Ocean conservation: Why the first-ever high seas treaty matters The world's first international treaty to protect the high seas is set to be adopted at the United Nations later this Monday. Amid rising sea temperatures, overfishing and even the fear of underwater mining, countries have come together to forge an agreement to try to protect international waters. The text is being seen as a huge step forward after more than 15 years of talks. In Perspective, we spoke to Jessica Battle, a senior expert on global ocean policy and governance at the WWF.