The fifth meeting of the ABNJ Deep Seas Project Steering Committee (PSC) was held at FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy from 27–28 January 2020. The meeting was attended by representatives of eight project partners, including six regional bodies. The primary objectives of the fifth PSC were to consider the preliminary results of the Deep Sea Project (DSP) terminal evaluation and to provide feedback on the framework being developed for a second phase of the project under the coming GEF replenishment cycle. The PSC took note and commented on the Concept Note that has been prepared for the second phase of the DSP. The PSC also noted the timeline for the preparation and submission of documents for the GEF Council and that the five child projects and the Program Framework Document (PFD) need to be submitted together as a package. 

The Worldwide review of bottom fisheries in the high seas in 2016 is an update to the first Worldwide review of bottom fisheries in the high seas, published in 2009 based on information from 2003 to 2006. It provides states and other interested parties with a summary of the current status of high seas bottom fisheries worldwide. The present, updated review begins with a description of the demersal finfish and shellfish resources, before offering a global perspective on fisheries and management; it then provides specific, regional information over eleven chapters covering the high seas of the world’s oceans, by region. Drawing on data up to and including 2016, it provides a survey of the current state of bottom fisheries since the original Worldwide review, considering these fisheries in the context of their historical evolution.

This is the report of the FAO/NPFC workshop on protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems in the North Pacific Fisheries Commission Area: applying global experiences to regional assessment. The event was held in Yokohama, Japan on 12–15 March 2018. The workshop was organized by the NPFC with financial support from the FAO ABNJ Deep Seas Project. 

This is an online report of the Common Oceans ABNJ Deep Seas Project, prepare by implementing partner United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), which summarises all the work carried out under the Project over the past 5 years. 

Watch this video to learn more about the connectivity of our ocean, and how it is managed. It was prepared under the Common Oceans ABNJ Deep Sea Project, by implementing partner the UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC).