What the new global treaty on fishing vessels means for the Arctic
In a historic move for fishing vessel safety, the Cape Town Agreement met the requirements to enter into force in February 2027.
The first ever worldwide convention of the safety of fishing vessels recently met the requirements to enter into force in February 2027. This comes at a time when Arctic shipping is increasing, with fishing vessels representing the majority of vessel traffic.
What is this historic new convention, and how will it impact shipping in the Arctic? We spoke with Michael Kingston, who has been a Consultant with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and is a Special Advisor to the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment Working Group (PAME), who played an important role in getting the Cape Town Agreement over the line.
Why is the Cape Town Agreement entry into force a historic moment for global maritime safety?
Fishing is one of the world’s most dangerous occupations, if not the most dangerous, with thousands of fishers losing their lives every year. The 2012 Cape Town Agreement is a massive step forward in the safety and protection of fishing crews, vessels and the environment.
If you’ve watched The Deadliest Catch or have been involved with fishing or know someone who has, you may know the significant risks that come with the profession. It has a culture built around it where this danger is treated as a badge of honor. This is a step in addressing this issue and changing that culture, so that fishers can carry out their work with less risk.
The Agreement will also help reduce pollution from fishing vessels, help in the fight against illegal unreported and unregulated fishing, and, crucially, alleviate strain on search and rescue services by reducing the amount of dangerous call outs to sub standard fishing vessels.
The Cape Town Agreement was adopted in 2012, and builds on two previous conventions that ultimately did not enter into force. After some stagnation, in early 2019, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretariat embarked on a massive momentum drive to encourage more states to ratify the agreement so that it could enter into force.
This is a historic achievement, as it’s the very first worldwide Convention for the safety of fishing vessels. Safety of life at sea became a global priority following the Titanic Disaster in 1912 when diplomatic efforts led to the adoption of the International Convention for the Safety of life at Sea (SOLAS) which was ultimately implemented in 1929. Despite this, no equivalent treaty for fishing vessels has ever entered into force despite previous concerted efforts.
The Cape Town Agreement enters into force 12 months after at least 22 States, with an aggregate of 3600 declared fishing vessels consent to being bound by the treaty. In February 2026, Argentina deposited its instrument of accession at the IMO, declaring 467 vessels to exceed the 3600 threshold. With the requirements now met, the Cape Town Agreement will enter into force in 2027.
In 2021, recognizing the importance of the Cape Town Agreement to the Arctic, the Arctic Council Working Group PAME joined the efforts led by the IMO Secretariat to achieve the entry into force criteria. Through a dedicated project, PAME compiled fishing vessel data and raised awareness of the Agreement among Arctic States and Arctic Council Observers.
The Director of the IMO’s Maritime Safety Division in 2019, Dr Heike Deggim, and Senior Deputy Director, Jack Westwood-Booth, deserve enormous credit for initiating such a noble drive for the protection of the world’s fishers. Without their initiative, this milestone would never have been reached at this juncture, and certainly not for decades. Additionally the IMO and PAME Secretariats deserve enormous credit for fostering such a productive working relationship, IMO having achieved Arctic Council Observer status in 2019.
What does the Cape Town Agreement mean for the Arctic?
Recent research shows that some fish species have shifted northward, seeking colder temperatures as the ocean warms. This leads to fishing vessels moving further north to catch the fish in increasingly hazardous environments, running the risk of sea ice encounter. Fishing vessels are also harvesting further away from land, increasing difficulty for rescue services in the case of emergencies.
PAME has found that fishing vessels are the most common vessel type operating in the Arctic, representing 40% of all vessels entering the Polar Code area in 2025. PAME is doing more research on this and will soon publish an Arctic Shipping Status Report that explores more data on fishing vessels in the Arctic. Preliminary results show vessels are also larger and sailing more nautical miles, supporting the research on how fish stock is moving further north, away from more traditional fishing grounds
According to PAME, the Cape Town Agreement will benefit the Arctic by:
- Protecting Arctic State rescue services from being called out unnecessarily to substandard fishing vessels
- Save lives in the fishing industry and improve working conditions
- Help create internationally-binding safety standards applicable to foreign registered fishing vessels. All vessels entering a port of a State that is a part to the Agreement would be subject to the same inspection standards – even if their flag State has not ratified or acceded to it. This allows States to control all vessels entering their ports, raising global safety standards.
- Help reduce plastic waste from fishing vessels ending up in Arctic waters
The Cape Town Agreement sets out mandatory safety standards for more than 45,000 fishing vessels of 24 meters (79 feet) in length and over covering the design, construction, equipment and inspection of fishing vessels, as well as vessel stability and seaworthiness, machinery and electrical installations, life-saving appliances, fire protection and communications equipment.
Beyond safety, the Agreement is also expected to support the reduction of marine plastic pollution from abandoned or lost fishing gear, helping to prevent casualties, improve working conditions for fishers, enhance competitiveness and protect the marine environment.
How does the Cape Town Agreement help reduce marine pollution?
Fisheries-related activities are a major sea-based source of marine litter in the Arctic. Net and rope cutting waste from bottom-trawl vessels is a primary contributor to beach pollution. Further, abandoned, lost and otherwise disregarded fishing gear contributes significantly to marine litter, affecting fish stocks, marine biodiversity and coastal communities in the Arctic.
According PAME’s 2025 Report on Abandoned, Lost or Otherwise Discarded Fishing Gear, fishing gear accounts for up to 13-15% of total plastics in our ocean. Due to world ocean currents, much waste has accumulated in the Arctic. From the limited analysis thus far of macro-litter washed ashore on Arctic beaches or accumulating on the seafloor, most (50-100%) can be attributed to fishing activity, such as nets, floats and other debris.
The Cape Town Agreement will increase vessel standards, thereby reducing incidents where fishing gear can be lost overboard.
Complementary to this, PAME recently convened a workshop on improving fishing gear waste management practices in the Arctic. The Working Group is now developing a Fishing Gear Management Plan in the Arctic to help reduce marine litter from fishing vessels. These efforts that come in addition to the Cape Town Agreement show why it’s important that international and regional bodies are involved in addressing the overarching issue.
PAME has a project on the Cape Town Agreement. Why is it important that the Arctic Council is involved in these efforts?
The goal of PAME’s Cape Town Agreement project, co-led by Iceland, Spain and the IMO has been to assist in the overall drive by the IMO to reach the Cape Town Agreement entry into force provisions, which has now been achieved. We also hope to encourage further ratifications within Arctic States and Arctic Council Observer States, which it has made progress on. We also want to highlight fishing vessel activity in Arctic waters – in June 2026, the project will host a webinar on its progress.
Even though the Cape Town Agreement meets the ratification requires to enter into force, we still want to encourage more States to ratify it. Moving forward, the project will highlight the importance of enforcement so that its implementation in 2027 can achieve maximum effect. If we look at the Arctic Shipping Best Practice Information Forum, which is another Arctic Council initiative that supports safe shipping by encouraging uniform understanding of IMO’s Polar Code, I think there is potential to create something similar with the Cape Town Agreement.
Regulation is one thing, implementation is another. The first hurdle has been completed with the Cape Town Agreement’s imminent entry into force, but there is still more to be done.
