STATES CHRONICLE – The Ross Sea was declared the widest marine reserve. The protection of this area was demonstrated through the agreement signed by the European Union and other 24 countries. The Ross Sea is situated in Antarctica, located at 3,500 kilometers from New Zealand. This Arctic Bay measures a surface of 1.55 million square kilometers. Here, the exploitation of minerals and fishing are prohibited.
This international agreement is bound to become active starting with December 2017. This noble purpose of protecting nature brought many countries together, making history. The deal was signed in Hobart, Australia by the members of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.
The countries which opposed to the accomplishment of this noble pact were Ukraine and Russia. They did not give their permission from the beginning. After debating this problem for a long time, Russia and Ukraine were convinced to adhere to the agreement. Peter Jones, who is a specialist on marine environmental governance at the University College London, has argued that the deal proves a prosperous development of the international relations.
Considering the current political situation, Russia’s agreement to the noble purpose of preserving the Ross Sea can only be a positive step towards better international relations. Starting with this area from Antarctica, scientists hope to encourage the protection of a lot of many other marine locations from around the world.
A marine biologist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Daniel Pauly, has claimed that the designated Arctic Bay is only the first step towards encouraging the protection of many other wildlife environments that deserve to be preserved. These efforts of protecting the Ross Sea are bound to prohibit fishing in the area.
The exploitation of the Arctic Bay determined the decrease in the population of many marine species. Among these marine animals, there is the Antarctic krill, one of the most significant sources of protein and the Antarctic toothfish. The reduced number of these species would create a dangerous gap in the ecosystem from the Ross Sea.
Russia is known to own a well-developed fishing fleet in Antarctica. Thus, the country stipulated a compromise in the agreement. There will be designated a specific area for controlled fishing. All other commercial marine activities will be excluded outside this field.
Image source: wikipedia