“Our fish are not your marine biodiversity”: tensions in integrating fisheries into the BBNJ Agreement
Sebuliba, S., Elma, E., and Sammler, K. G. (2025). “our fish are not your marine biodiversity”: tensions in integrating fisheries into the bbnj agreement. npj Ocean Sustainability volume, 4(44).
The 2023 Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement aims to conserve and sustainably use marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. However, separating fisheries from broader conservation frameworks has led to fragmented governance. This paper examines how spatial, technological, institutional, and philosophical tensions complicated efforts to integrate fisheries within the BBNJ framework.
Despite its ambitious scope, the BBNJ Agreement faces an enduring challenge where the management of commercially valuable marine resources is often separate from broader marine biodiversity conservation objectives. Fisheries management and seabed mining received preferential treatment over broader biodiversity objectives. When asked about the relationship between fisheries and marine biodiversity during BBNJ negotiations, a Pacific Small Island Developing State (PSIDS) delegate remarked: “Our fish are not your marine biodiversity!” (Interview with delegate from a PSIDS, August 2022).
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