Five Arctic coastal countries agree to ban fishing around North Pole

The five Arctic coastal countries of Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the United States on Thursday agreed to prohibit fishermen from their countries from fishing in the international part of the Arctic Ocean around the North Pole.

The five countries met on ambassadorial level in Oslo on Thursday to continue their discussions on issues concerning possible future fisheries in the central Arctic Ocean and signed a declaration recognizing the crucial role of healthy marine ecosystems and sustainable fisheries for food and nutrition and the changes due to climate change.

The agreement is made as a response to global warming that is melting the ice cover in the Arctic Ocean, including some of the high seas portion of the central Arctic Ocean.

They agreed that commercial fishing in the high seas portion of the central Arctic Ocean is unlikely to occur in the near future and that there is no need at present to establish any additional regional fisheries management organization for this area.

Nevertheless, the five countries decided that they will authorize their vessels to conduct commercial fishing in this area only pursuant to one or more regional or subregional fisheries management organizations or arrangements.

They also decided to establish a joint program of scientific research with the aim of improving understanding of the ecosystems of this area.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende said that on the basis of the declaration, the five states will also try to persuade other countries to refrain from unregulated fishing in the central Arctic Ocean.

"Effective protection of the fish stocks in the central Arctic Ocean requires cooperation between the coastal states and other interested states. It is therefore important that the coastal states seek to engage other states in this effort, with a view to preventing unregulated fishing in the future," Brende said in a statement. Enditem