An international deal has been reached to prevent commercial fishing in the High Arctic for at least the next 16 years. “Canada has reached an historic agreement in principle today in Washington, D.C. to prevent unregulated commercial fishing in the high seas of the central Arctic Ocean,” Fisheries and Oceans Minister Dominic LeBlanc said in a statement Thursday. “It’s heartening to see Arctic and non-Arctic countries come together on conservation measures for the future of the Arctic Ocean,” said Herb Nakimayak of the Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada. It affects Arctic seas that are at least 200 kilometres away from the shores of any coastal states. Although no commercial fishing exists there now, climate change is affecting where fish live and more of them are shifting north.

Source: National Post November 30, 2017 22:49 UTC