After 4 years of proposals, 24 Countries have finally came to a consensus; creating the worlds largest Marine Reserve of about 582,578 square miles in the Antarctic ocean.

New Zealand and the United States have been pushing for a reserve for years; initially submitting a joint proposal in 2012. However it has been rejected 5 times before until Friday’s agreement. China, Russian and Ukraine have expressed concerns in the past, with Russia being the last to finally agree to the terms.

Going into effect in December 2017, the agreement will create a blanket ban on commercial fishing across three-quarters of that area. In the remaining zones, some commercial fishing will be allowed.

Many fish in the waters surrounding Antarctica for toothfish, which are often marketed in North America as Chilean sea bass.

Evan Bloom, who led the U.S. delegation in Hobart, said that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has been a passionate advocate for the reserve and has been pushing for it in high-level talks with Russian leaders, including President Vladimir Putin.

Bloom said he was “thrilled” with the result.

“We’ve been working on this for so many years and had so many disappointments trying to get here,” he said. “This is a real win for marine conservation.”

Secretary of state John Kerry said the agreement “will safeguard one of the last unspoiled ocean wilderness areas on the planet — home to unparalleled marine biodiversity and thriving communities of penguins, seals, whales, seabirds, and fish.”









One unfortunate detail about the agreement is that it has the ability to expire in 35 years, which if it isn’t renewed , fishing vessels could then exploit the waters after that, potentially rendering the agreement not as effective. Ideally it would be nice to see this agreement stand indefinitely.

The area is home to thousands of species, including Orcas. This will allow many immature fish to grow with out being hunted, but the WWF (World Conservation Fund) has also voiced it’s concerns that the definition of a protected area is that it is permanent and that the Ross Agreement does not meet this standard.

“I’m positive that in 35 years, the conservation values that come out of the Ross Sea, the protections will be renewed. The world will be a different place in 35 years.” said Andrea Kavanagh, the director of Antarctic and Southern Ocean work for the Pew Charitable Trusts

The campaign group Avaaz had, with Leonardo DiCaprio, launched a petition calling for CCAMLR to establish “the world’s largest network of marine protected areas in the Southern Ocean, starting with the Ross Sea and East Antarctica”. It received more than 2m signatures, Avaaz said.

“There’s massive momentum in the world right now to protect our oceans,” said Luis Morago, campaign director at Avaaz. “Governments have just set the landmark target of protecting 30% of our oceans, and millions of people all over the world are pushing for more protected areas to achieve that goal. The Ross Sea is just the start.”

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