[From the INDEEP mailing list]
http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/about/news-room/news/2015/06/19/a-big-moment-for-the-high-seas
Great news for the high seas and deep seabed beyond national boundaries. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) just agreed to launch negotiations before new treaty. This new agreement could create a structure for coordinating regulation of activity in the high seas. A high seas treaty also would chart a course toward creating a network of marine protected areas in the open ocean, which would ensure that special places on the high seas receive the protection they need to remain vibrant, diverse ecosystems.