The ANCORS Ocean Equity Podcast Negotiating the Ocean peeks below the surface of international ocean governance. We take you behind the scenes of ocean negotiations on biodiversity, fisheries and deep-sea mining and ask the big questions around equity and social justice.
Marine biodiversity, fisheries, deep-sea mining, climate change, and pollution are all inherently international issues and require cooperation at multiple levels. Negotiating the Ocean from ANCORS is your audio guide to navigate these high seas negotiations.
Each episode we’ll talk to experts around the world about the challenges facing the ocean and how the global community is trying to address them. Above all, we’ll look at these issues through the lens of equity, which means the process needs to be inclusive of different voices –because outcomes of the negotiations affect us all.
So, whether you live by the ocean or far away, plan to attend the upcoming negotiations as part of a delegation or are an ocean enthusiast – this podcast is for you.
Over the last decade human rights violations in the fishing industry have received global attention. Many of these incidents occur on board fishing vessels, often fishing far off the coast. In this episode, three experts who have been fighting to ensure better working conditions for crew on board fishing vessels will provide insights into this topic.
Deep-sea minerals are found on the ocean floor in areas beyond national jurisdiction. The International Seabed Authority (ISA) oversees these areas and is negotiating rules for possible future mining. This episode outlines the current state of negotiations, key governance and environmental questions, and links to the new BBNJ Agreement.
The 8th of June is World Ocean Day – a day to celebrate the ocean and to address the challenges that the ocean faces from human activities, such as overexploitation, pollution, and climate change. This episode dives into the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3) and reflects on the beauty and the importance of the ocean to all of us – no matter if we live close to the ocean, or far away.
The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission manages the second most lucrative tuna fishery in the world. More than half of the tuna catches in the Indian Ocean come from small-scale fisheries, which are often characterised by a lack of data and information. Overall, the Indian Ocean faces many complex and unique challenges. In this episode, we talk to four experts from the region who have been actively engaged in shaping the Indian Ocean tuna fisheries.
The management of the tuna species is important for the livelihoods and food security of millions of people. This is especially true for the tuna caught in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, which accounts for more than half of the global tuna catch. In this episode, we will hear from four experts who have dedicated their lives to ensuring that tuna fisheries in the Western and Central Pacific are managed sustainably.
In this episode we meet Fran Humphries, Associate Professor at Griffith University, an expert on Access and Benefit Sharing of Marine Genetic resources. She guides us through ocean equity issues about sharing the genetic material of the deepest parts of the ocean.
In this episode, we talk to civil society and meet Rebecca Hubbard, the director of the High Seas Alliance – a global Alliance of more than 60 NGOs and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
In this episode we hear from Angelique Pouponneau, the lead negotiator of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) what ocean equity means for Small Island States.
After decades of negotiations and a 36 hour-long meeting at the UN in New York, countries from around the world agreed to a new Ocean treaty in 2023. The landmark treaty governs Biodiversity of areas Beyond National Jurisdiction – what we call, BBNJ. This episode explores what happens next and how decisions now have real implications for ocean equity.
70 % of the Earth’s surface is Ocean. Beneath the surface lies a complex web of global governance. Who decides how to manage the ocean in a way that is fair and equitable to both the marine environment and humans who rely on the sea for their livelihoods?
All these questions are inherently ocean equity concerns. Meet researchers from the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) who work on different aspects of Ocean Equity, including fisheries, climate change, pollution, renewable energy, and more:
Quentin Hanich, Professor at ANCORS, leading the Fisheries Governance Program
Aline Jaeckel, Associate Professor at ANCORS
Michelle Voyer, Assoc.-Professor at ANCORS, leading the Blue Futures Program
Freya Croft, Post-doctoral Researcher, ANCORS
Kamal Azmi, Senior Research Fellow, ANCORS & Coordinator of the Graduate Certificate in Fisheries Management and Development
Randa Sacedon, ANCORS Research Fellow
Makrita Solitei, Associate Research Fellow, ANCORS
For any questions & comments please contact:
Dr. Ina Tessnow-von Wysocki (inatvw@uow.edu.au ) for podcast episodes on biodiversity and deep-sea mining &
Dr. Bianca Haas (bhaas@uow.edu.au) for podcast episodes on fisheries.
Hosts: Ina Tessnow-von Wysocki and Jennifer Macey
Sound design and editing: Emily Perkins
Communications: Sunnefa Yeatman
ANCORS Ocean Equity page https://oceanequityresearch.org/
ANCORS at the University of Wollongong https://www.uow.edu.au/ancors/