The following article was written by Dr. Elizabeth Wheat, Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
“Shiver my timbers, Shiver my soul, yo ho, heave ho.”
As a child growing up in the 1990s—or the “late 1900s” as my students say out of my earshot—the High Seas for us meant Captain Smollett (Kermit the Frog) and Long John Silver (Tim Curry), singing about their adventures on Muppet Treasure Island. As we became teenagers, Ariel’s friendship with a Caribbean-sounding crab and her crush on a prince of whom her father disapproved would be the stuff of our daydreams.
We believed we could Free Willy and save all the killer whales, as we watched glistening images of the open waters to the tune of Michael Jackson’s “Will You Be There.” “Finding Nemo,” released in 2003, would add “Fish are friends, not food” to our repertoire and we could be identified in public as the aquarium visitors who might yell “NEMO” at any exhibit with a clownfish and coral, drawing looks because we were just old enough where we should not be acting like that in public. For our college years, we joined Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) asking where the rum had gone.
The High Seas were a place of adventure and stories of friendly creatures told through songs and movies at every stage of our lives!
Today, I think the High Seas are still where adventures are possible and any cruisegoer can testify that the rum is, in fact, not gone. But, we also know the real dangers of pirates and the serious harms our fish friends face. We might think “I’m the Captain now” thanks to Tom Hanks’ film about Somali pirates, but we know the real dangers captains face from illegal fishing or whale hunts prohibited by international law.
My Great Decisions presentation will talk about how the international community has written a convention that protects these ecosystems and marine resources. Built on the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the High Seas Treaty strives to protect the animals my generation has grown up loving and to safeguard our global commons from exploitation by creating marine protected areas outside of any country’s domestic jurisdiction.
The High Seas Treaty, also known as the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, was adopted on June 19, 2023. Its goals are to address the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems, assess and monitor harmful activities on the sea through environmental impact assessments, promote fair and equitable marine technology transfers, and prevent further biodiversity loss. It is the result of years of global negotiations and pressure from civil society organizations such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It is our High Seas’ best hope for conservation and preservation.
As Nemo’s friend Dory would tell us, we need to “just keep swimming” and always be there for our marine friends when they need it most. Avoid getting cabin fever and come to Manitowoc Public Library on Monday March 25, at 6 PM to learn more how about how the High Seas Treaty strives to protect the world’s most important marine ecosystems. We will not be providing rum, but we do need all hands on deck and look forward to seeing you!
Pirate costumes encouraged, but not required.
