According to Science Blog, a declaration was signed on July 16 to prevent the unregulated commercial fishing in high seas portion of central Arctic Ocean, the five countries involved in the said signing were Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark in respect of Greenland, the Kingdom of Norway, the Russian federation and the United States of America.

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The declaration acknowledges that the commercial fishing in the Arctic Ocean which is larger than Alaska and Texas when combined is rare to occur in the future. Also, the reduction of Arctic sea ice and other environmental changes in the Arctic, combined with the limited scientific knowledge about the marine resources in the said area, will necessitate a precautionary approach to prevent the unregulated fishing in the area, State.gov reports.

The five countries agreed and stated in the declaration that they will only intend to authorize their vessels to conduct any future commercial fishing in this area only once one or more international mechanisms are in place to manage any fishing activity in accordance to recognized international standards. They also intend to establish a joint program of scientific research with the aim of improving understanding of the ecosystems in the area, Science Blog has learned.

According to CBC News, the central Arctic probably has no commercial fish stocks by now, and that the melting ice maybe the reason why fish such as cod draw farther north. Plus, almost forty percent of the area was briefly open water when summer sea ice shrank to a record low in 2012.

U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for oceans and fisheries David Bolton said the deal made will prevent a problem from arising in the near future. However, only a small portion of the ocean is known to man.

Meanwhile, Norwegian Foreign Minister Boerge Brende said in a statement: "Climate change is affecting the migration patterns of fish stocks." He added that the countries should be responsible in protecting the international waters, starting 200 nautical miles from their coasts, CBC News reports.

Tagsnorth pole, Fishing