a clear deadline to end bottom trawling on seamounts on the high seas by 2027.
Dr. Lissette Victorero, DSCC Science Lead said:
Seamounts are among the most ecologically important ecosystems on Earth. They are critical habitats for some of the ocean’s most vulnerable species, help connect marine life across entire ocean basins, and through their extraordinary biodiversity, strengthen ocean resilience in the face of the climate crisis. Scientific evidence is clear that the slow-growing corals and sponges that build these habitats are being destroyed far faster than they can regrow, and the damage persists for centuries to millenia. We cannot afford to keep destroying ecosystems that take centuries to recover. Governments must act now to protect seamounts from bottom trawling so they can continue sustaining ocean health for generations to come.
The workshop will directly inform a UN General Assembly resolution that could finally set a global deadline to end this antiquated, destructive activity on high seas seamounts.
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